The Global Citizenship Projects for children are especially important, because the future of our world is going to depend on how today’s children treat the earth and each other when they grow up. Guiding your children to participate in any of the projects below will help prepare them to take their place in the world as "global citizens." These projects will not only raise your children’s awareness, they will also bring the whole family together and strengthen the bonds of love and appreciation you have for each other. You will all be enriched by doing these projects.
When children are given opportunities to contribute to the well-being of others, it benefits them in several essential ways:
1) It helps children develop a sense of love and respect for all other living things, which is the beginning of planetary peace.
2) It teaches them that they are an integral part of the world around them; that we are all connected and we all need to work together in order for the world to function. By fostering "global consciousness" in children, we help prepare them for planetary stewardship. Someday, these children will be in charge of our world: our governments, our corporations, our resources, our environment. Let’s prepare them to do an excellent job.
3) It builds their confidence and self-esteem -- they learn that they are important, that their actions matter in the world, and that they have the power to make a difference. Children with healthy self-esteem are more likely to reach out to others, set and achieve goals, and reach their full potential in life.
4) And finally, participating in Global Citizenship Projects allows kids to experience that genuinely rewarding feeling you get when you help others; that warm, fuzzy feeling you get in your heart when you see that your actions made someone else’s life better.
I invite all of you to send in your own ideas for projects, and we will add them to this website. Simply e-mail your ideas to GlobalPeaceToday@aol.com, and type "Family Project Suggestion" in the subject box. Be sure to state your full name and where you’re from so we can give you credit for your idea! (Note: Please send your ideas within the e-mail itself, as we do not open e-mails with files attached.) You may also send information by regular mail to: The Global Citizenship Project, P.O. Box 22, Mountain Lakes NJ, 07046-0022.
Projects:
* Develop an attitude of appreciation by "giving thanks" every night at dinner. Each family member can recount several things he or she felt grateful for that day, positive events s/he witnessed or experienced. Many of us do this as part of our annual Thanksgiving Day dinner, but let’s make it an everyday practice instead. When you stop to "count your blessings" on a daily basis, you begin to truly notice and appreciate how much good is in your lives.
* Children can learn early to develop "global lifestyle habits" -- recycle, turn off lights and other appliances when leaving a room, turn off the water while brushing their teeth, use products that are good for the environment rather than products that contribute to pollution, and so forth.
* Teach your children to respect all life forms. Our world is one giant ecosystem, and every part of it contributes to the good of the whole. For example, the minerals in the soil go into the foods we eat and help keep us healthy. The trees and other plants give off oxygen that help us breathe. The rain replenishes our water supplies, quenching our thirst and growing our crops. Bees pollinate the flowers, providing us with beauty. Teaching your children about nature helps them feel connected to the world and understand why we need to take good care of it. Help them learn how to tend to other living things: teach them how to grow plants; get them pets they can love and nurture; take them to wildlife preserves (most offer guided tours); and get them books and videos that expose them to the wonders of nature.
* Another way you can teach your kids to respect earth’s fellow creatures is to make it a family policy to avoid buying fur, leather products, and products that are tested on animals. Think "cruelty-free" when shopping.
* Many people complain today that kids just don’t have the manners and common courtesy that previous generations did. Let’s bring good manners back to society and make human interactions more pleasant for all of us: Teach your children the basics about manners, and lead them by example: Always say "please" and "thank you," hold doors open for people, write thank-you notes when someone send you a gift or does you a favor, and so forth. Kids will pick up on the behavior patterns of their parents. For instance, I’ve seen children as young as two years old automatically say "please" and "thank you," when they want something, simply because this is what they see their parents doing every day.
* Teach your children that love is more important than anything else in life, more important than money, or fame, or the latest fashion trend in school. Show them that caring about others is the most important and most deeply rewarding thing they can do in life.
* Young people can begin practicing the habit of contributing to the world by making a contribution to their own families. They can be encouraged to look for ways to help out around the house: take out the garbage, walk the dog, clean up the yard, do the dishes, whatever will be helpful. (And be sure to thank your children for each contribution they make. Praising children for helping others will make them feel so good about doing it that they’ll want to do more.)
* Parents can make it an "assignment" that their kids perform at least one good deed per day, and have them keep a daily log, writing down their actions in a notebook. This will get kids into the habit of thinking about and looking for ways to be more kind and helpful to others.
* Set aside a portion of the family’s income each month and donate it to your favorite worthy cause. Even $10 or $20 makes a difference to organizations that need funding in order to feed the hungry, for example. An easy way to save money is to put a jar in your kitchen and ask everyone in the household to drop in the loose change in their pockets and purses every night. At the end of the month, simply count it, deposit in your checking account, and write a check to the organization of your choice. Another way you could save money for a worthy cause is by clipping coupons and using them at the grocery store. Keep your receipts, add up how much money you’ve saved, and donate this amount to the cause you have chosen.
* Make it a family project to live a healthier lifestyle. Eliminate some of the junk foods, and keep more fresh fruits and vegetables in the house. Simply cutting down on sugary foods and drinks and greasy foods will help everyone feel better. And get some exercise, even if it’s just taking a walk around the block. Kids develop their habits by watching their role models, so make an effort to take better care of your own body and treat it with respect.
* If you smoke, do your best to find a way to quit. Cigarettes end the lives of more than 400,000 people every year, and your family will certainly be happier if you’re not one of them. Plus, studies show that children are much more likely to end up as smokers if their parents are smokers -- and even if they don’t pick up your habit, breathing in secondhand smoke from the adults in the house can be very damaging to their health! As extra incentive, why not set aside all the money you save by quitting, and take the family on a fun vacation at the end of the year instead of wasting all this money on cigarettes?
* Cut back on TV. Studies have shown that too much television is bad for kids for a variety of reasons: It exposes them to too much violence; it may affect the way their brains function, possibly contributing to problems with their attention spans; it’s a passive activity, so it inhibits their creativity and imagination; and it leads to a sedentary lifestyle, increasing the risk of childhood obesity, just to name a few of television’s drawbacks. Limit their viewing to just a few favorite shows, and encourage your kids to develop other hobbies and activities besides watching TV.
* However, when you do watch television, try watching videos as a family that teach global citizenship ideals. Since kids love to watch TV and will complain if you take it away altogether, you can use this forum to educate them. By providing children with videos and movies that send positive messages, kids can be inspired while they are being entertained.
For example, one of the best movies I’ve seen recently that illustrates a great method for helping people get along better is "Remember the Titans." It’s the true story about a high school football team in the South during the civil rights movement and what happened when the school was forced by law to become desegregated. At first, there was nothing but racial tension and hostility among the football players, but then the coach did something brilliant: He required all the boys on the team to get to know each other one-on-one, and even paired interracial roommates together during their two-week training camp. It’s easy to hate a group of people you’ve stereotyped from afar, but that hatred melts once you get to know an individual person and you realize you have more in common than you have different. After the coach made the boys get to know each other, within two short weeks, the hostility had given way to genuine friendship amongst the boys, and they came together as a team. Moreover, the whole town was transformed by their example. This movie is definitely worth seeing!
* If there are any single parents in your neighborhood, offer to baby-sit for free from time to time so this overworked soul can have some time for her or himself. If you’re a single parent yourself, why not form a network? You can take turns watching each other’s kids once a week. This is a great arrangement for everyone: the parents get some time off, and the kids get to play with friends.
* Bake a batch of cookies or muffins and take them, as a family, to your local police station or firehouse to say "thank you" to these men and women who risk their lives to protect your community. They deserve a pat on the back, and your kids will enjoy visiting the stations and seeing the squad cars and the big red firetrucks.
* During the holiday season, give gifts that help your community. For example, you could purchase 10 smoke alarms and donate them to the local fire department to give away to families who don’t have these lifesaving devices.
* If you have pets, be sure to spay and neuter them. Every year millions of innocent, healthy animals are put to death because of pet overpopulation. Many communities offer free or low-cost spay and neuter programs; check with your local animal welfare organizations.