Whether you have kids or not, there are a number of things that you can do to help and inspire the next generation. To find four ways you can play a significant and supportive role in a young person’s life, be sure to read on.
Be a good role model
Were there certain hurdles in your past that you could have easily overcome if only you had somebody there to guide you? You might not have had a support network in place during your adolescence, but this doesn’t mean that the youth of today need to suffer this same unfortunate fate. Become the person you needed when you were young — be the role model you clambered for during your childhood. Once you start showcasing a positive and productive aptitude, the young people in your life will no doubt follow.
Want to be a good role model to the youth of today? If so, be sure to adopt the following qualities:
- Show compassion and emotion — make sure the kids in your life know that it’s okay not to be okay
- Have the ability to inspire
- Never be afraid to empower children to make their own decisions
- Showcase a clear set of values and never deviate from them
- Commit yourself to your community
- Be selfless and accepting of others
- Strive to overcome whatever obstacles you face in life
Actively listen
A lot of adults don’t take the time to sit down and listen to the youth of today. They dismiss their thoughts, feelings, and ideas as juvenile, and they don’t provide them with a platform to speak earnestly about what is troubling them.
Don’t be that type of adult. Instead of stifling the next generation and not giving them a fair chance to speak their mind, actively listen to everything that they have to say. Not only will this help you to unearth problems before they escalate, but it’ll also aid you in your bid to instill confidence into each child that you interact with. Once they know they are being listened to, the kids that you speak to will no doubt feel more comfortable airing their troubles, emotions, and grievances going forward.
Active listening is not an easy endeavor, that much cannot be denied. If you put the following advice into practice, however, you will be sure to handle this crucial task in a highly effective and efficient fashion. Here are seven things you must to do practice active listening with each child that you converse with:
- Provide the child with your full, undivided attention
- Retain eye contact with him/her at all times
- If the child is much smaller than you, physically lower yourself to their level
- Showcase the fact that you understand what they’re saying by repeating certain elements of the conversation back to them
- Use reflections to show that you’re listening to every word that they say
- Adopt positive and affirming body language — as the age-old adage goes, actions speak later than words
- Let them guide the conversation
Donate to youth services
If you’re serious about helping the young generation of today to overcome the challenges that they currently face, you should seriously consider donating to a charitable youth service. How much you want/can afford to give in this instance is completely up to you. Whether you opt to donate your unwanted vehicle to a youth counseling organization such as Rawhide car donation, or whether you choose to give a few dollars a month to a young person’s charity in your local area, rest assured, every little helps. With the money that you donate, the children, teenagers, and young adults of today will receive the professional support, therapy, and treatment they need to live healthy and fulfilling lives going forward.
Get involved with a youth initiative
Or, if you’d rather take a hands on approach in your attempt to have a positive impact on the next generation, you should seriously consider getting involved with a youth initiative. This could entail you sitting in on counseling sessions at your local community center, it could entail you coaching a kid’s sport team, or it could even entail you starting your own web-based youth support platform. No matter what specific route you take in this sense, taking this course of action will help you to play an active support role in the daily lives of young people that require assistance.
Are you determined to leave a positive legacy? If so, you should go above and beyond to help and inspire the youth of today.
