During the school year, it is of utter importance to inspire charitable giving in students of all ages. The actions and thoughts of compassion, generosity, and charitable giving are crucial in teaching values. One of the most important things you can do to emphasize the importance of charitable giving is to make it a recurring thing, so it eventually becomes a habit. Whether it’s setting up a clothing drive, taking a trip to an animal shelter, or visiting a homeless shelter, make sure that these trips are not one time things. If you’re a principal, professor, or teacher hoping to educate your students about charitable giving, take a look at these various ways to get students interested in giving back! From volunteer trips to clothing drives, let’s teach our youth the importance of helping others in our communities and how much their help can really make an impact on others.
Plan Monthly Trips to Shelters and Soup Kitchens
Once again, one crucial aspect to charitable giving is that it is a constant pattern. When it is repeated it becomes part of their routine, and eventually an action they do not think twice about doing, which is the most genuine form of giving. Therefore, to get your students interested in giving back, plan monthly trips to shelters and soup kitchens. These moments will help the students create a connection with those in need and open their eyes to see how such little acts can go a long way.
Set Up a Clothing Drive
One of our favorite ways to get students interested in giving back is by setting up a clothing drive. It is something that is so simple, yet so effective. This can be geared just towards your class or open to the entire school. Either way, invite students to bring in the essential items that many charitable organizations tend to look for, which can include coats, shoes, scarves, etc. To further engage your students in helping, leave it up to them to what organizations the items that they collected will go to. This will then create a personal relationship for the students and give back to charity. This will also make them more inclined to help those in need in the future.
Play Online Educational Games to Donate Food
This is a simple way to encourage giving back to the less fortunate, and it’s educational as well! This tactic not only benefits those who are in need, but as well as students as they are being further educated while helping out. Free Rice is a website trivia game run by the United Nations World Food Program, and it donates 10 grains of rice for every correct answer. Give your students a certain time limit to play this game and see who can raise the most food!
Plan a Volunteer Trip – Locally, Nationally or Internationally
Volunteer trips are one of the most effective ways to get children to comprehend the importance of giving back. It helps students have hands-on experience of what people might go through everyday or what their lives are missing that some students might take for granted. You can plan an international trip to Africa and help communities that are in need, travel out of state to help build homes for disaster victims, or even to local communities. School trips are common—so why not make them worth valuable lessons and make them charity trips?
Give an Assignment That Teaches the Value of Giving
Another small way to encourage charitable giving is to be intentional about the assignments you give. Especially in college, professors have more free rein in what assignments they assign. The assignment does not have to be complicated or extremely involved, it can be as simple as asking students to take the public bus and make notes of communication. For younger students, these assignments can ask them to choose their favorite charity and research it. As long as the assignment enriches students on the value of giving and helping.
Organize a Charity Field Trip
Differing from a volunteer trip, a charity field trip is more educational rather than hands-on experience. If students learn about non-profit and charity organizations, local and international, it would be extremely beneficial for the students to then see these organizations in their element. Witnessing a community leader address a specific need or purpose will aid in inspiring students to take on an issue of their own and advocate for it to change. These trips can make a huge impact on student’s lives, as it then becomes an experience they can recall rather than just another lesson.
By Alyssa Mastando
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