Kids and teens have an exceptional view on the world, and often offer up some of the most creative solutions to problems. Because of that, engaging them in volunteer work is a great way to solve community problems in a unique way. Additionally, it also helps foster important social and emotional competencies, like empathy and compassion, and develop key 21
st
century skills like critical thinking and collaboration.
With
takes very few resources – mainly just trash bags and gloves – and is an activity anyone can participate in. Decide on an area to clean up, connect with the manager of the area (parks department, etc.) to pick a day, and recruit friends and family to help!
! The game night can be dedicated to a certain age group (teens helping younger kids) or to members of the community who are learning English as a second language. Games like Scrabble and Taboo can be fun, or create your own!
Youth can sometimes feel like they don’t have a voice, but that simply isn’t the case! As our nation continues to navigate through divisive times, working with youth to take action and stand together is a great way to engage and empower them. Youth can
. These clubs are led by a caring adult or teen, and engage kids in regular service around issue areas they choose! They’re free to join, and you’re provided with all the materials you need to get started.
is a time to recognize and thank volunteers who lend their time, talent, voice and support to causes they care about in their community and around the world. If you work with volunteers or know of a group of deserving volunteers, consider hosting a National Volunteer Week event in their honor. Here are a few tips:
National Volunteer Week takes place April 23-29, 2017, in both the United States and Canada, so consider hosting your event during that week. When picking a date and time, consider your volunteers’ schedules. Can they attend an event in the middle of the day, or is the evening better? If you are unsure, contact a few and take a quick poll.
This is a must-have for any celebration because it helps tie everything together. Remember to incorporate all ages and genders to make it an inclusive event for anybody who might attend. For this year’s National Volunteer Week, Points of Light is advancing the theme of “Service Unites” – centering on the ideas that volunteerism brings people together to tackle tough challenges, create change, and build stronger, more vibrant communities.
Saying thank you doesn’t have to cost a lot, but it’s important to determine how much you want to spend on your event. Brainstorm your biggest expense (ex: location, food). Consider whether you will need technology, like a microphone or sound system, or if you’ll want to hire a photographer or videographer. If you have a limited budget, prioritize based on what you think will make the biggest impact. You may also be able to find a venue that will let you use the space for free, or local restaurants willing to donate food.
Once you’ve set your budget, set your guest list. Get your team together to brainstorm which volunteers you’d like to recognize. Consider also inviting any supporters, external partners or community members who have benefited from your volunteers’ efforts.
People need to know about the event! There are several ways to do this: social media is a great tool, along with email and word of mouth. Check out the National Volunteer Week marketing toolkit for logos, banner templates, sample messages and social media graphics.
Every celebration is centered on a main event, but may include smaller ones throughout the day or evening. For example, you could create an #ivolunteer photo booth to encourage attendees to share what service means to them. Points of Light will be providing a downloadable #ivolunteer signboard for National Volunteer Week (available 4/13 in the
); your attendees can fill out the signboards and take photos to share on social media using #ivolunteer and #NVW. This is an easy (and free) way to engage people during your event.
If you want to show your appreciation with more than just words, consider giving your volunteers small gifts – something simple and meaningful to remind them that they matter to your organization. Here are a few quick ideas from
During or after the celebration, consider sharing pictures or video featuring your volunteers. This is a great way to publically thank them and raise the profile of their work. You can tap into the national conversation around National Volunteer Week using #nvw, #ivolunteer and #serviceunites.
3 Volunteer Ideas that Benefit Kids and Teens
If you’re interested in putting your passion and skills to work, but aren’t sure where to start, look towards the next generation! There are so many opportunities to support kids and teens by inspiring them, supporting them and investing in them. Here are three ways you can get involved by helping kids and teens:
Students who struggle to read at an early age fall further behind and are four times more likely to leave school without a diploma. Getting youth excited about reading is an easy way to combat this statistic and get involved! Organizations like Ohana100, First Book, and Reach Out and Read provide gently used books to kids, as well as opportunities to become a volunteer reader. You can also contact your local libraries and schools, which are often looking for volunteer readers for story times.
Many kids and teens – including 13 million in the United States – are facing hunger and food insecurity. You can run a food drive and provide donations to your local food pantry, or serve meals at a soup kitchen. There are also lots of innovative ways to help the hungry! Make Your Mark on Hunger grantee Kate Atschinew started a coupon club called Cutting Out Hunger, which uses the concept of extreme couponing to help the hungry. Using couponing allows Kate to buy bulk food at a deep discount for her local food pantry; she also teaches community members how to use coupons to buy food at a lower cost and in a dignified way. To find ways you can help fight hunger in your community, visit www.generationOn.org/hunger.
Sometimes it’s not what you do, it’s just being there that’s enough to make a difference! Organizations including Boys & Girls Clubs, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and Mentor are always looking for adult volunteers to participate and mentor youth. Exposing kids and teens to other options outside of their usual environment can go a long way to showing them there’s no limit to what the future can hold for them.
8 Tips to Create a Good Deeds Day Project with Your Office
Good Deeds Day is a global day of service that unites people from more than 89 countries to do good deeds for the benefit of others and the planet. Now in its 11th year, Good Deeds Day was created in 2007 by Points of Light global affiliate Ruach Tova. As an event partner, Points of Light encourages our community of changemakers across the globe to participate in Good Deeds Day on April 2, 2017.
Courtesy: Good Deeds Day BHI Mexico celebrating Good Deeds Day.
Good Deeds Day 2017 can happen in any office, anywhere – all it needs is you! This year we are celebrating our 11th year doing good, and we’ve more than got you covered with ideas, tools, guides and resources to make your Good Deeds Day a golden one.
1. Have the desire to do good. We have a feeling you’re reading this right now because you’re a good person who aspires to be even better. Having the drive to do good is all that it takes to join in the largest celebration of the year devoted to good deeds.
2. Save the date. And this one is a special one as we are celebrating our 11 years doing good deeds worldwide. Last year, more than 1.5 million people took part, and hopefully many more will join this year. You, along with at least 1,499,999 other awesome humans, will unite as one philanthropic force on April 2, 2017, to do good and create large scale positive impact. Go you!
Courtesy: Good Deeds Day Yayasan Slukat Learning Center volunteers handing out food for Good Deeds Day.
3. Get approval from above. It should be pretty easy if you share all the benefits you get, personally and professionally, from volunteering. From health benefits for employees to increased job satisfaction and productivity at work, this opportunity is a win-win-win for all parties involved. And just in case, send your HR head or manager this kit for companies to explain it all.
4. Decide how you can help. There are countless ways in which you could be of service in your community, especially if you’re bringing the whole office along! Browse our how to guides to doing good, brimming with various ideas and activities to suit everyone in your office. Reach out to your coworkers to vote, or see if someone has a special cause to rally around to build office rapport.
We’re also happy to work with you to brainstorm a volunteer program for your community, so get in touch!
Courtesy: Good Deeds Day Northern Trust collects food and makes goodie jars for Good Deeds Day.
5. Rally the team. This is the perfect opportunity to connect with your co-workers, do something fun, and create better bonds with the people you may not get the chance to chat with in your office. Get everyone on board by emailing them this fact sheet, sharing all the added value benefits for doing good.
6. Register your group. Fill in a short form and join close to two million people in over 75 countries in sharing your Good Deeds Day tales. Tell us about your project and ideas by registering. Want to match? Make sure to mention you want to order t-shirts with your logo!
7. Promote your event. Now that we know you’re doing good, you should share it with the rest of the world! Not only will this benefit your team, but it’s also good business. Use our ready-to-go media kit to handle any communications you need, and update your social media channels with our cover photo and sweet social media graphics.
Courtesy: Good Deeds Day PeerApp Russia give assistance to a local animal shelter on Good Deeds Day.
8. Get excited! You should be proud of yourself, friend. You and your office are contributing to a global celebration of goodness! Good Deeds Day 2017 is a dedicated day which proves that millions of small changes can do a world of good. Thank you for joining in our efforts, for believing in good, and for helping to change the world – one good deed at a time!
The 4-Step Guide to Taking Part in Good Deeds Day 2017
Good Deeds Day is a global day of service that unites people from more than 89 countries to do good deeds for the benefit of others and the planet. Now in its 11th year, Good Deeds Day was created in 2007 by Points of Light global affiliate Ruach Tova. As an event partner, Points of Light encourages our community of changemakers across the globe to participate in Good Deeds Day on April 2, 2017.
Courtesy: Good Deeds Day Kids performing in a flash mob on Good Deeds Day in San Jose, Costa Rica.
International Good Deeds Day is a day solely dedicated to making a positive impact on the people around us and thereby the world as a whole. There is an almost endless supply of opportunities for everyone to spread the goodness in their own way, it can almost be overwhelming.
Millions of people from more than 75 countries around the globe will take part in Good Deeds Day 2017. If you want to be a part of the global movement of doing good and are still looking for ways to get it all started, we got you covered with our little guide on how you can get involved.
1. Save the date
International Good Deeds Day is already celebrating its 11th year, and over 1.5 million people will join hands to do good on April 2, 2017. Mark the day in your calendar and clear your schedule – it’s gonna be a great day.
Once you’ve decided on the impact you’re gonna make, share it to your Facebook friends and motivate them to join you in making a difference. Afterall, happiness is so much better when it’s shared.
Courtesy: Good Deeds Day Share your awesome ideas with the world to inspire others to do good as well.
Once your inspiration has grown into an idea, simply fill out this form and the International Good Deeds Day team will be in touch to help your plans off the ground.
Courtesy: Good Deeds Day You project could be as simple as giving a children’s playground a fresh coat of paint.
4. Get the word out
Congratulations, you are now officially a part of the global movement of doing good and you should be proud of it. Talk to others about Good Deeds Day, spread your own ideas, and find like-minded people who will join you on April 2.
The Good Deeds Day team prepared lots of cool material in eight different languages that will help you to inform, inspire, and spread the goodness. Print some stickers, get a GDD shirt, or just change your email signature. The more people that join you in doing good, the greater your positive impact on the world will be.
Courtesy: Good Deeds Day The more the merrier – get your friends and family involved in doing good and share the happiness.
This article was originally published on Goodnetand appears here with permission.
4 Ways to Volunteer Inside During the Winter Months
As temperatures drop and frost or snow covers the ground, you might be thinking about how to take your volunteering to a warmer, cozier location. During the winter season, try out some meaningful volunteering opportunities that you can do from the comfort of your own home.
Help others stay warm this winter by gathering some fleece, wool or yarn, and putting it to good use! Make a fleece blanket using these simple instructions from our youth division, generationOn, and donate it to Project Linus to help warm a child in need. Or, break out your knitting needles and make a hat or baby blanket for Knots of Love. You can check Wool Works or All Free Knitting to find more organizations in your area accepting sewn and knit items.
Sending greeting cards is not just for the holidays! Write cards for Operation Gratitude to send in care packages to deployed troops, new recruits, and veterans. Brighten a hospitalized child’s day with a personal note or card. Want to double your good deed? Check out Greet for Good, a database of organizations that sell greeting cards benefitting the organizations or causes you care about.
3. Throw a party to fundraise for your favorite cause
Fundraising parties aren’t just for politicians and actors. You can throw a party in your house to raise money for a cause you are passionate about. Get your friends and family to help – invite your neighbors and coworkers to attend as well. You can use this guide to help you plan your event.
Cold weather, ice and snow can present some challenges for the elderly. Use this guide help a neighbor winterize their home to protect against winter’s chill. You could also help someone do their grocery shopping, bring over a fresh, home-cooked meal, or offer to pitch in with household chores.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of big cities, it can be easy to feel disconnected from the traditional sense of community that brings us together. Cities face their own unique challenges, and in turn offer a vast number of opportunities for service-minded city dwellers to get involved and improve their local communities through volunteerism. Here are some ideas to get your started:
Many urban spaces contain “food deserts” – areas in which it is difficult to buy affordable or high-quality fresh and healthy food, especially without access to a vehicle. One way of addressing this is to start or contribute to a community garden. Find a garden near you or get tips to start your own.
Cities have lots of schools, and they all could use a few more volunteers. Get connected with your local schools by spending time in the classroom, participating in tutoring programs, or leading afterschool activities.
Help feed low-income families or people experiencing homelessness by volunteering at your local food bank or soup kitchen. Especially in large cities, these organizations need a lot of volunteers to help meet high demand for their services. Find a Feeding America food bank near you, or search for a local kitchen in your community to get involved.
Is there an area – such as the street in front of your apartment or your favorite park – that you’d like to help maintain and keep litter-free, find out if your city has an Adopt-a-Block/Park/Street program that will allow you to take on responsibility for that space. And, even if there is no official program, there’s nothing to stop you from pitching in to keep it clean!
One of the benefits of living in a city is that it is easy to engage in the political process. Support the issues and organizations that you care about by showing up to city council meetings and public forums, or volunteer your time with a local political office or advocacy group.
One great thing about living in the city is that there’s always something exciting going on. There are plenty of service opportunities, too. Get in touch with your favorite organizations to see what they have coming up, or check out AllForGood.org to find upcoming volunteer opportunities in your city.
Boston Cares and Hands On Atlanta Face Off in Points of Light’s 2nd Annual “Super Bowl of Service”
This post is by Alison Doerfler, executive director of Points of Light’s HandsOn Network.
Update: Congratulations to Hands On Atlanta, the winners of the 2017 “Super Bowl of Service” with 3,649 hours of service!
It has been a great year for my sports teams this year, with the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series and the Northwestern Wildcats winning the Pinstripe Bowl. As we head into Super Bowl LI, I find myself pretty excited that the Atlanta Falcons are going to Houston to face the New England Patriots. Since Points of Light is headquartered in Atlanta, I may watch more than the commercials this year. Although I may be a bit biased, I take my job as “Commissioner” of Points of Light’s HandsOn Network seriously – and it’s time for the 2
. Fans of the Patriots and Falcons can do more than cheer on their teams next weekend: They can volunteer this week.
The terms are simple – each affiliate will track the hours served by their local volunteers from Monday, Jan. 30 through Sunday, Feb. 5, and we will combine that number with their team’s Super Bowl score, multiplied by 5. The winning affiliate will take the title of 2017 Super Bowl of Service Champions and win a $500 grant. The leadership team of the losing affiliate will volunteer at a nonprofit of the winner’s choice (in the losing team’s home city) sometime during the month of February.
Anyone can participate by participating in volunteer projects taking place this week in
.
May the best team and community of local changemakers win!
Bonus:
Hear from last year’s competitors, Metro Volunteers and HandsOn Charlotte:
On Martin Luther King Day, What are You Doing For Others?
In 1957, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. posed the idea that, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” As we kick off 2017, millions of Americans will come together for
to honor his legacy through service and civic dialogue.
Points of Light invites you to join your neighbors and get involved with a service project near you on MLK Day. Here are
, and in collaboration with local partners, Points of Light is supporting MLK Day volunteer activities run by eight nonprofits across the country. If you live nearby, we hope to see you there:
of Philadelphia will unite the tristate area – Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware – for the 22nd annual Greater Philadelphia King Day of Service, bringing together 140,000 volunteers at some 1,800 projects, including a health fair, workshops and a civic engagement expo.
will host a Sunday Supper and a variety of service projects designed to steward social change and challenge Atlanta communities to embrace diversity, in line with Dr. King’s vision of a beloved community.
will host a Sunday Supper and engage volunteers in a weekend-long celebration through a variety of service and community projects, including a 5K walk/run, a peach march, a resource fair, and more.
will host a Sunday Supper and family movie night, kicking off the 36th annual MLK Day “Capitol March for the Dream,” and engaging residents in a community day of service.
will host service projects across two locations in New York City, involving educational enrichment and recreation for students, socialization for seniors and the revitalization of public spaces.
will host a Sunday Supper Movie Night, with service projects intended to create a sense of community togetherness and provide support to 625 local families struggling with hunger and financial insecurity.
in North Carolina will host a day of service at Four Seasons Town Centre. This event will include on-site service projects and a nonprofit fair where volunteers can connect with dozens of nonprofits.
Scores of other volunteer action centers will activate volunteers in partnership with Points of Light’s programs and divisions during the King Holiday.
In Washington, D.C., Points of Light will partner with
. During this marathon-style service event, project managers will provide pro bono speed consulting to nonprofit leaders, with the end result being a well-defined scope of work and project plan that nonprofits can then use to address specific challenges. During the event, 240 volunteers will contribute more than 1,200 hours of direct service to more than 60 area nonprofits, making a collective contribution of more than $150,000 worth of business consulting in a single day. In recognition of their efforts, the project managers will be honored with the
, to honor the legacy of a man who dedicated his life to the service of others.
As we kick off 2017, MLK Day is an important opportunity for Americans to unite through service. Points of Light – the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service – calls together its community of changemakers to reflect on gains won during the Civil Rights Movement and to address contemporary issues facing our nation.
We encourage people across the country to engage in dialogue about issues affecting their communities, and to take action through service. Here are three ways you can make a difference on MLK Day:
Become a Drum Major
Dr. King once said, “Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice; say that I was a drum major for peace; I was a drum major for righteousness.” Join volunteers, leaders, and celebrities lending
America’s Sunday Suppers bring together people from diverse backgrounds to engage in dialogue around important community issues. As part of its commitment to building connections among people and communities, Southwest Airlines has partnered with Points of Light to support this meaningful way for changemakers to make a difference on MLK Day. Host a
