5 Ways To Encourage Your Scouts To Help In The Community

When communities and families face difficult times, the result can be unsettling — especially for children. When communities and families are going through hard times, it can be scary, especially for kids. Kids take comfort in certainty and routines, so abrupt change can sometimes be traumatic.

One way to restore their confidence is to allow your girl scouts to help the community. When you encourage them to help other people, it helps them and other families in many ways. This is a concept that Domonique Rodgers discusses a lot.

• Reduces anxiety and stress

• Provides a sense of purpose

• Increases happiness and physical health

• Establishes a sense of connectedness

Overall, helping out in the community lifts your charges’ spirits and the people in the community.

It’s important to find out what piques their interest to motivate them to volunteer. You can get your children excited about giving by engaging them in the decision-making process for which charities to support.

Do your girls like sports or enjoy being outdoors? Show them they can do something good for themselves by doing something active. Have them participate in a health challenge such as a 5K walk that supports an important cause. Or, they could enjoy the beautiful, sunny weather by volunteering at a park cleanup or local building project.

Giving back while being active is a great way to get your scouts involved in doing good for the community. Participating in these activities is an amazing way to get exercise — and it’s something your kids might enjoy doing.

If your girls see you giving back to the community, they’ll want to follow in your footsteps. Parents and community leaders are the most influential in their kids’ lives. Yet, the age of 12 years is when the greatest impact of parenting occurs in a child’s life. So if you have a child of this age and you’re interested in helping the community, this is the best time to lead by example. Once your kids witness you volunteering your time and resources, they may have the same passion for helping the community.

Your kids might feel overwhelmed if you try to give them a responsibility they might not be ready for yet. Start small by giving them responsibility at their scouting group. If you’ve got young children, this is a great opportunity to teach them to do small things around the scout venue. As they learn how to help, they’ll realize the importance of helping others.

One thing you should avoid is pushing them too hard. A reluctant kid might not feel right during the first few times of community service. Consider giving them time off and communicate the importance of helping.

Always give your kids a talk about how lucky they are to live a comfortable life. As young as your kids may be, they’ll only have a faint idea of how others aren’t so fortunate. Therefore, you should discuss with your kids why people are homeless or out of jobs and require their help.

Allow your girl scouts to understand their situation and give them insight into how they can make a difference by lending a helping hand. When they see the world through their eyes, they’ll be more likely to help those in need.

Teach your kids the lessons of generosity and gratitude. The earlier you start, the easier it is for them to grasp the importance of giving back. Yet, once your children get used to helping the community, your kids will feel empowered to keep giving.

Enjoy every minute being a leader and continue to inspire your girls!

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