Why Teaching Philanthropy is Important

March 28, 2016

giving Adults have a very important task when it comes to children of all ages – help them grow into the leaders and innovators of tomorrow. We do this in many ways like social groups, church and after-school clubs, at home and in the classroom. Throughout a young person’s life they will be exposed to hundreds of adults who all want to make sure they grow up into productive and “good” members of society.

We often focus on teaching children to be successful – get good grades, have a good GPA, get first place, BE THE BEST! Teaching kids to do their best and try their hardest is important – but so is teaching them to be good people and to think of others. For anyone that has been around young children, you know that they have a deep and almost innate desire to give. They want to take care of people, share their toys and food (after a certain age of course!) and help people who are sad or hurting. Unfortunately, somewhere along their journey into adolescents, that desire can get foggy, and how and what we teach them begins to shift. We stop focusing so much on “sharing is caring” and turn more to the idea of personal accountability and overall achievement. Their desire to give often gets lost.

How can we fix this? By teaching kids to GIVE BACK during EVERY grade.

Teaching philanthropy to children is easier than it sounds. Kids understand why helping people is important but teaching them that THEY can make a difference does AMAZING things to transform how a student views his or her ability to contribute to the world.

Not convinced? Check out this infographic.

Why Teach Kids Philanthropy

All of these benefits of teaching students philanthropy can have an incredible impact on their academic performance and socialization skills. When kids learn they CAN, they ultimately WILL.

And how can you teach kids philanthropy? Through our groundbreaking philanthropy education program, Project Heart. We created Project Heart to help inspire and equip the next generation of philanthropists. Created by teachers, for teachers, Project Heart provides resources for educators to help lay the foundation for philanthropy in 4th and 5th grade students to develop the life-long habit of giving. When we affect people at a young age it has a positive effect on their life, the community they live in and inspires life changing possibilities.

Best of all, because we believe in the power and benefits of Project Heart, we have absorbed all of the costs of the program, making it our gift to teachers everywhere!