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"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door." Emblazoned upon America's great symbol of freedom, The Statue of Liberty, these poetic lines depict a society bound by honor and a sense of duty to one's fellow man. However, in our fast paced, self-focused culture, apathy often seems to stand in direct contrast to Lady Liberty's generous invitation. As such, it can be difficult for parents to teach their children the importance of her words. Teaching by example notwithstanding, if kids are to become an active part of the next generation entrusted to uphold the statue's creed, they must be given opportunities to participate in volunteering and public service.
The first step in getting a young teen started as a volunteer may be exposure to the needs. Young people often cannot relate to tales of crisis and hardship. If it is not a part of their world, it is simple enough to turn the channel. Exposing them to a specific area which can benefit from the help of others can be essential to getting your kids excited about public service. This can be as basic as explaining the details of grandma's struggle to do yard work. But don't stop with talk. Take them to grandma's for a visit, where the opportunity to see the problem is apparent. Almost any elderly person will have some need that can be addressed, and this is an excellent segue to teaching young people how to bridge the divide between youth and old age.
Be informed when you talk with you kids about the need for volunteers in society. Do your homework, have current facts and statistics. For example, a young female, in particular, may be shocked to learn that a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes, thus explaining the urgent need for raising medical research funds. The alarming rate at which certain wildlife is depleting, the number of women and children living in safe houses in your community- these types of startling facts can help your kids to better understand the concerns. While you may be afraid of upsetting your kids, I encourage you to be honest with the facts. It is not necessary to turn the cause into a horror film in order for them to see the severity of the problem.
If you undecided on which public service or issue to focus on, have your kids make a list of several areas of concern they might have. You may want to get the ball rolling with a few ideas, such as renovating a local park, school violence, clean air, world peace, illiteracy, etc. After the list is complete, give your new recruits a few days to think about it and narrow down the list. Once the issue of greatest concern is determined, work together to find out which public services addressing the cause are locally available. A few places that can be instrumental in helping you get started are:
„h The American Red Cross
„h Community Outreach Centers
„h The Department of Health and Human Resources
„h Local churches or synagogues
„h Public Library
„h Local Hospitals
Don't overlook those volunteer opportunities that may be staring you right in the face. Do you have a neighbor or family friend who is struggling? Perhaps something as simple as running errands, raking leaves, bringing in their mail, or reading to them would change the entire scope of their world. If your child is involved in a youth group or organization that is performing a public service, such as a food bank or a book drive, encourage their participation and take an interest in how it is progressing.
Holidays present the perfect opportunity to teach your kids the gift of giving. Volunteering in soup kitchens, creating or helping with a toy drive, and visiting nursing homes are excellent opportunities to reach out and learn the balance of giving as well as receiving. Many ministries have volunteer opportunities specifically for the holidays. For example, Samaritan's Purse, a nondenominational organization, has Operation Christmas Child, a program for delivering shoeboxes of materials to children who are victims of desperate situations around the world.
Occasionally, parents are reluctant to unmask the harsher side of life to their kids, and certainly each family must decide what and how much is appropriate, taking into consideration such factors as the child's age and his or her ability to deal with emotionally charged situations. There is no need to make a young teen feel the pressure to solve all of society's ills. Rather, parents should strive to show them the rewards in being part of a much larger team working to ensure the Statue of Liberty's declaration to all people, one helping hand at a time.
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