How to Encourage Your Child To Join a Community Service Project

Helping the poor, homeless, disabled people, or disadvantaged groups are examples of community service projects that people join to help the needy.

You may encourage your child to join a related project if you want them to enjoy helping people and improving their mental well-being.

You should also encourage them because community service projects are a form of therapy for children since children become happy when they help people. 

One way you can encourage them is to tell them about extracurricular activities.

You can give your child a list of extracurriculars and show them the various benefits of joining each.

If they happen to choose community service projects, your goal would have been fulfilled.

Moreover, you can also motivate them to join community service projects by telling them about the people the project helps.

Share with your child the stories of the needy and how they got where they are.

Also, share how they would feel if rendered help by the project.

Furthermore, you can inspire your child by leading by example.

Endeavor to help people you meet on the street or in the grocery store.

The more your child relates your giving to positivity, the stronger their desire to help people.

Learn how to encourage your child to join a community service project:

Encourage Them to Join Extracurricular Activities 

Motivating your child to do something doesn't always have to be straightforward.

You can go an indirect route, showing them a variety of options.

This will help them pick what they love, and if their choice happens to be what you desired for them, then it's a win-win situation for both of you.

You can encourage your child to join extracurricular activities by discovering what they are interested in.

If they are interested in helping people and being compassionate, you can easily pitch community service and STEM programs to them.

Tell them the STEM programs will help them help people with their technological devices.

Also, tell them that community service projects will help them close and personal with the needy.

Your child will be able to make their choice. Just hope it's community service.

Once they make their choice, and it's community service, guide them only.

Don't hover around over what projects they want to join.

Allow them to decide and pick what cause they truly value, so they won't join a group they don't like.

Tell Them About the Recipients 

Weaving a tale about the needy is bound to get your child hooked way more than simply informing them that they should join a project.

Try to create an emotional backstory for the community service recipients; that's one way you can encourage your child easily.

After telling them about the recipients' past, you should also tell them about the benefits they enjoy from the community service project.

It may be that poor people have a monthly income due to the project connecting donors to the poor.

Similarly, it may be that the homeless now have places to stay by virtue of a project providing housing for them.

Whatever benefits you know that the recipients get, be sure to tell your child.

By sharing with your child, they will want to replicate the same.

They will also want to make the recipients happy, motivating them to join a community service project.

They would fulfill the innate desire to do good by joining a project.

Lead By Example 

You need to be an influencer when trying to encourage your child.

This means you must do what you want them to, so they may mirror you.

It's easy for children to be imprinted upon; therefore, anything you preach should be accompanied by demonstrations.

You have to be your best at the helping people game.

Maintain a good nature every time you are outside with your kid.

Be eager to help others; this will show your kid that you are not feeling forced.

Also, even if the person you are helping doesn't appreciate your help, don't make it stop you from doing good.

Similarly, ensure that you maintain the good image every time.

You are not allowed to slip once because kids are always watching.

If you don't feel like helping someone, be sure to explain to your child with justifiable reasons.

Children will copy their parents generally while trying to understand how life works.

Thus, you have to ensure that you are constantly leading by example.

Do what you want them to do so that they will act like you when they start operating.

Teach Them to Work With People 

Generally, humans love progressing with their acquired skills, and kids are no different.

If you desire to encourage your child to join a community service project, teach them a necessary skill for the project, link it to the project, and watch them get excited about using the skill for the project.

Community service projects are undertaken by many people at once, making teamwork an essential skill.

If you teach your child about teamwork and show them a glance at how it helps in community service, rest assured that they would want to join a project so they may utilize their new skill.

You can teach your child teamwork by involving them in work at home.

Either helping out while doing the dishes or setting the table or folding laundry, your child can learn a lot about teamwork from working with family members in the household.

Similarly, you can teach your child about teamwork by telling them team stories about your work and your young years.

Tell stories of how you and your colleagues solved a problem by being a team. 

You can also share how you and your childhood friends escaped trouble as kids.

Highlight Benefits of Volunteering 

It's expected that your child will want to know the benefits of anything you are telling them to join.

Hence, don't dictate instructions if you want to encourage your child to join a community service project.

Instead, share the benefits of volunteering with them.

For instance, tell them about how volunteering will help them gain a massive boost in their self-confidence.

The massive boost will also help stabilize their mental well-being and lead to making better, well-informed decisions.

You can also inform them of the skills they will learn in the community service project.

Depending on their department, they will develop skills specific to these departments.

If they are in the design department, they will obtain design skills, and if they are in the IT department, they will acquire IT skills.

Ultimately, share with them how they will be able to make a difference in the world.

Make sure they realize that no matter how small their efforts are, they are changing the world in their way.

Conclusion

If you desire to boost your child's mental well-being and give them a form of child therapy by having them join a community service project, you should encourage them to join rather than force them. 

You can encourage them by advising them to join extracurriculars, telling them about the recipients, leading by example, teaching them how to work in teams, and telling them benefits of volunteering.

Resources 

https://www.creativechild.com/articles/view/how-to-motivate-your-child-to-participate-in-extra-curricular-activities

https://habitatbroward.org/blog/why-community-service-is-important/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/all-grown/201906/10-ways-become-the-parent-your-children-really-need?amp

https://national.macaronikid.com/articles/59a70aaa6a33644cae651292/6-tips-for-teaching-your-children-teamwork

https://hesarizona.org/glendale-charter-school/5-ways-encourage-children-community-service/

https://www.volunteerscotland.net/for-volunteers/why-volunteer/benefits-of-volunteering/