How do older children get involved in volunteering, fundraising or campaigning activities? #iwill want to know: chance to win £300 NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

We are working with the #iwill campaign to celebrate young people, aged 10-20, who take part in volunteering, fundraising and campaigning. #iwill would love to hear what your child does or what they’d like to do.

To celebrate #iwillWeek 2017 (which which runs between 20-24th November), we want Mumsnetters to celebrate young people who lead social action and their capacity for building communities by bringing others together. The week is all about shining a light on the impact that young people are having, as well as the great work of the 750+ #iwill partners who’ve pledged to create more social action opportunities.

Share your story below and here are some questions to get you thinking!

What do your children do in any of the following areas?

~ Volunteering - do they support environmental projects, older or vulnerable people or other young people themselves?
~ Fundraising - how do they get involved with raising money for local, national or international projects?
~ Campaigning - are they showing their caring side by fighting for something they believe in?

Why do they get involved?
How do you feel about your child getting involved in these kinds of activities?

If they don’t do this sort of thing, why not and do you think they would like to get involved in things like this? (there’s lots of opportunities to get involved here)

Please share your story below - everyone who does will be entered into a prize draw where one person will win two £150 vouchers for the store(s) of choice (from a list) - and you can keep one for yourself and give the other one to your child!

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

Standard Insight T and Cs Apply

In his second year of university my son decided to train and run a half marathon. After much advice from my husband he trained fairly hard! He ran in the Liverpool half marathon in aid of LOROS a hospice where his grandmother spent the last few weeks of her life. We were very proud of him especially when his grandfather came to watch.

My DDs both volunteered at their local Brownies/Guides. It was fun and it taught them leadership & responsibility. My eldest still helps with her local Guides now she is away at Uni.

Volunteering - my dc helps grandma by offering to do some of the housework for her, like doing the hoovering and tidying up.

Our children do get involved with fundraising activities with school, church and boys brigade.
They like to feel that they are helping those less fortunate than themselves.

My Two oldest children started fund raising a about 10 Years ago with there dad for injured soldiers and every Christmas they help give out blankets to the homeless and my two middle children have volunteered through the duke of Edinburgh and done fundraising for the the army cadets they go to.

My daughter isn't old enough for any of those activities yet but she'll be actively encouraged to take part in community and charity groups and projects as she gets older.

my ds volunteers at local girls brigade for duke of edinburgh, i think its great to take part and will stand her well in the future

My step daughter has helped train a Special Olympics team since she was 13, and now works as a carer for adults with learning difficulties

My daughter is only young so isn't doing anything of the sort yet. I will be pushing her in the direction of Volunteering when she's a bit older as it's what I did as a teen. I found it benefited me and the people I was volunteering for.

My son has done a number of small projects with Scouts and is now volunteering through a programme at school. He enjoys volunteering and the support of school/Scouts has given him the confidence to go for it. I also feel happy that he is doing something that is properly monitored and supported.

My Dd has volunteered at Brownies as a Brownie helper and currently as a Young Leader. She is also a peer educator who goes into Brownie and Guide Unit's to run the free being me programme.

At school she has been mentoring a younger pupil who was having difficulties and needed some support. She also helps to run the after school dance club.

Recently she organised a light walk and raised over £200 for Bliss.

My Dd wants to be a primary teacher and these things give her practical experience for going to uni. She also enjoys filling her time this way.

As a parent I'm proud of what she does and what she has achieved through these things.

She is doing 3 highest at school, an OU module as well as working 2 part time jobs.

My DD2, 16, wanted to go abroad to volunteer but was too young a couple of year ago so asked if she could go for her birthday if she raised most of the money herself. We all gave her money for her birthday (my family and her dads) and she paid the deposit and part of the trip with it. For the rest, she bought all the supplies and made and sold slime online, raised £450 ish in 6 weeks alone, managing to raise the rest to pay for the trip. I was very proud of her so I paid for tickets to heathrow from where we live and the small amount of spending money she wanted, £100. So in July my 16 year old daughter spent 24 hours (3 flights) travelling part on her own, to Nepal.... I was terrified! She spent 2 weeks helping decorate a school, teaching the children english and about dental hygiene. It was also monsoon season.
When she came back she had the blues for a long time, didnt want to come back. She now wants to keep to her career choice of teaching english abroad as she loved it that much. Also wants to go on another trip somewhere else and has just got a job outside of sixth form to help fund it.
Im very proud of her.

My ds is volunteering at his local sports club with 5-6 year olds

my eldest daughter reguarly does sponsered runs walaks etc, she loves to helps others less fortunate, with the money she raises she uys toys and we take them to an orphanage in romania when we visit for christmas

My daughter helps local wildlife by feeding during winter months & clearing litter from our local park. She makes our garden very animal friendly
She also helps the Rainbows with their activities

My eldest tends to get involved with fundraising for local and national charities through both his school and football club. I find he's more into it if it's via something he really enjoys such as sport rather than being just about the fundraising.

My eldest is a big part of the 'Effective Altruism' movement ('Giving what We Can and 80,000 hours) and has pledged to give up to 50% of his earnings to relevant projects. He is choosing a career where he can use his abilities to do the most good. Throughout university he took an active role in promoting the cause and fundraising with friends and colleagues. I am very proud of his decisions but worry that he is not adequately securing his own future before giving to others.

they have enrolled in the local amateur dramatics pantomime which raises money for local causes

Other than school events my son isn't involved in volunteering as he is only 7, it would be something I'd like him to do in future if he wants to. I can imagine it would be with animals as we have a few pets and he likes animals

My son had had a friend at school who was in the care system, now he is 18 he is has been in a flat, homeless and sofa surfing trying and failing to make his monthly universal credit payment last a full month, he now is in a flat again. Having seen this first hand he had looked into the Our Change It! project, is working to support children and young people and campaigns on children's rights and homelessness. He has followed the lobbying process, and written to our local MP Holly Lynch - I could not be prouder of how he feel the interest and effort he has put into a system which he feels it letting the most vulnerable in society down and fend for themselves. I am hoping he will not loose momentum

Mine ran a mile with the rest of his school for comic relief last year, he managed to raise £130, it was the proudest he has ever been!

DD1 is 19 and from aged 13 until she went to university was volunteering at the local youth club for younger kids. She also volunteered for three years for a charity which did camping holidays for disabled children and also went to Florida as a volunteer with Cauldwell Children for 10 days. She is now a full time student with two part time jobs and working on placements 60 hours a week so not much time for anything else but she has a very kind heart.

DD2 is 12 and has autism. She always helps at the PTA events at school, both with setting up and preparing things and helping to run a stall. She did a 5k run with her sister when she was 4 and when she finished she asked if she could 'go round again'. Funny girl! They raised £500 for a hospice.

My oldest DS volunteers at the local community centre weekend lunches and has gained so much from the experience.

Me and my son are doing the food bank advent this year. 30 days of putting food/toiletries in to a box that we'll take down on the last day x

My kids go to the youth club and they go around cleaning the streets and getting food to give to the homeless shelter