MNN - Mother Nature Network

Do you have kids who are eager to get involved in their communities but aren't sure where to begin? A new campaign from GenerationOn is urging kids and their families to put what's left of summer to good use by becoming community action heroes in their local areas.

 

The campaign runs from July 2 to Aug. 20, so there's still plenty of time to get involved. And GenerationOn is giving away Hero T-shirts and other gifts to people who report on their service. At the end of the campaign, they plan to award 10 $500 grants to young people to help them continue volunteering.

 

The website for the campaign is easy to use and gives kids lots of cool ideas for service projects to tackle in an afternoon or over a couple of weeks. You and your kids can start by picking a cause such as "Environment," or "Hunger." From there, you will be directed to a list of ideas that your kids can use to address the issue.  

 

I checked out the "Animals" category because I know that's one that my daughters would be interested in and the first idea, "help shelter animals get adopted by bathing, socializing, and advocating for them," feels like a really good fit.  

 

Here are a few more great ideas:

 

Check out the website for more ideas on how your kids — and your whole family — can become action heroes in your community.

 

Related green kids story on MNN: 8 amazing kids who are changing the world