Every child and teenager needs family support, whether they themselves realise or admit that as fact. It’s common knowledge, though, that children do not always get what they deserve or need from their biological families. However, we can change that as a community. If you want to help the local children and young people as an adult resident of Coventry, you have the power to do so. As to how you can exercise that power, let’s take a look and find out.
5 ways to support children in Coventry
Donate
Financial crisis is the most common issue that negatively affects a child’s quality of health, medical care, lifestyle, and education to name a few. There are families currently living below or close to the poverty line that do not have the proper means to provide their children with even the bare necessities at times.
Promising teens belonging to financially impoverished families may never even get the chance to reach their full potential and make a better life for themselves with higher education. However, many of these children and their families are given a better life every year, thanks to donations. If you have the means to do so, donate whatever it is that you can towards the welfare of children in Coventry.
Even if you do not have the means to donate money, you might still be surprised by your ability to donate in other ways. Old clothes, toys, games, books, computers, etc., in good/decent condition will all be accepted gratefully at your local childcare/social care centre. If you wish to donate food on special days, that too can be arranged with the help of your chosen facility.
Foster
Consider fostering if you wish to be directly involved with supporting the children of Coventry who need it the most. Any adult British citizen or permanent resident above the age of 21 can technically become a foster parent, provided that they have a spare bedroom for the foster children.
Note that you can foster children even if you are unemployed at the moment, because Clifford House, your local fostering agency in Coventry will provide you with the allowances necessary to cover all fostering costs. Although the allowance itself should never be the reason for anyone to consider fostering, having a steady financial support does make it a more practical consideration for many.
Volunteer
Volunteer some of your free time every week to the local social care agencies for children and young individuals. It’s the same as donating, but instead of money, you will be donating your time to the community. Social care agencies are in constant need of workers, so they will gladly and gratefully accept any free help that you are willing to offer.
While volunteers usually receive benefits as well, they are minor for the most part. Unlike how it works when you decide to foster, you are not likely to receive financial allowances for your time as a volunteer. Therefore, it’s best to work your volunteering hours in such a way that it does not interfere with your work hours.
As a volunteer for children’s social care agencies, you will be expected to take on a wide range of duties. Your age, profession, expertise, experience, personality, work capacity, etc., will all be taken into account by the social car agency or NPO, before assigning you with a task. These tasks usually include arranging and working various aspects of:
- Teaching
- Medical care (qualified volunteers only)
- Counselling children and young people in need of mental support (Trained counsellors only)
- Managing online and offline fundraiser events
- Promoting and managing information and awareness campaigns
- Regular childcare duties at a children’s facility
- Childcare duties for special needs children
- Cooking, cleaning, and other housekeeping activities
Find out more about volunteering opportunities in Coventry here: vacoventry.org.uk
Mentor
Promising youths are often led astray because they never receive the guidance needed to steer them in the right direction. Older teens and young adults from troubled families are usually the most vulnerable to bad influences. They find themselves at a critical juncture of their life, faced with the complex task of taking multiple lifechanging decisions without valuable, parental input.
As a mature resident of Coventry, you can help the local youth take better life decisions as a mentor for the community. The exact responsibilities of a mentor will differ, depending on who they are mentoring, their own training, experience, age, and professional skills. However, all mentors in a social programme share at least the following common goals:
- Helping young people become more confident in their own abilities
- Helping each youth under their mentorship find their natural potential
- Helping them in developing better social skills
- Guiding them towards a better future via career counselling
- Assessing the problems they are facing and suggesting feasible solutions as best as possible