BUILDS CHARACTER EXPERIENCES

Character isn't what we think, it's what we do. Here are some opportunities for students
to apply the values we associate with good character. As Aristotle said, when we do
good things we become good people.

Idealist.org - Kids & Teens
http://www.idealist.org/kt/
If you're young, curious, optimistic, seeking help, or looking to help others, Idealist is for you.
Thinking about volunteering? Start your search here. Have an idea for changing your neighborhood,
your school, or the world? Find resources, project ideas and organizations that can help you get
started. Have a problem that you need help solving? Find some help here. Teachers should
explore the whole website.

Do Something
http://www.dosomething.org
These people take their name seriously. Their mission statement says: "We inspire young people to
believe that change is possible, and we train, fund and mobilize them to be leaders who measurably
strengthen their communities." This is a very exciting website for anyone who wants to, well . . . do something.

Kids Can Make A Difference
http://www.kids.maine.org/prog.htm
An educational program about hunger and poverty that encourages students to take action and make
a difference. Be sure to click on "What Kids Can Do."

Kid Care Clubs
http://www.kidscare.org
Develop a spirit of compassion and philanthropy in children by providing them with meaningful opportunities
to help the sick, elderly, hungry, handicapped, and homeless. Kids Care offers hundreds of caring projects
that help kids develop their charity muscles and become contributing members of the human community.
They have developed projects for kids to do through their schools, churches, or community centers, as
well as family charity projects that give families the opportunity to volunteer together.

Free The Children
http://www.freethechildren.org/
Want to wipe out child slavery? Want to help poor children in third world countries go to school instead of
laboring every day in dangerous, inhumane jobs? Then join this international network of children helping children,
founded by (then) twelve year old Craig Kielburger. You'll be amazed at what you can do.

America’s Second Harvest (formerly, Second Harvest)
http://www.secondharvest.org/index.html
Help end hunger. This is the largest hunger relief organization in the U.S. Their main activity is feeding hungry people
by collecting and distributing food, and they could use your help. Come to this website to get involved, or even just
to learn about hunger in America.

Habitat for Humanity
http://www.habitat.org/
Wanna build a house? Habitat for Humanity uses volunteer labor and donations of money and materials to build
and rehabilitate simple, decent houses for low income families. Thousands of students and young people worldwide
are spending school breaks or weekends on Habitat construction sites. Here's how you can join them.

Children's International Summer Villages
http://www.cisv.org/
http://www.cisvusa.org/overview.html
CISV is a volunteer organization promoting peace education and cross-cultural friendship. There are 67 participating
nations. Local chapters offer lots of exciting opportunities for young people to get involved both locally and internationally.

VolunteerMatch
http://www.volunteermatch.org/
A fabulous website with lots of great information about volunteer work. Includes a powerful online database allowing
individuals to find volunteer opportunities by zip code, category, and date.

ServeNet
http://www.servenet.org/
This site is a good place to start for web surfers looking for an opportunity to volunteer. It lets users search a database
of service roles to find one that's right. Click on "resources" for some great volunteer advice for people under 18.

helping.org
http://helping.org/
This site makes it easy for people to learn more about the causes they care about and how to volunteer to take action.