When teens sign up for a teen community service trip, they are showing that they are interested in helping other people around the world. It is very easy for someone to decide to take a trip, but taking a trip where serving others is the foundation is a great sign that your teen is on the right track. Teens who go on community service trips to different countries get a chance to travel, see amazing things and interact with people from all over the world.
If your teen has shown interest in taking a teen community service trip, it's important for both you and your teen to be prepared. When your teen goes to another country, they will encounter new cultures and may see and experience some things that will change them for the rest of their lives. As a parent, you will undoubtedly miss your teen while he or she is away, but you'll love the change you see in your child when they return from a teen community service trip.
Here are some of the changes (for the better) that many parents notice when their child returns from a teen community service trip to another location.
A More Informed World View
In the United States it is very easy for teens to get caught up in the popular culture of the day. There's certainly nothing wrong with teens having a little fun while they are young, but many teens tend to become isolated and unaware of what is going on around the world.
Teens who participate in a community service trip get to see first-hand how people in other parts of the world live. Everyone knows there are people all around the world who live differently than people in this culture, but seeing, meeting and working with people from other cultures can really impact your teen and give them a more informed, realistic view of the world.
A Desire to Get Involved
When teens go on a teen community service trip they are taking a major step in the right direction. Lots of people think about or talk about getting involved and helping others, but when your teen takes a service trip they are stepping out and really doing something.
One of the great things that happens to teens who get involved with helping others via a teen community service trip is that they want to continue helping others after their trip is complete. Teens who get a feel for really doing what it takes to reach out to people in need often find that they want to continue reaching out as a part of their regular, everyday life.
By : H.G. Peterson
