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Interested in teaching your kids to be socially aware? Here are some great volunteering opportunities for children!
Teaching kids to be socially aware begins with the parent. The idea of contributing to one’s society has to be nurtured from a young age. Today we find various NGOs that work towards serving the community. Volunteering opportunities are in plenty in such organizations and working with them can be your first step towards helping society.
But what about such volunteering opportunities for children – the change agents of tomorrow? How can you teach your child to be socially aware? As an Indian mom, have you wished that there were volunteering opportunities for children too?
Below are 4 Indian organizations which encourage children to take part in various activities and do their bit for the community.
This is a non-profit body in Mumbai that helps other NGOs and government schools set up Toy Libraries for their children. In addition to this, they also see to it that there is a positive impact created through toys that are given to the children. For the children coming from elite schools and colleges, Toy Bank organizes a sensitization talk where they try to expose them to the harsh realities that the unprivileged children face.
Those interested can also volunteer for collection drives in schools and societies or the distribution event for an NGO or just a wrapping session of toys for the distribution event. Young Toybankers in Mumbai have represented Toy Bank in many exhibitions such as the Standard Chartered Marathon, Foot Steps for Good, the Joy of Giving week etc. For more information about their activities drop a note to [email protected].
Living by the philosophy of “Kaam chalu mooh bandh” – Stop Talking, Start Doing” – this group of self-driven volunteers believe in doing what it takes to keep the streets of India clean. Based out of Bengaluru, The Ugly Indians choose small stretches of roads and filthy streets to clean every week. From defaced walls to pavements piled up with plastics, the team works together to remove filth and tidy the roads. Cleanliness drives organized by The Ugly Indians are very popular and children have been spotted accompanying their parents on many occasions. For more details on The Ugly Indians and their activities in your city, please write to [email protected]
An NGO based in Gurgaon, Genesis Foundation supports infants and young children with special medical needs. The foundation provides lifesaving and life changing medical and financial support to critically ill children who are from orphanages or whose family income is less than Rs.7000 per month.
Genesis Foundation believes in the power of fresh innovative fundraisers involving different sections of volunteers and donors to make giving fun and something to be cherished. They also believe in giving younger children a chance to participate and spread the awareness. The foundation has recently come up with an event where little children with a passion to cook, can become ‘volunteer chefs’ for a day. They will be required to cook to raise funds for children from orphaned and underprivileged backgrounds suffering from critical ailments of cancer, congenital heart defects and extreme deformities. For more details on this initiative and others by Genesis in Gurgaon, please contact Prema Sagar at +911244417603
Conceived by Mathrubhumi in Kerala in partnership with Federal Bank, SEED (Student Empowerment for Environment Development) is a novel project that aims to make school children aware of the importance of environmental protection and to make such activities part of their daily life. Students from upper primary high school and higher secondary schools in Kerala are in the forefront of the project. With an aim to increase awareness among children, SEED also organizes several projects, contests and social activities. For more details on their initiatives in Kochi and other cities in Kerala, please contact Vinod MS at +919895661335
Small acts of kindness go a long way in creating the right impression in the minds of young ones. These impressions are etched forever. Isolating them and keeping them unexposed to reality may only make them socially indifferent and insensitive to developments in our community.
Even after so many years, I still cherish my first volunteering experience, when I went with my mother for a cleanliness drive. The incident not only helped create a sense of awareness, but also instilled a feeling that I too can make a difference… no matter how small.
*Photo credit: AFS-USA (Used under the Creative Commons Attribution License.)
A marketing and communications professional for over 3 years, Piya Jayarajan is passionate about the written word. An avid reader and blogger, creating anecdotes is what she enjoys the most. read more...
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