I hope you had a great week and a nice weekend so far. Crazy busy, draining, recharging, whatever it has been I am glad you are here 😄
I bet if someone offered you a magical pill that would help reduce your kid’s risk of anxiety and depression, boost their self-confidence, help them feel a sense of purpose, create more connection as a family, and help them develop a more selfless view of the world you’d pay just about anything…right? Well, I will come back to that!
I was fired up this week because I got to watch my wife run a big event last week, where she organized around a dozen different volunteering events for families in Fort Collins, Colorado. If you haven’t met her, to say the least, she is pretty amazing. The reason it was so cool though is because every time I volunteer or see other people do it I remember how encouraging and awesome it is to be a part of that environment.
This photo was from one of the projects my wife organized where we helped an awesome local Fort Collins family 🙂
Now I am far from winning any awards for how often I volunteer (that would go to my grandpa, he goes above and beyond). Most things I volunteer for are because my lovely wife gets them onto my calendar… Then when I am there I go all out and try to make it as great for everyone else and as impactful for the project’s mission as I can. I just have a hard time getting myself to block out time and sign up. The same was true when I was a kid, my parents would sign us up to deliver meals and help others out a few weekends of the year.
It is still something to this day that I am so grateful my parents did. Not because I have seen the research about all the amazing benefits of volunteering, but because it created a mindset within my self that my life can have meaning and impact and that it often won’t come from just doing whatever I wanted or felt comfortable doing. As a teenager it would have involved me whining to my mom about not wanting to go volunteering and instead thinking sitting at home and playing video games was more important😅I’m sure I won that battle sometimes but not every time, thank goodness.
But speaking of research…here are a few things I learned from my masters program…it’s that magic pill I mentioned earlier 👀
1 – A 2018 study by the Corporation for National Service found that teens who volunteered were 25% less likely to experience anxiety compared to those who didn’t. That same study showed that volunteering teens reported higher levels of self-esteem and confidence in their abilities.
2 – Helping others can provide a sense of meaning and purpose, which can be especially beneficial for teenagers who are still figuring out their place in the world.
3 – Helping others can trigger the release of feel-good hormones like endorphins, leading to increased happiness and overall well-being.
4 – Volunteering together as a family allows for shared experiences, fostering stronger connections between parents and their teens.
5 – Parents can show their children the importance of giving back and making a positive impact on the community.
My hope is that you assume your kids might be like me, not being likely to seek out volunteering, and need someone like my mom or wife who helps get them to keep showing up to opportunities to volunteer. It’s not always what they will want, but dollars to donuts they will be better off because of it in the long run. That mindset is one of the biggest reasons I’ve devoted my life and career to seeking purpose and encouraging others to do the same.
Here are a few ideas for places/ways you can volunteer and I bet you could make it happen easier than you think.
1 – Soup Kitchens and Food Banks
2 – Animal Shelters and Rescue Organizations
3 – Environmental Organizations
4 – Senior Centers and Nursing Homes
I encourage you to just start with a google search and if you feel stuck on how what to do or how to get your kids to go, please just ask!
We can’t wait to hear how it goes!
