What are some ways I can help children in my community excel and overcome their environment other than sports?

Question

I understand that sports activities and scholarships get a lot of kids to college, but I believe that using the brain to achieve academic or fine arts excellence should receive equal importance. How can I get involved and make it happen in my community?

Answer 1

Research and teach family values. Its important these days.

Answer 2

Well: according to " Kiwanis Clubs International we'd
Build 1 each Community & Support them by Sponsoring our
Groups of Volunteers yes you can help those Foundations
in which doing some Projects like Reading, ArtsnCrafts very
good idea or Local High School would give Sports Schoolarships towards graduating Students every year
remember donate charities for special 1Child at an time
member of Kiwanis clubs international cal-nev-hawaii division 36 visit us soon

Answer 3

Set an example to be followed and tell the kids, "You can make it if you do your best." I know that's pretty lame, but I don't know how far you want to become involved in your community.

Answer 4

#1: MUSIC
Kids love it, and there may be musicians in your community willing to offer a few hours of their week to share their gifts and at least casually "teach." Most musical instruments have next to no resale value, so a local campaign asking people to donate their old or dis-used instruments could be successful, too. And of course there's the vocal arts, no instruments required. Just don't bore the kids to death with "church music," feature cool stuff, the music they like (and you can always slip a few classics in later).

#2 ART
See above, pretty much the same deal. Perhaps an art supply business could be sweet-talked into providing free materials in exchange for good press and the community goodwill that goes with it. Also, if you're in or near a major metro area, you can approach advertising agencies and graphic arts companies for both materials and volunteer instructors.

#3 BOOKS
Why are "book clubs" limited to adults? Major stores like Barnes & Noble and Borders can be approached for donations of a set number of age-appropriate books. Again good press, goodwill (not to mention the tax write-offs). Or just rely on the local library for as many copies as you can get of a selected book and break the kids off into "teams" to share them. Actually, the peer pressure involved with making James finish his chapter in time for Marla to read hers might not be a bad thing. Just like in the adult clubs, each meeting features stimulated, sometimes even heated discussion of the book thus far and, for kids, drawing pictures or "acting out" certain scenes could be a lot of fun.

#4 ACT
Just about every play every written can be found in your library, and a little while with a copy machine and you've got scripts for as many children as necessary. Learning their lines, digging for costumes in grandma's attic and getting butterflies in their stomach as opening night nears is a thrill a lot of kids will carry with them their whole lives. You can stage the "performances" anywhere; from the public park to donated stages at schools/WMCAs to a friend's loft apartment. Wherever the show goes on, you'll get a loving audience and the kids will have a total blast.

#5 EXPLORE
Ask local business and local government to host your "Exploration Club" on what-it's-like-to-work-here tours of everything from newspaper offices, TV stations and Colleges to Train Lines, machine shops and City Hall. Firefighters and Police Stations are always open to organized children's groups, the Mayor's Office, Public Transportation Authority and even the closest National Guard base are technically the "property" of every taxpayer and should also be fairly easy to make arrangements with.

#6 FUN
All the above should fit into this category, but sometimes it's easier to attract and maintain the interests of kids with a little "bait & switch" action. For example...

Say you live in Hereville. Start a kid's club called "Haunted Hereville" with spooky (age appropriate "spooky", that is) tales of local hauntings, weird happenings and the like. But gradually, the whole thing becomes a history lesson about Hereville and the country, state and country it's in. After all, all it takes to "spook" most kids is an old photograph. Just yell "boo" once in a while.

How about a "young astronaut" program? Make it an exciting way for kids to learn that math skills, an understanding of many sciences and even good health are all required of future Space Rangers. A little local press and you could all be in for a free "field trip" to Cape Canaveral thanks to NASA.

Or a "Fearless Food" adventure? Introduce kids to cuisines they may never ordinarily taste by arranging special visits to a variety of local restaurants. As long as the selected times are "off hours" and the menu is limited, you may be surprised how many businesses are willing to participate. For free. The only requirement is that your group of kids learn about the culture, the traditions, the religions and art of the ethnic group whose food they are going to experience that month.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Kill stereotypes, set expectations!

Maybe you should consider becoming a tutor or a youth counselor.

www.volunteermatch.org

Answer 6

art
theatre
dance
academics
tutoring