Pick up some bags of dog and cat food, toys, leashes and cleaning supplies. Even items you already have in your home, such as old blankets, can be helpful for animal shelters. If you have room in your home and heart, also consider fostering or adopting a pet from a local shelter. Youth sports tend to be an integral part of community culture in the U. Sports can also teach kids valuable lessons about teamwork, self-discipline and working through failure. Sports coaches also play a meaningful role for kids, serving as a role model and a motivator.
If you know of coaching needs in your community, why not step up to the plate and volunteer your time? Anyone can learn the rules of the game and help guide kids to do their best. With well over 15, food pantries across the U. Go to the grocery store and fill your cart with nutritious items that will last. This includes things like canned chicken and tuna, canned fruit and vegetables, applesauce, crackers, nuts, rice, granola bars and more. In addition to food pantries, you can also donate these items to soup kitchens and other organizations in your area dedicated to fighting hunger.
You may also want to volunteer your time to help prepare and serve food to these community members in need. One of the ways to contribute to your community is to volunteer. Many nonprofit organizations are aimed at educating and engaging youth so they can develop into productive citizens and lead fulfilling lives. These organizations may be intended to impart kids with practical life skills, help them stay physically active or pair them with positive adult role models.
If there are youth organizations with chapters in your hometown, see how you can volunteer your time to invest in the lives of local kids. Can you serve as a positive role model or share your talents and skills to help them learn something new? There are many national and global charities you can give to, so it can be hard to choose which organizations to prioritize.
We recommend looking for charities focused on empowering communities to find long-term solutions rather than short-term fixes. If not organizations like Big Brothers and Big Sisters are there to help you connect you with youth in your area.
In addition, research the values of the companies you are purchasing from. Go vote Another way to create positive community impact is to vote for local, county, city, and state government officials who can create impact. Informing yourself on the issues that are in front of your representatives and urging your reps to take action is another way you can start making a positive social impact right in your local community. Volunteering at polling places and ensuring everyone has access to vote is another important step.
We hope this article inspires you to take action in your community to create positive impact. Finally, Gleason had enough and snapped at the man. The man immediately turned and briskly walked away. You can tell she got her point across because he looked like he wanted to get out of there fast. Registered dietitian Carrie Taylor says that Gleason did the right thing by telling the man to stop while he was harassing her.
She says that if you tell someone to stop harassing you at the gym and they persist, to immediately talk to the manager and threaten to call the police if swift action isn't taken.
She says you should also get a restraining order if necessary. Anything to stop the harassment because it could intensify. Gyms should also prominently post signs that warn people about sexual harassment so that these situations don't happen in the first place. After the video went viral, Crunch Fitness announced it had found the man and banned him from its facilities. Thank you CrunchFitness," Gleason wrote in the comment section. One person in the comments made an important point about why this type of harassment is so dangerous.
Who knows what the man's intentions were and whether he was grooming her for something truly terrible? This isn't the first time Gleason has faced harassment in the gym. She's tweeted about it several times in the past. It's clear from the video that she's hit a breaking point. Gleason's brave decision to confront the man put an end to his creepy, threatening behavior in the moment.
But the video may serve a greater purpose by showing women how to react to men who harass them. Further, it could also deter men from harassing women in the first place by showing them there are serious consequences for being a creep. As a kid, Jamel Holmes knew he wanted to be a teacher. He would spend rainy days giving spelling tests and playing math games with other children in his apartment building in New York's South Bronx.
But throughout elementary school, Holmes never had a teacher who looked like him. It wasn't until seventh grade that he had his first Black male teacher—Mr. In some ways, he was lucky.
Teachers of color make a difference, which is why education nonprofit DonorsChoose has teamed up with The Allstate Foundation to support them.
An analysis published in Education Next also found that Black teachers tend to have higher expectations of Black students, which contributes to greater success. Diversity in teaching helps white students, too. Educational laboratory REL Northwest found that white students with non-white teachers develop better problem-solving and critical thinking skills, expand their range of creativity and social and emotional skills, and increase their sense of civic engagement.
A joint initiative from DonorsChoose and The Allstate Foundation offers individuals and groups opportunities to help bridge racial gaps in the classroom. For one, The Allstate Foundation will match all donations to teachers of color who are using DonorsChoose to crowdfund projects for the first time. DonorsChoose has also partnered with The Allstate Foundation to launch a Racial Justice and Representation category on the site, making it easy for donors to help fund classroom projects focused on increasing diversity in curricula and creating a more inclusive environment.
From buying books written by diverse authors to providing materials for anti-racism education, donors can directly support teachers working toward racial equity. By creating this new category on DonorsChoose, we want to support these students and give voice to their teachers, tapping their frontline wisdom. You can see those projects here. Jamel Holmes did grow up to become a teacher.
He earned a master's degree and now teaches special education for sixth graders at East Bronx Academy for the Future, the same school he attended.
Holmes uses DonorsChoose to help his students get what they need both inside and outside school. He has crowdfunded technology tools for his classroom as well as personal care items for his students. He drives through the Bronx to give school supplies, clothing, laundry essentials and food to kids whose families are in need, and even takes students to get free haircuts. He wants to be a role model students can turn to. Courtesy of Jamel Holmes.
Schools are charged with providing a safe, nurturing and equitable environment for students and teachers. Supporting educators who are trying to create that environment by helping fund their racial equity projects is a good place to start. In general, it's believed to be the absence of any romantic interest, but asexual identity actually means that a person is not sexually attracted to anyone.
Perhaps the largest emotional benefit of volunteering is that it helps you develop self-esteem, improve your confidence, and increase your feelings of self-worth. Connecting with others helps stabilize your emotions, and studies show that volunteering improves your mental health. Most people feel good when they give back to a worthy cause. Feelings of satisfaction and altruism , along with the pride of seeing your work improve the lives of others, are just a few of the emotional benefits volunteering provides.
Volunteering also allows you to find a new place within your community. High school students are going through many changes as they transition into adulthood. Getting engaged with the community by volunteering surrounds you with new opportunities, friendships, and ways you can enjoy your time. Empathy and compassion are two attributes that can dramatically improve your community.
Volunteering promotes empathy, which in turn promotes behaviors that continue to benefit society. When we choose to donate our time to those in need, we form a deeper emotional connection to the world around us. Many volunteers often discover that those who need our help are not much different than themselves. We all love our families and cherish our friendships.
This empathy leads us to share our compassion with others, bringing out the best in all of us. Volunteering is empathy in action. There is an undeniable relationship between the love you put into the project and the love you receive in return. The compassion you share with others, paired with your developing empathy, increases your propensity to feel that same love in your own life.
Empathy and compassion enable us to view the world from a new perspective. As we internalize the struggles and challenges of others, we learn more about those we live, work, and go to school with.
The people you volunteer with feel this empathy, as well. When you work together to improve the lives of those who need support, you make an emotional connection with one another. These acts are manifestations of the values we consider most important—putting these values to work alongside others with the same passion brings us closer together.
Many people notice they have stronger bonds of friendship with the coworkers, classmates, and individuals they volunteer alongside. One of the benefits of volunteering in high school is that you earn relevant work experience that helps your career. Research shows that the concept of civic-mindedness is becoming increasingly more important in the workplace. Employers are noticing that employees in the workforce—especially younger individuals—are socially-aware and try to work in fields or companies that share and reflect their values.
Many companies and corporations actively support volunteer programs and encourage employees to engage with these organizations. This act of kindness is not only empowering, but it can also fill you with a profound sense of purpose.
High school students can join volunteer programs that create lasting change around the world. Rustic Pathways provides high school students with dozens of volunteer programs that allow you to make dynamic, lasting change in communities around the globe.
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