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

Forgot to say though she couldnt just turn up, she had to apply to be a volunteer and get reference from teachers etc

My son has been volunteering on holidays for children with additional needs since he was 14. He started by joining me.

He also referees the annual local, kids’ football tournament. He was asked by a former teacher to do this.

My daughter walks dogs at a local rescue. She came along with me at first and now does it through a community project for people with additional needs which she attends in the school holidays. She’s hoping to volunteer in a charity shop once we get a carer to support her.

Whilst the DofE encourages young people to volunteer, it appears to be something that’s only accessible to middle class kids. There was no provision for less well off families at my son’s school, and although we could afford the cost of the expedition weekend, we chose not to for this reason. It gives young people from wealthier families an extra leg up, when others need it more, imo.

Only the usual things like taking part in race for life.

My sons school has a lot of fundraising events, when my son was shown a fundraising video about World Vision, and children in Sierra Leone He as so enthused to continue after the schools fundraising day had been completed, he wanted to send his spending money to sponsor a child in Sierra Leone - so I set up a direct debit up on his behalf. He says when he is old enough he wants to work in SIerra leone and helping the people there.

Bruffin - I meant the people looking after child volunteers need a DBS - not the child volunteer themselves. Obviously it’s not an issue for SN playschemes (or the drama group ds2 helps out with) as the people running the groups have a DBS already. But it seemed to limit options for other volunteering.

Our eldest has volunteered weekly for many years for clubs and events with down syndrome young people. The others have done their DofE silver and volunteer at our local animal shelter. It benefits our DCs just as much getting involved.

My LO is 4, he started school in Sept so only fundraising at the moment has been through fundraising events/sponsored events at school - he shows an interest in what the fundraising is for though & sees older kids getting involved, coming round the classrooms & sharing info on events - so hoping this will pique his interest & he'll take an active role in future years.
I work for a charity & share with my son the work that I do. I would definitely encourage him to consider working in the voluntary sector when he's older.

DS(13) runs weekly coffee mornings for elderly people, cleans the church, serves on the altar and does regular fundraising for a village in Malawi. He got into these through church.

DD(9) has helped organise and run an event to raise money for The Neuro Foundation the last 2 years running, which she does in memory of a friend who died. Her school encourage each house to choose a charity to fundraise for each year and they arrange their own charity days.

My little one volunteers through Beavers!

DD has helped raise money for the local NICU charity through hosting stalls and asking crafty and sweet bits.

One dd volunteers for Rainbows and has been doing so since yr6. The other one is very keen on social issues and politics so gets involves at school with fundraising.

We do discuss social issues at home and I think that has helped to shape their views.

I disagree with the poster who said it's harder to get involved when you move around a lot. We are a military family and have found guides/ scouts and volunteering to be an essential part of community building wherever we are. Both organizations will take moving members as a priority above wait lists and new registrations.

Our three have volunteered in a number of capacities, marshalling for races, helping to run fundraisers for a local disabled sports charity (running stations at scavenger hunts/ silent auctions), DS volunteers as a timekeeper, linesman and scorekeeper for a couple of sports, all three have manned information booths for different charities, they serve at community lunches and dinners run by the church, as well as at an annual chilli fundraiser for an African AIDS orphan charity. Really it's the disabled sports charity that we support the most, but really there are an enormous amount of opportunities.

Here the kids are expected to complete 10 hours of community service each year for school credit, but most kids are well in excess of that, with many having well over 50 hours each year. The two girls who left as high school valedictorians had set up their own visiting service for the elderly at our local hospital, completely on their own, as they had identified a need.

As guides there is always at least one litter pick a year - they also organise an annual 'reduce/ reuse/ recycle' clothes swap night, with the leftover clothes being donated to the local women's refuge. Each year there is a new service project challenge (from reading and literacy programs, through to shoreline clean-up). They have twice taken part in cleaning a 10km stretch of highway. They run recycling stations at town events and sports events.

Each level of guiding has a community service badge or pin for (usually) 15 hours of service spread over three areas (global, environment, and community). And of course D of E has a service element.

I actually don't know any teens who aren't involved in volunteering in one form or another - most have multiple organizations or events they support on a regular basis. They are involved because they love to be busy and hang out with their friends or community members doing something positive, and because they understand that citizenship is a positive force. It isn't explained by the school credits, as most of the kids surpass the hours very quickly and keep on volunteering.

My son helped out at our local school whilst he was in 6th form. This was very good for him to learn to become the ‘adult’ in a classroom rather than ‘one if the lads’. He had messed about at school a bit and I think this was helpful in him understanding responsibility.

Parkrun

My 14 year old DD volunteers for our local 'Springboard Project', a charity providing outings for children with disabilities. I'm so proud of her for doing this and it has taught her lots of invaluable life lessons in the process.

My 13 year old volunteers with a Woodcraft Folk group as part of his Duke of Edinburgh award. He's enjoying it but I think also realising what it took for me to be a leader in his group!

Structured things like Doe really help but the biggest difference is when they see parents volunteering, then it's normal to them.

I have a son in Explorers (the next group after Scouts) and he is also working on his D of E, so gets involved in lots of volunteering and charity projects. His next upcoming one is serving afternoon tea to Age UK carers and staff. Whilst all these count towards his badges, awards etc, he has also taken part in activities that offer no reward, other than giving back. He genuinely enjoys the social aspect, and loves meeting people he may not otherwise have met. And I'm all for breaking down the stereotypes of teenagers getting a bad rap over being moody and anti social!!

My son Is a cub and does volunteering locally when needed, he also does the annual planting at our two local parks.

He has done a couple of sponsored walks in the past as he enjoys doing long walks with his dad, think his first was 13 miles at age 6!

We also did some bucket shaking for British Heart which is an easy way to get involved.

My 10yo helps out at the winter night shelter at the local church. We cook 2 meals per season and help set up each week. This year he wants to cook puds for the shelter every week.

My year 6 dd spends her lunchtimes doing activities at school with the new reception children - organising games, reading to them etc. She is loving this and has already told her brownie leader she wants to be a young helper when she is 14. After talking to some ncs volunteers in the summer holidays that's also on her list for a few years time.

My daughter 13 has just started volunteering in a charity shop raising money for a hospice for children. She loves it.

DD1 volunteers at the local city farm, she loves helping out with the animals and has learned a lot during her time there. She has been involved in a few fundraising events there and for other animal causes.

DD has volunteered for about 3 years for a sports activity club that she belongs to. She helps with the coaching alongside the trained coaches, particularly helping with the little ones aged 6-10ish.

She loves it and it will be helpful for her uni application. It has also give her some confidence in dealing with people and situations.

In the past (when primary school aged) she raised some money for a charity that works with assistance dogs by asking for donations for the charity rather than birthday presents when she had a whole class party.

Mine have all volunteered as buddies at school , in order to help kids who are being bullied, or struggling with other problems. The eldest two have also been police cadets and now volunteer as first aiders.

Keen to get involved with the Duke of Edinburgh as a good starting point