Doing Good Community Fund Impacts
This was the first year for Activate Good’s Kids Helping Kids: Summer of Service program, and it was very popular and successful. It empowered young people to lead and serve their communities. Activate Good learned that community partners and participants would like this to be an annual event.
The Need
Youth have particularly low rates of volunteer engagement. Across the country, the 16-24 age range maintains the lowest volunteer rate of all age groups at 21.8% (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Locally, we have evidence that volunteering declines as kids get older. In 5th grade 80% of students “often volunteer their time to help others,” but by 9th grade that number declined to 68% (WCPSS Student Survey Report). Additionally, events such as the COVID-19 pandemic can lead all people, but especially youth, to feel a loss of meaning and control.
The Kids Helping Kids Program invites youth to restore their sense of meaning and control by addressing social problems in our community. Involving youth in volunteerism is a well-researched strategy for positive youth development and constructive participation in civil society. Youth participation in volunteer and leadership training improves their academic success, chances of admittance to college, and future employability. It also lowers their risk of depression, helps them manage stress, and creates social bonds that can combat isolation experienced during the pandemic.
“By doing service projects through Scouts I want to find ways to keep helping Wake Up and Read. I love books. Every kid should have books to read at home.”
kids helping kids participant
Who Benefitted?
Beneficiaries of the Kids Helping Kids: Summer of Service projects included Youth members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Wake County that face food insecurity and Women and Girls served by the No Woman, No Girl Initiative, as well as Children with limited access to literary resources served by Wake Up and Read.
The goal was for 50-100 kids to participate, and in 2021 there were 94, so the project was very effective and well-received. Participants were very engaged and reported an increase in confidence and knowledge about serving their community.
I loved helping activate good and helping my community. The next thing I want to do to help my community is pick up trash on this side of the road and donate books to any place that will take them.”
Kids helping kids participant
Learn more about Activate Good’s Kids Helping Kids Summer of Service program.
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