Involving Your Child in
Volunteer Activities

Volunteering is an activity for all ages, including children. In fact, more schools and colleges require that students spend time helping in the community. To get your child started early, consider these points.

• Know why you want to get the young person involved. There are several motivations such as school assignments, church related activities and self-esteem.
• Identify potential barriers such as the individuals, the organizational culture and an organization’s policy on youth involvement.
• Take proactive measures to make sure that your child’s abilities match appropriately with the volunteering activity.
• Inquire about intergenerational training. Recognize that young people and adults may not be used to working with one another. Training may help sharpen skills in the areas of relationship building, communicating and listening.
• Support and develop young people. Your family can adopt strategies that help young people by helping them decide on the most suitable volunteer experience that will leave a lasting impression on them. Enable them to network with others.