How to get kids to give back to others during the holiday season

There are many reasons parents want to see their teen give back, especially around the holidays.

Studies back parent wishes -- they show teens who volunteer do better in school, feel more positive about themselves and avoid risky behavior, according to Child Trends, a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization that collects research on children at all development stages.

But a problem exists for some parents when it comes to motivating their teen to volunteer their time.

Call it entitled child syndrome, the chronic gimmes or just plain spoiled. The lament is a familiar one for many well-meaning parents year round but intensifies at the holidays, especially among older kids who crank up gift demands but can't be coaxed off the couch to give back.

Can you force a teen to lose all the push back in favor of a little charity?

A demand to participate isn't the way to go, but parents can encourage teens to look for volunteer opportunities on their own, said Donna Henderson, a professor of counseling at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.

Opportunities for teens to give back locally are plentiful around the holiday season, said Tina Dohogne, executive director of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program and the Volunteer Intergenerational Center in Cape Girardeau.

Since she often sees that teens like to volunteer in groups, she suggests volunteering to help serve meals at a local senior center or the Salvation Army. Collecting, sorting and stocking canned food for local food banks is another activity where help from teens can come in handy, she said.

Dohogne said several teen groups will be decorating assisted living facilities for the holidays this weekend. That activity makes helping residents celebrate the holidays easier on the staff, she said, but any activities teens can do to affect senior citizens really make a difference.

Qinnan Ding helps pack canned food in plastic bag for the “Trick or Treat so Kids Can Eat” event. They donated 1,753 pounds of canned food.

"A lot of those people in those facilities are the most forgotten, and they need extra cheering up during the holidays," she said.

While she encourages volunteerism from teens, she said parents need to be aware that their children are at an age where there is a fine line.

"You can't just drop them off to volunteer somewhere," she said.

Some local agencies, such as the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri, have age restrictions. Volunteers must be 16 or older. Other agencies require parent supervision.

Throughout the year, there are other volunteer opportunities for teens, Dohogne said, such as Party for the Good, held each September. During the event, volunteers pack meals for families in need. Teens with a knack for or interest in art can participate in creating a pottery bowl for the annual Empty Bowls event, which benefits the Salvation Army. Habitat for Humanity accepts teens to work on building homes, and many high schools encourage students to participate in service learning projects, where they can receive course credit for volunteering in the community.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

eragan@semissourian.com

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