Service doesn’t just make our communities and world better; it has benefits for the people who serve. Through Builders Club, for example, students benefit from:
- Self-discovery. In a club, members learn about their own talents and interests. It’s important for advisors to take time to help students explore what they are good at and how they can make meaningful contributions. This gives students insight into the value they bring to a team and increases their confidence. This can also build a sense of social connection to their peers and the adults around them.
- Learning. By researching local needs (in their school, town or city) and interviewing experts, students learn about people and organizations in their community — and about real-world solutions. As members plan service projects, they also learn new skills, including public speaking, organizing, recruiting members and volunteers, budgeting and much more.
- Engagement. Service can build members’ sense of place, providing connections in their school, town or city, and sometimes with other Kiwanis family clubs (such as Key Clubs, K-Kids clubs or the sponsoring Kiwanis club). In addition, service builds cultural competency — allowing members to spend time in new places, with people whose experience is different from theirs and who they wouldn’t normally meet.
While your Builders Club helps others through its many service initiatives, make sure administrators and members’ families know that students gain great benefits through the program as well.