Are you worried that your kids are not involved in the community? Are you worried that they are not developing the skills to make them vital contributors to society in the future? If they’re always hanging around with friends or watching TV or playing video games without a sense of civic duty, you might be on to something. It’s important that teenagers, most especially, understand their roles in society. Volunteering in community projects that aim to help less fortunate families, for example, will boost their confidence and skills. These will empower them to start their own programs and make a difference in the lives of many.
It doesn’t matter what age you want them to begin. They can be as young as five years old and be heavily involved in community projects and activities. They can be coming home from college for winter break, so you can get them involved in feeding programs for the poor. You can get them started by doing community-based activities as a family before letting them go and finding the programs that will suit them best. If they are great with technology, artificial intelligence, and computer components, why not let them share this knowledge? Plenty of communities will benefit from learning about RF bulk acoustic wave filters, which is prevalent in today’s 5G connectivity for more seamless communication.
Teaching Them Tech Skills
Speaking of 5G technology, the world is going fully digital. In a few years’ time, manual processes will be completely obsolete. Arming less fortunate neighborhoods with the necessary technical skills will prepare them for what’s about to come. Many people are still not aware of the advantages of 5G technology. This is something that you can encourage your teenagers to share with people who can benefit from the knowledge.
Setting up an Online Marketplace
An online marketplace for the whole community will help less fortunate families tap the vast resources of the internet. Through an e-commerce site, they can sell handmade and home baked goods. They can reach international markets through the internet. Many communities fail to see that an online marketplace beside a weekend farmers’ market will open the floodgates of business opportunities for those who do not have the skills for corporate employment.
Tutoring Out-of-school Youth
Millions of the youth sector are out of school because of different factors—they got married early, their parents cannot afford to send them to school anymore, they got involved in crimes, or they are demotivated to study. Your teenage kids can help them by tutoring them in various courses and subjects. They can even teach them sports. Not many teenagers will jump at the chance of spending their spring break teaching less fortunate kids or people the same age as them but don’t have the same opportunities. However, encourage them to try it even once.
Helping Poorer Communities Find Opportunities
Families are going to continue being less fortunate if no one will help them rise from their misfortunes. Unfortunately, most of them do not know how to find good opportunities using the internet. That’s where teenagers are great at. They can teach parents in impoverished communities to find jobs that fit their skills on the internet. They can help sign them up for online job recruitment boards. If they have skills in arts and crafts, teenage kids today can build an e-commerce site where they can sell these. Or, they can sign them up to online marketplaces to reach more audiences.
Promoting Causes to the Youth
What causes are close to the youth of today? They are passionate about environmental issues, equality, refugee rights, and even political issues. Your teenage kids can lead the community in a campaign to raise awareness for the issues that they represent. For example, they can start a crowdfunding campaign over the internet or organize community activities. Giving others a sense of fulfillment and mission will reduce their chances of joining gangs that will further impact their futures.
Participating in youth advisory councils
Most communities and local governments have a local council for the youth. Here, they talk about the issues that the youth face and how the local neighborhood can help the sector avoid mishaps. The goal of the advisory council is to represent the concerns and grievances of their sector and raise awareness of the challenges they face.
It doesn’t matter what teenagers do in their communities as long as they get involved. They have a huge role to play in society, and it should start from the place where they are most comfortable—at home and in their communities. Their actions today will reverberate into the future. Community involvement can change not only their lives but the lives of the people around them.
