“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
This year, families at all three of our Twin Parks Montessori School campuses will raise money for a New York City group called Charity Water. This organization was chosen for the relatability of its cause to young children. Charity Water offers opportunities for young children to learn about physical and living resources and how they affect people’s quality of life. Many things we take for granted are explained through examples and stories. Feedback from parents reiterates the children’s understanding of the concepts and how they can help create change for others. These are great examples of philanthropy at work. Philanthropy is a big word to pronounce and may seem like a challenging concept to share with children. It is the gift of you that you give to others and can take the form of simple acts of kindness, cleaning a neighborhood park, or giving money to an organization. Philanthropy programs for young people provide authentic, positive opportunities for children to develop skills and knowledge that will make them better students. Teaching children to be active now will have a lasting effect on their citizenship in our global community. Research from the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at Indiana/Purdue Universities has shown that talking to children about charitable giving has a greater impact on children’s giving than role modeling alone. Parents who talk about their own passions and philanthropic giving to their young children are helping to create a lifelong habit. In addition, children learn other executive functioning skills such as organization, communication, teamwork, collaboration and problem-solving skills. Children receive a boost in self-esteem when they perform selfless tasks. This begins the development and growth of empathy. With your help we can teach your children about empathy, caring and how to make the world around them a better, brighter place for all. Please join us in our philanthropic projects this Spring.
“Establishing lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep us out of war.”
– Maria Montessori
Kelly Hayes from the Young Philanthropists Foundation offers several tips for teaching philanthropy to children.
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