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Community Service: The Benefits Of Volunteering As A Family

Community volunteering offers a host of benefits for the whole family. It can increase self-confidence, provide a sense of purpose, and simply make you happy: researchers have found being helpful to others releases happy hormones in the brain, Help Guide reveals, and the more you give, the happier you feel. With our often busy and conflicting schedules, it’s easy for families to sometimes feel disconnected. Volunteering together is a great way to bring your family closer, help the community, and teach your children valuable life skills at the same time. 

Foster a sense of responsibility

Volunteering in your local community can help your children develop a sense of responsibility. In giving up a school evening or weekend morning to help care for the community, they’ll come to understand exactly what it takes to make and stick to a commitment. Your children will learn how to show up on time, put in their best efforts, and be proud of their hard work. Moreover, volunteering is also a great way to encourage your children to get invested in your community and the people who live there. After all, the country was built on the idea that civic engagement is foundational to a thriving nation. Volunteering gives your family the chance to become actively involved in this practice, ultimately benefiting yourself and the local community in the process.

Teach tolerance and respect

By volunteering, your children will meet new people from all backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, abilities, and income ranges. They’ll soon learn that people can be united by shared values despite any outward differences. Accounting for less than 10% of the general population, veterans, in particular, are a vulnerable segment of society. By helping local veterans, you can teach your children about the sacrifices they’ve made for the country and the importance of showing appreciation for them. Contact your local organizations like Veterans of Foreign War or American Legion for information on how to help. For example, together you could prepare a hot meal and deliver it to a home-bound veteran, or simply help a veteran out with yard work or household chores. Although the transition back to civilian life can often be difficult for veterans, comprehensive support is available. For example, VA loans make it easier for veterans to purchase their own homes. VA loans require no down payment and offer great rates, Hero Loan explains.

Develop practical job skills

Volunteer work can give your children a taste of various industries and help them decide on a future career path. For example, if your child’s into politics, you can look for volunteer roles in local political campaigns. Or, on the other hand, if your child’s interested in medicine, hospitals and health centers typically run teenage volunteer programs. Volunteering also often requires key skills like time-management, team work, and goal setting — all of which put children in good stead when it comes to embarking on a future career.

Volunteering is a great way to spend your free time as a family. By teaching your children a sense of responsibility, tolerance, and respect, as well as helping them develop practical job skills, volunteering can benefit your family as well as the wider community.

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