The teenage years can be the most tumultuous years—particularly for parents! Parents may want their children to become philanthropic for any number of reasons: they want to prepare them to take formal leadership one day of the family's foundation or other giving vehicle; they want them to participate in philanthropy as a family activity; or they want their children to develop charitable natures as an antidote to the possibility of being spoiled by wealth. But such a desire can increase the complexity of navigating children through these years.
There are numerous reasons why it's a good idea to teach young people about philanthropy. Besides molding charitable natures and preparing young people to lead their family's philanthropy, surveys of young people involved in volunteering and giving report that these activities help to build their self-esteem, teamwork, and their analytical, financial, and listening skills. And, it's not uncommon to hear that involvement with charities and the issues they're concerned with has led a teen on to his or her career path.
Experts warn that it can be more difficult to establish a sustained lifetime pattern of charitable activity in your offspring if you wait until teenage years to start teaching them. By then they've often developed their own interests and have time commitments. So, start as soon as you can.
But there are an array of activities parents can use to instill philanthropic values in their offspring. And, as interest in this area grows, more methods are being developed to provide new models for parents and to fill the need for philanthropic education among preteens and teens. Some of the activities are connected to schools, religious and community groups, and community foundations. Others are established through family foundations to prepare upcoming generations for service. And some education comes directly from the home (particularly in the realm of finances). What can be most difficult is getting buy-in from teens.
This issue of Passages describes some of the first steps parents can take in helping their children become philanthropic and provides examples of what parents can do for their preteens (10-12) and teenagers (13-18) to involve them in family philanthropy. For those interested in supporting local and national efforts to promote youth philanthropy, this issue also profiles a variety of existing programs, and discusses several options for getting involved personally in this work.
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