It Starts With Community
The last month has been filled with reminders to vote, the grief around of the passing of Justice Ginsberg, activism around racial injustice, the ongoing pandemic, wildfires and of course the impending presidential election. Some people believe this upcoming election is one of the most important in history. I have been a part of many sessions in which families can't even discuss these issues and others are rallying around causes they care about. But I have probably been more a part of conversations in which parents aren't sure what to say or do. So, today I will share with you some of the ideas that I have shared with other families who want to raise civically minded, community involved children no matter what the ages of their children are. I also recently interviewed the authors of When Women Vote and I assure you, you won't want to miss this PodCouch interview. The interview covers women's issues and beyond is appropriate to listen with your children, enjoy it, you are sure to learn some thought provoking information.
How do I start teaching them?
Whether you are a highly involved community member or just keep your thoughts and actions to yourself, if you are raising kids you will likely find yourself wondering how you can or should involve your family in some sort of activism. Whether it's climate change, education, voter access, pollution, homelessness, gender equality, or racial justice, these issues are impacting families in some way in every type of community. So, here are some ideas on how you can instill a sense of community engagement in your family.
1. Expose your children to a variety of causes. Over the years I have noticed that in community engaged families, parents typically share with their children the causes they care about and eventually their kids may or may not get exposure to other important causes. I believe that in order to launch your child it's important that they understand why you care about what you support and that there are also many other worthy causes that you can explore together. This will eventually give them options when it's time for them to support a cause.
2. Cultivate empathy - both before and during exploring community engagement, you must place empathy as a priority in your child's development. Without it, they won't have sustainability to engagement in causes. Simply put, your kids has to see that you consistently model care about others and put yourself in other's shoes and that they can too with lots of practice and reinforcement. Responding to your child with sensitivity and kindness are the first steps toward raising children with empathy.
3. Start with a small commitment and build from there. You don't have to start with chairing a non-profit board, you can start by spending one afternoon helping pick up litter or getting signatures for a cause. You can start by touring a school or attending a meeting and then agreeing to one event that may just take a few hours so that you can get a better feel for whether the cause is a good fit for your family. Just think small steps toward an eventual larger result.
4. Reflect on how you each feel after volunteering or helping others. Talking about what each family member enjoyed and didn't is crucial when creating a family that gives their time and talent. The ride home or dinner that night should be a time when everyone shares and celebrates. It also helps propel the family to decide on future engagement and is more likely to result in committing.
5. Allow each person in the family share what their interests are. That might mean one person wants to help at an animal shelter, one might want to serve food to the homeless, one might want to clean up the parks and so on. Everyone's values should be supported and shared in together.
6. Discuss global issues and then break them down into local solutions. If your children are in school they are likely learning about the massive global issues that are impacting us today. And while you want to hear about it, get their thoughts and share your opinions, you can also help them by bridging it to your own community. Invite your kids to come up with solutions for reducing their carbon footprint or improving recycling and upcycling in your school or community.
The benefits of volunteering in your community cannot be overstated. It teaches children to think outside of themselves, it exposes them to world issues, it helps them become problem solvers, and to learn responsibility and accountability.
Families can start with helping a neighbor. They can rake leaves, mow a lawn or bring over a warm meal to an elderly neighbor. Eventually, kids will understand that while one small act is meaningful, scaling those types of actions can have an even greater impact. Last, I believe it sets the stage for kids to be solution focused in their mindset instead of overwhelmed when world problems seems so big and out of their reach of impact.
Happy Volunteering!