You might be thinking..."Huh?? How is playing a game of kickball and sliding around in the mud considered service?" Well, here's the thing....we have found that service isn't necessarily about what you're doing, but how and why you're doing it. At Caribbean Mountain Academy, we want to teach teens how to find true joy in serving others. We want them to discover that making others happy brings much more fulfillment than making yourself happy.
And as our students laughed and played with these Dominican kids, they began to learn these lessons...and also learned that service can be fun!
But you don't have to be in the Dominican Republic to help your teen learn how to find joy in service. Physical, emotional, and spiritual needs are all around us, wherever we are. Is there a local food pantry your family could spend time volunteering at? Or what about hosting your own game day for neighborhood children? The opportunities are endless.
We know that for some parents, getting your teen to cooperate with a family service project may seem like a nearly impossible task. But here's something you can try: use the service project as a way for a teen to "earn back" privileges they may have lost. At Caribbean Mountain Academy, we have found that re-enforcing positive behavior often is much more effective than punishing negative. So if your teen was grounded for staying out to late, or lost their phone for disobeying, give them the opportunity to earn it back by participating (with a GOOD attitude) in a pre-determined service project.
Not only will you be teaching that positive behavior earns privileges and trust, but you will also have begun to show your teen how to find joy in service.
See more pictures of the "messy kickball" game on our Facebook page
By Crosswinds Caribbean Mountain Academy
By Crosswinds Caribbean Mountain Academy
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