Helping Others: How to Capture the Spirit of Summer Camp at Home
Christmas has come and gone, and we still have 6 months until summer camp, but the season of helping others should be all year round. In these trying times, we all need to help each other in whatever way we can.
Although it’s in no way the primary reason, Studies show that helping others has several benefits, including encouraging feelings of happiness, creating a sense of belonging in the community, and giving you a sense of purpose.
It can also help you feel more aware of the positive aspects of your own life and make you feel more grateful. All of which are apt descriptions of Christmas and summer camp, so why don’t we capture this spirit more often throughout the year?
There are lots of ways you can help others who need it, including volunteering your time or donating money, clothes, or food. Many charities also allow you to help those in more difficult circumstances than your own and do their own incredible work in local communities.
So, how can you help others? You don’t have to change the world in one go, but small, positive steps in the right direction can do so in the long run. Here are three ideas which can make an immeasurable difference in the community around you.
1. Connect with others.
According to the Campaign To End Loneliness, between December 2021 and February 2022, 3.3 million people living in Britain felt lonely all the time. This increased from a previous survey between April and March 2020, which showed that around 2.6 million people were chronically lonely.
Furthermore, a report released by Harvard suggested that around 36% of Americans feel severe loneliness, highlighting the widespread problem in communities today.
Both are such saddening statistics and are a lasting reminder of the lingering isolation exacerbated by the pandemic, but has yet to be rectified.
Love Your Neighbour is a one-to-one friendship programme that matches young and old neighbours in the Liverpool area. They can meet in person, speak over the phone, or both for around an hour a week.
You can sign up and be matched with someone with common interests allowing you to forge genuine and long-lasting friendships. Without a doubt, there’ll be other such charities in your local area, too.
Additionally, Family Action has a Friendship Works service in London that provides volunteer mentors to children and young adults who have experienced childhood trauma. Experiences such as these can cause low self-esteem and social isolation, so a lot of the time, the simple act of friendship can be a literal life-changer.
Friendship Foundation is an American charity that supports parents and families with children with special needs by providing them with friendship and the option to partake in different activities. There are various programmes targeted at specific age groups, and combined, they reach around 2,500 students each year. Showing its wide-ranging impact.
Charities and organisations such as these provide a way to help others by offering friendship and connection, so be sure to search out ones where you feel like you could contribute.
2. Donate to a food bank
689 million people in the world are living in extreme poverty. More than 14 million people in the UK are living in poverty – including 4.5 million children. In 2021, 37.9 million people were living in poverty in America. All three are appalling statistics.
There are ways to help others in such a situation, including donating to a food bank. The cost of food has risen since the COVID-19 pandemic making it more difficult for people to afford food on their current wages. Alongside other external factors which have driven the cost of living up, meaning people, through no fault of their own, can not afford what they could do last year.
This is a massive problem for people from every background in every city. Every community struggles to some degree, and often, the only support people can rely on is each other. If you’re privileged enough to have a little left over, find ways to ease the burden for others.
When donating to a local food bank, they often ask for items with a long shelf life, such as dried food, i.e. pasta and rice and tinned food, i.e. vegetables and fruit. They also might ask for hygiene items such as sanitary towels or wet wipes.
It may seem minor to you, but anything you can provide is something that someone else couldn’t afford.
You can find a local food bank to donate to via The Trussell Trust in the UK.
3. Take part in challenges
Challenges are not necessarily about what you do but the spotlight you shine on an organisation and any possible money you can raise.
It doesn’t need you to run a marathon to raise awareness, either. You may run a full-day bake-off, do a skydive, or run your first-ever 5k. It’s not about beating others but putting yourself out there for a cause bigger than yourself.
There are also several national days or months that you could engage with as a way to give your time to different causes. For example:
Veganuary - This month-long challenge encourages people to adopt a plant-based diet, which has been shown to benefit your health and the environment in several ways.
International Day Of Education - According to UNESCO, around 244 million children and youth are out of school, and 771 million adults are illiterate. The theme for this year’s day of education is to invest in people and prioritise education which will take place on the 24th of January. There are many ways we can invest in the education of others, such as volunteering as a mentor to young people.
Movember - This is the act of growing a moustache, no matter how silly-looking, and fundraising for massively important mental health and suicide prevention charities.
The world, and the people in it, are continually working to tackle important issues that are risking the well-being of others. You can help in many ways every month of the year, not just during the holidays or your summer at camp in America.
Helping others and being part of different causes can help empower you and be a part of something bigger. It’s not for a pat on the back or for brownie points but because it’s the right thing to do.
By supporting others, you’re playing your part in making the world a slightly better place each day.
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