What is your family up to this summer? Are you giving back?
Every child deserves an education, no matter their circumstances or geography. But not every child actually does get to go to school or have access to a quality education.
If you have access to this website, you likely have privileges that many of our youth and young adults across the globe don’t have. You have a roof over your head; you have food on your table; and you likely have a job that allows you resources and luxuries that some wouldn’t even dream about.
One of those luxuries is likely time. No matter how busy you are, you don’t have to scavenge for food or other basic necessities. And that means you have the means to give back to those who do.
It starts with an energy shift, with finding ways to center yourself so you can help others. These are great practices for you and your family members.
These ideas are not meant to replace other resources that give back to those in need, but rather to supplement them in an empowering, take-action manner.
Create Opportunities
Go for passion and purpose! Passion and purpose help us all dive into life. When I have to deal with paperwork or routine tasks, sometimes I can feel the energy drain from me. Compare that to when we get to see friends or participate in a hobby we enjoy. We come to life.
This is very true for our young people. They want to feel interested, with activities that are meaningful. Working with rescue animals is a passion and purpose activity that two of our LEADPrep students have enjoyed in internships. How can we bring to life what we do? If we can’t, maybe we need to rethink why we are doing it!
Passion and purpose has also been documented as increasing quality and length of life. Ikigai is a Japanese concept that combines the terms iki, meaning “alive” or “life,” and gai, meaning “benefit” or “worth.” When combined, these terms mean that which gives your life worth, meaning, or purpose or “reason for being.”
Blue Zones are regions where people live longer and healthier than average. Folks living in these regions are deeply aligned with their passion and purpose and the results are stunning.
Gratitude Practice
Implement a gratitude practice. Many cultures have mindfulness practices such as breathwork, yoga, meditation, mindful eating, etc. It slows us down and allows us to be in the moment. Without the past or future to fixate on, this allows us to live our “now” fully.
Add onto that the idea of starting or ending our day with journaling or stating what we are grateful for. We used to start our family meetings with something we each were grateful for and a shout-out to each family member for how they had been kind or helpful during the week. Our culture is SO fast and the media want us to feel a lack and buy all of the things they sell. When we are mindful, we live on our terms with an intentional pace and being selective about what we spend our life energy and resources on.
Explore Voluntourism
Explore voluntourism as schools and families. Yep, volunteering combined with travel is a growing form of giving back. There are so many ways that we can give back and transform a family holiday or school travel trip into one of gaining awareness of the world’s needs and being a source of hope and mutual growth! Our students have participated in two programs over the years: New Dawn and ME to WE trips.
Parents, right now is the time to teach your children the value of giving back. Not only will it benefit others, but your child just might find their passion in what they learn and see.
