It’s important that children feel a sense of belonging and attachment to their community which is why there are so many initiatives to get young people involved. What they take away is the feeling that they are a part of something bigger than themselves, feeling loved and having a sense of security. It also places responsibility on them to be a good citizen and not let those in their community down. We learned quite a lot about the impact of community involvement from an independent school in Potters Bar and have shared some interesting points that we’ve learned below.

A Close Eye

By being active in the local community, you can make friends and benefit from them by keeping an eye on your child.

Develop Skills

Community involvement can take many shapes and forms. That might include volunteer work and offering help in whichever way you can. It gives children the chance to put their skills to good use and develop ones that are new. As they are still young, they may not have the time or opportunities available to gain work experience and transferable skills which is something that community work does.

Social Skills

If your child’s shy, they may not know how to approach others and start conversations. As a part of their community work, they will need to engage and talk to a range of different people which can provide a safe space for them to work these skills. As they do, they will become less anxious and develop confidence as well as a good set of communication skills.

A Sense of Belonging

We briefly touched on it earlier but a sense of belonging can give children meaning and purpose.

Compassion

Times can be tough for all of us and it’s nice to know that we have those that care around us when they are. Community involvement teaches children about why we should take care of others, understand their hardships and help them to grow up to be kind and considerate people. Also, by having made such strong relationships, they can form connections and people to turn to if they ever find themselves in difficulty.

Making Friends

There also may be children just like them that they can make friends with too.