How can we energize our youth to do community service?
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Many of our youth are living aimless lives. No Mission, no meaning and no purpose. How can we help them find purpose by service their community?
Answers to this question:My personal opinion is that the only way to do this is to inspire the young. Kids generally don't do anything that they aren't inspired to do by someone else's example. If they are shown that it's cool to be self-absorbed, they will be self-absorbed. If they are shown that it's cool to help others, they will work hard to help others. This has been my experience, anyway.
I think the real problem today is that there aren't many good examples for the youth to follow for serving their community. Community service is even demonized among some.
I agree to this!
We started a tradition at our supper table. The simple fact that we all eat supper together is a tradition most families have lost. However, that isn't the new tradition.
Our new tradition is every evening at the dinner table, we have to take a turn and say something that was done for us, or that we did for someone else, that was 'a good thing'. We go around the table 3 times.
That way, we always 3 positive things to say that happened during the day. No matter how bad the day is - you find 3 good things that happened (and believe me there are days when I've said "the sky was blue!" ).
It teaches our kids to appreciate the little things in life - and the big things in life. We are role models to our kids - and if they don't see us being positive, accountable (that's a biggie), responsible and accepting - then how will they learn it?
Start an intensive advertising campaign for community service led by young entertainers and sports stars. These are the people kids look up to these days. If a popular singer thinks it's cool to help others, it could go a long way.
I see most young people do live with no purpose at all, and I believe most of this is because of the parents. Parents support their kids too much these days. Don't get me wrong, support them yes, but you don't have to do EVERYTHING for them. Make them responsible for their actions, give them goals to achieve and give them rewards to earn.
start with local community clubs that appeal to what youth want. then after a while begin teaching them community values and see that everyone in the community is a part of the group and an interest needs to be taken as well as action.
I think we need to instill a vision that is close to them. I'm a direct response marketeter, so we always go for the emotion. If we can touch the hot spots eg. past struggles, abuse, failure and envision a goal into the minds of todays youth to overcome such struggles and help others to do the same, it would give them motivation and a willingness to help more
We need a strong push from schools and parents. My first job required that we did 8 hours community service anywhere that we chose and they paid me my wages for this day. I know that would be difficult for some companies but man you need to find a way to incorporate this into your company budget even if it is give and take from the employee normal alloted leave. You would be amazed how many people after in a sense being forced to interact catch on to the organization and continue on their own for years to come.
In this day and age nobody, especially the younger generation, wants to do anything for free. If you want to inspire more community service tie into existing structures at school that demand a minimum of 40 hours community service to graduate from high school. Perhaps if the hours and the incentives were increased, tied to scholarship funding, more teenagers would donate more time.
This being said, if you want to inspire a culture that values community service, you will have to start at the grassroots, the family unit, then the local community and so on. I don't believe this agenda will trickle down from the top, because the people at the top are more interested in the bottom line, the economy. The idea of giving back must be instilled from an early age to have a genuine impact, easy to say but hard to do when most families are pressed for time and barely making ends meet. Even social and community services have changed radically in the past 20 years, especially since Michael Harris's Welfare reforms which whittled the last safe haven away and came up with workfare. You cannot survive on goverment assistance. Community service is a nice ideal but I'm afraid a far stretch from the mentality that exists in the world today. The global village has an "it's up to you to succeed mentality, blame yourself if you fail", so shifting to a more human and more humane society that values community and gives back as a matter of course will be an uphill battle.
» Answer from Cameron Page Answer given 2 years 29 days ago.Hide their game consoles until they do the community service.
dont know
pay them an income!
Total Answers: 12, Total Page Views: 956.Michael, I used to be a scout (some say you're scout forever), and what we used to do was making challenges to the kids. Every certain period they would have to come up with an idea for community service and organize, implement and make other kids go to the activity and share. It was always fun and kids come out with great projects! They learn from the experiences and feel encouraged to make more. So I believe it would be:
1) Challenge the youth and make them invite others to make it.
2) After service, experience spreads mouth by mouth and kids feel encouraged to continue serving.
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