Author Archives: Marissa Nadjarian

Time-Saving Tips to Add Giving into Your Busy Back-to-School Schedule

Summer can be carefree, whimsical, unstructured, and it can come with some quality time with our kids. But, let’s face it. Sometimes the start of school is a welcome change for parents. School can add some consistency to the day that might not be present during those lazy days of summer. It sort of fits with the notion that the busier you are, the more you get done.

But as the school bells ring, the schedules start, and as the after-school activities and homework kick into gear, a Philanthroparent remembers these words:

“Never be so busy as not to think of others.”-Mother Teresa

In the hustle and bustle of daily life as our kids go back to school, how can we still honor our commitment to giving back? Reflect on these principles:

1. Work it in vs. Add it on. Instead of analyzing your schedule to figure out how to make more time for philanthropy, see how philanthropy connects to something already going on in your family members’ daily lives. Instead of rushing out to get yet another last-minute party gift, help your child to research an organization you can make an online donation to- one that supports a cause the honoree can connect with. If you’re buying a new ______ (fill in the blank) , discuss with your child where the previous item might get the most use in your community if it’s donated.

2. Use your interests, skills and talents. Reframe the things your family likes to do already by putting a social purpose spin on it. If you already get enjoyment out of riding bikes together, plan ahead to get somewhere by bike instead of by car. If your kids are helping to make dinner or dessert tonight, double the recipe and go say thank you to your local ______ (let your kid decide). Don’t just donate stuff. Find a place to donate your child’s talent too- art, music, technology skills, etc. They might get in some valuable practice time without you nagging them about it for once!

3. Listen. Keep your ears open to comments that reflect your child’s concern for things they see in the community, world issues they overhear on the news, or conflicts they are having with friends. Finding action to address these concerns might give them a sense of control and alleviate any anxiousness surrounding these thoughts, thereby also saving the time that worrying can take up.

4. Get support. Seek out systems already in place that help show your child the value of social responsibility. You don’t have to create these opportunities all on your own for them. Have you considered girl or boy scouts, a Kid’s Care Club, or a program that focuses on civic-mindedness and leadership like KidUnity? Your child’s school might be a perfect place to get support for your ideas: a community service coordinator, the PTA, or even your child’s classroom teacher might know of programs to support your family’s community service endeavors.

5. Take something out. Believe it or not, service to others (or the earth) doesn’t have to be something that takes extra time. Think of what great quality time could come from taking something out of the schedule. “Let’s skip going to the car wash this weekend to help us remember to save water during the drought we’re facing. You get to pick something fun that we could do with that hour instead!” Set up a challenge one month for each family member to think of something they could cut out of the daily routine that saves a resource and creates a cooky family activity instead. Candlelight homework, anyone? Just don’t be shocked if your child proposes to skip the dishes or a shower.

As the school year kicks into gear and you wonder how you’re going to make time for social purpose parenting, remember that social and environmental consciousness can benefit others and your family at the same time. Philanthroparents might not favor the saying, “kill two birds with one stone,” but “fill two needs with one deed,” captures it perfectly.

Rain Checks that Pay It Forward

iCalPicjpegTwice now our volunteer activities have been thrown off course. Our World Oceans Day project was trumped by a fever. The next mishap came as we headed to our summer service commitment visiting with seniors. President Obama was in town, and as we approached our destination… BAM! Road closure gridlock. Impatience from the backseat ensued. I decided it was in everyone’s best interest to head to the park down the street until the traffic dissipated. By that point, the toddler tiredness wouldn’t amount to a cordial visit with our elderly companions.

From an early age, I hope to model the importance of accountability with our daughter. Yet, toddlerhood inevitably leads to some volatility, and this sometimes wreaks havoc on our commitments. Being prompt was something I prided myself on. Now I’m consistently 10 minutes late (Hey, at least I’m consistent). Before kids, If I said I would be somewhere, I rarely would cancel. Now, a later than expected nap or mini-meltdown can thwart our best-laid plans.

Generally when I can’t honor a commitment due to unforeseen toddler tribulations, there is resounding understanding from the hosts and organizers, and this was no exception from the Big Sunday staff when we cancelled our visit with seniors. Yet, something still didn’t sit right about missing this event. What we were providing was valuable and necessary. I still felt accountable.

The good news is that accountability can still exist even if the unexpectedness of life with kids takes over an occasional commitment. Philanthroparents can use rain checks to their advantage in their quest to make a positive impact on the world through their parenting. Usually a rain check means rescheduling your plans, but what if we used rain checks as an opportunity to do even more? Rain checks with a purpose!

Yes, you can absolutely reschedule the missed play date, dinner party, or trip to the zoo. Bravo for showing your kids accountability. But, what if you shifted the focus instead? Rather than rescheduling plans in the exact same manner, you and your child could think of ways to do something similar that is also of value to others or the community.

  • A missed a sports practice becomes a donation to a child’s Make-A-Wish campaign helping them meet their athletic role-model.
  • A pesky virus thwarts your dinner with friends and turns into serving a meal at your local shelter.
  • Your toddler wakes up on the wrong side of the crib. The trip to the botanical gardens is out. Buy a kid’s guide on composting and start up a system at home, or volunteer at the closest community garden.

Just think of accountability as the “ability to make something count.” You can acknowledge and honor the missed commitment with a rain check that pays back … or pays it forward! Make your rain check count.

Share the concept with the world. How did you add value to your rain check?

#PayForwardRainCheck to @philanthroparnt

5 Steps Towards More Meaningful Service

Imagine yourself without a skeleton. You’d be a big blob of tissue on the floor. While strange and uncomfortable to think about, this is an important analogy to consider in terms of your family’s service efforts. Philanthropy by itself without adding structure and context might not fully serve its purpose—like a body without a skeleton. Adding structure to your service process can help you get the most out of the experience. In addition to the important support you’re providing to others, there is much for your child to gain from service: becoming a more informed citizen, a sense of gratitude, a leadership opportunity, a chance to practice organization, social skills, advocacy, and seeing family members in new roles. The list goes on. What steps do we take to make the most of these opportunities for learning and growth? 5 Steps

I’d like to share a framework that many teachers use to add substance and context to their class’ service learning curriculum. Looked at through the eyes of a parent, this structure offers a supportive guideline to help you get the most meaning possible out of your family’s philanthropy endeavors. This framework was developed by leading service learning advocate, author and consultant, Cathryn Berger Kaye. The steps are summarized here (with adaptations for a parent’s perspective).

Stage One: Investigation
What’s up?! Take time before you volunteer to define and get to know the community you will be serving. What do you know or need to know about this community and the social issue in order to be most helpful? This question can help you distinguish what actions will lead to a meaningful contribution. And most importantly, what topics interest your child? Do they comment on trash in the park or people who appear to be in need as you are driving home from school.

Stage Two: Preparation & Planning
Get organized! When your child has an idea all their own for helping people, animals or the planet, this is especially important so that when it comes time to act, they’re most effective. Have your child consider the “5W and H” questions many of us were taught as young writers to help guide their efforts: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

Stage Three: Action
Act Up! Provide a service. Keep in mind that there are many types of actions to choose from. You can directly impact a community or organization by working face-to-face or alongside whom you are trying to support. You can indirectly contribute to an issue through drives, collections, or making things. You can advocate for a cause. You can research an issue and discover important information that will motivate others to act or that an organization focusing on the same cause can benefit from knowing about.

Stage Four: Reflection
Press pause and ponder! Often times, people see reflection as something you do when an experience is complete. Reflection can actually happen amidst all of the stages listed above.  Simply modeling your own reflections throughout the experience can be an effective and subtle way to help your child think about their participation. You can describe what you thought was special about the shared experience, what you learned or what emotions came about for you during the process. Hearing about everyone’s part in the process shows how valuable each family member’s contribution is.

Stage Five: Demonstration
Get the word out! Your story isn’t over when the activity is complete. Share your process with others. This is a great place for your child to practice advocacy. Tell people about what you’ve done. You can start with your inner circle of family and friends, however others in the community will benefit from knowing what you’re up to also. What media resources could you use to spread the news? Remember that stories can be told through words, images, or even more action for the cause.

Put together, these five stages for service offer your family a chance to build meaningful experiences that not only enact change, but also incorporate personal growth and learning too. Instead of a standalone philanthropy activity, you can use these five stages to develop your child’s voice for a cause they care about and that they are knowledgeable of too. Most of all, celebrate the joy of family time spent together contributing to your community.

*This 5-stage model originates from The Complete Guide to Service Learning (2nd Edition), by Cathryn Berger Kaye, Free Spirit Publishing, copyright 2010. For a more in-depth look at her curriculum visit her website and check out The Complete Guide to Service Learning.

*This article is adapted from a previous post.

The 5 Realms of Service

IMG_2788Too many times I’ve heard my husband call out, “Honey, I can’t find the (insert object here)!” Even after telling him exactly where to look, I still end up having to go and show him myself. Usually it is right where I suggested it would be, just that it required lifting or moving something else slightly out of the way to see it.

I find that sometimes seeing opportunities for service is a similar process- it might be right there in front of me, but I haven’t adjusted my focus or changed my filter to see it that way. I’m going to suggest five realms where service opportunities can be discovered. Overall, these might seem fairly self-explanatory, but perhaps there’s one category here you hadn’t considered or you hadn’t thought about how well it fit into your family’s daily life already.

Over the course of time, I’ll expand on these categories and use them to help organize the ideas, tips and resources shared on Philanthroparent.com .  Hopefully this list gives you a fresh perspective on what opportunities are already there in front of you. Maybe you’ll discover something you didn’t even know you were searching for. Take a look. There’s a good chance you’ll be able to find it quicker than my husband can find the things he’s been looking for in his closet. (more…)

Walking the Walk: Our Summer of Service

IMG_1953We’ve done our fair share of putting our feet up this summer. It’s time to walk the walk. I’ve been talking the talk on Philanthroparent about ways families can serve this summer, and now it’s time to put some things into action for ourselves. This will be our first attempt at creating PhilanthroTot summer service opportunities. I’m excited to share what we’ll be up to in the next few months!

When considering ways to get out and give this summer, my first criteria was something toddler friendly. My 20-month-old’s favorite summer pastime seems to be wandering. I can’t guarantee the quality of my effectiveness at any of these events. I’m going to try to be of the mind frame that simply being present is still a valid way to support a cause. (more…)

Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Leader

A great example of a Philanthroparent ( Philanthrofamily, actually ) in action this summer!

Beautiful Narnia

Over the past few years my family has become involved with a wonderful nonprofit group called Catching Joy, which provides age-appropriate community service activities for children and families. One organization we support that is near and dear to my heart is Reach Out and Read, which has an amazing partnership with primary care providers to make reading materials available to children from all types of backgrounds. Their mission is meaningful to Ryan and Maegan as well, as they simply cannot imagine a life that is not filled with books.

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Earlier this year I assisted the Canton Girl Scout Service Unit in a day of service. We made Valentines to be delivered to February Meals on Wheels clients, centerpieces to cheer up the dining room of the local nursing home, dog toys for the animal shelter, joke cards to cheer up children in hospitals, and upcycled book marks to…

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A Philanthroparent’s Game Plan for The World Cup

France Soccer Kids     You may know soccer (or perhaps you call it football) as “the world’s sport” and”the beautiful game.” Now combine these ideas: How could you make the world more beautiful through the game? There are many ways to use this sport to create a philanthropy opportunity with your family. In honor of the World Cup, here are some ideas to get the ball rolling (so to speak). May your World Cup runneth over with opportunities for good!

The Warm-ups

Philanthroparents see the value in developing character traits that go hand-in-hand with volunteerism. Lessons discovered through teamwork and sportsmanship could be worth discussing and reinforcing. These conversation starters might prompt the kind of meaningful dialogue that leads to a service idea.

  • FIFA’s slogan: “My game is fair play.”
  • 2014 World Cup motto: ” All in One Rhythm™ “
  • Pope Francis’ comments at the start of the 2014 tournament: Football as “a game and at the same time an opportunity for dialogue, understanding and reciprocal human enrichment.”

The Game Plan

The World Cup is an excellent opportunity for crowdsourcing. If you’re planning to gather together to watch a game, how could you reframe it to benefit others?

  • Your child could rally their own sports team around The World Cup. Collect sports equipment for an organization that supports underserved youth in your area.
  • Host a foosball tournament with entry fees that go towards a sports-based charity. Don’t have the means or space for a foosball table? How about a mini table top foosball tournament with these 20 inch tables?
  • For older kids or adults in your life who are willing to wager, have them predict the outcomes for the remainder of the teams/games in the tournament.  Each person in the pool can fill in their own brackets, but collect donations instead of bets.

The Lineup of Causes

Sports-minded charities address a multitude of issues: leadership and empowerment through sports, disabled athletes, equal opportunity and access to sports, to name a few. Here are a few key players related to The World Cup this year.

  • FIFA has partnered with streetfootballworld. They aim to unite and support organizations all over the world that are promoting social change through football. This organization is a great way to see the host of ways people are igniting change through the beautiful game.
  • Support a social issue within the region or host country where the tournament takes place. Or, choose a cause that is important to one of the participating athletes. Brazil player Neymar Jr. (partnering with Waves for Water and PayPal), has helped initiate a campaign that addresses the lack of access to clean water within underserved communities in Brazil.
  • Check out the #TeamUNICEF campaign reinforcing that “All children have the right to play regardless of their background/abilities/gender.” They provide two soccer balls in their recreation kit, noting that sports and play can be an effective therapy for trauma when children encounter disasters and violence.

The World Cup is underway until July 13th, but the values of teamwork and sportsmanship and how they intersect with philanthropy, along with sports-based charities, will continue on. If you have a sports fan in your family, how can you reframe these ideas to make a difference year-round?

 

 

School’s Out for Summer! Integrate Service into Your Child’s Favorite Pastimes

Summer PastimesAh, summer. That time when quintessential pastimes have a good chance of working their way into your child’s daily activities. Now might also be a good chance to work volunteerism into the hobbies, talents and interests which your kids will be exploring. The ideas below need not be the exact choices you make as a family, but may they give you inspiration. Give your child a chance to see that their passions have value beyond just their own enjoyment of them. Have fun AND enact change. It’s like having your cake (ice cream, lemonade, popsicle, watermelon… or whatever their favorite summer snack is) and eating it too!

For the Bookworm
Host a book swap: Help your voracious reader find new reading material by hosting a book swap amongst friends. Highlight their use of one of the “3 R’s” – reusing instead of buying new. They can also ask their peers to bring 3, exchange 2, and donate the extra book to an organization that distributes to others in need of quality reading materials.

For the Naturalist
Appreciate: The headlines about children being nature-deprived can be harrowing, especially when raising children in an urban community. Schedule a few “Appreciation Days” (to our beaches, deserts, rivers, forests, etc.). Make time beforehand to research the special features and animals of this region. Also discuss humans’ impact on these spaces. Knowledge (and arguably appreciation too) is power towards wanting to make a positive impact.

For the Sports Fan
Host a tournament: Put the fun in fundraising by hosting a tournament surrounding a favorite sport. Or try a new sport on for size.. foosball, ping pong, croquet? Your child will gain some summer math practice when adding up scores and funds, and the activity goes from tournament to tourna-meaningful.

For the Artist
Donate your talent: Learning a new dance routine or song? Perform it at a Veteran or Senior Center. Painting faster than there is wall space for in your home? Donate it to a community outreach center to brighten the decor. What connections can you make with the community to share your child’s creativity with those in need?

For the Techie
Tell a story: There are so many applications out there that let your child tell a story: iMovie, Prezi, PowerPoint, Kid Pix, GarageBand, Comic Life, and the list goes on. What cause, fact, inspirational organization or change maker can be brought to light (on a computer screen)?

Nowadays, even summer comes with structure. If your child’s summer weeks are already booked with activities, see if you and your child can discuss how to integrate a service or philanthropic component into their planned camp or vacation. Perhaps camp staff, summer instructors or an organization at your travel destination is available to help your child see service as a valued summer pastime too.

Philanthroparent.com is dedicated to helping parents raise socially and environmentally conscious kids. It provides resources and activities that allow families to use their talents and passions to do good both locally and globally. For support with your family’s service endeavors, to find out about organizations that go hand-in-hand with the activities mentioned above, and to learn more about the project, contact the Chief Philanthroparent, Marissa Nadjarian, at mnadjarian@me.com.

Saving Our Seas from My “Sea”t

Fay Bainbridge BeachWorld Oceans Day is tomorrow, and we were planning on spending this afternoon repurposing cast-off plastic materials into a fish collage at the reDiscover Center in Los Angeles. I liked that it was a kid-friendly way to recognize harrowing facts, like how 80% of plastic pollution in the ocean comes from land-based sources, primarily litter.

However, the tides have changed. Our toddler is sick today. She will likely be better within a few days, unlike our oceans that have been sick for some time now. Instead of throwing in the (beach) towel, I’m doing my own personal mini campaign… Saving Our Seas from my “Sea”t.

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Thank you to Maya Angelou for so many things, especially these elegant quotes that validate service to others:

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

“I’m convinced of this: Good done anywhere is good done everywhere.”