Those of us who stay in bigger towns will
feel the loss of a sense of community most keenly. We have become isolated and
wary of our neighbors. The more this becomes part of our culture, the more we suffer
from depression and other anxieties. Being part of a family, and a community is
good for our mental health, our physical health and is crucial to having happy,
well-adjusted students. One of the ways in which your students can experience a
sense of belonging is through community service.
Community service not only helps your
students to meet and mix with the people in their community, it also helps to
foster a culture of giving, care for their fellow humans, social skills and
organizational skills. There are many ways in which students can help only some
of which are listed below.
Environmental
Impact
Your student can organize or join cleanups
in your area. Keeping garbage out of sensitive natural areas will help to
preserve local eco-systems. Students can rally their friends to help in a
cleanup, but ensure that gloves and masks are worn for additional safety.
Students can also help the environment by
saving energy. This is augmented by energy monitoring systems that are
installed by many local municipalities to help residents to monitor
consumption. You can also just work off your utilities bills. Consumption can
further be reduced by growing vegetables in the backyard, conducting clothing
swaps rather than buying new clothing and upcycling old items to
keep them from the landfill.
Seniors
Loneliness is a huge issue many seniors
living in homes face. Most senior’s residences welcome student volunteers who
can spend time with seniors and keep them company or help them with everyday
tasks. If you have seniors in your neighborhood, your students could help them
with more strenuous tasks like cleaning gutters or mowing the lawn.
Animals
If your student is an animal lover, then
local shelters are a great place for them to volunteer. They can also help by
raising money for shelters or organizing donations of food and other pet
supplies. Students can offer to help friends and neighbors who are at work all
day by taking their dogs for a walk.
Community
Gardens
These are a great way to introduce good
nutrition and teach your students about growing plants. Community gardens are a
healthy and fun way to grow your own food. They provide communities with a
source of fresh fruit and vegetables that can be organic and are definitely
locally grown.
Random
acts of kindness
These should be done every day. Community
means the people around us and your student is sure to find a student at school
that needs a little help. Tutoring younger students is a great way for your
kids to give back. They can bring lunch for someone who regularly has no lunch
at school, they can stand up to bullying, they can help students who are
struggling academically and show appreciation to a teacher for all the hard
work they do.
this picture comes from Courtney Dirk and her link is
here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/courtneyrian/
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