This scenario illustrates one way a parent can introduce a child to the idea that, even though he's young, he can make a difference in the world. That his efforts, even when they seem insignificant, make his neighborhood or his hometown better places to live. That helping others makes him a better person.
Park City resident Barbara Lewis, a retired teacher and author of the award-winning Kid's Guide to Social Action (Free Spirit Publishing, $18.95), believes kids should be seen and heard. She should know - two of the most successful projects her students at Jackson Elementary School took on were cleaning up a toxic-waste dump, which resulted in a President's Youth Environment Award, and establishing a child-abuse hot line. She says the skills it takes to make a difference may not at first be evident in children, but if properly challenged and empowered, kids will surprise you. She believes teenagers, rather than being given a "prolonged babyhood, without power and respect," should be actively contributing members of society.
"Kids are usually the receivers of action rather than the deliverers. They're taught that Mommy will drive them everywhere or that the teacher will provide them with information. But when you ask them the right questions - What are some problems in our neighborhood? What can we do to change them? - you'll find they have it in them."
Where to start? "Ask questions and then grease the path," says Lewis. "Brainstorm ideas and then put them in contact with adults or organizations that can set them on their way."
It's important that the cause children take on is important to them, not you.
The idea of letting children choose their own issue seems to be a basic rule for activist parents. Lewis points out that when and how they make that choice depends on them reaching a certain age of consciousness, which is different for each child.
Jennifer Killpack-Knutsen, a member of Salt Lake's Radical Cheerleaders, a group that brings levity to potentially volatile situations, has experience with consciousness-raising. It wasn't until she was in college that "I realized that I could actually do something other than complain about the state of the world. But it's also therapeutic, one of the best things I ever did. I learned that doing anything at all, even if it's small, helps me feel less frustrated by things that are out of my control."
Killpack-Knutsen takes her daughter Terra, 3, to rallies in her stroller. "She enjoys watching all the goings-on and seeing people we know. But [daughter] Autumn is 12 and she's becoming less interested. So at the last event I went to, I gave her a camera and paid her to take pictures."
Killpack-Knutsen also makes sure her daughters have opportunities to pursue individual interests. "I'm a vegetarian based on my concern for health and environment, but I realized it would be hard for Autumn to have to take special food to school. So I decided I just wouldn't cook meat at home but let her eat what she wanted elsewhere. When she was 8, she told me she wanted to be a vegetarian for a different reason - she cared about animal rights."
At Family Night at the Utah Food Bank, Kearns resident Delores Poulsen is decorating cardboard boxes with her son, Chad, and grandsons T.J. and Michael. The boxes are then filled with groceries and delivered to homebound Food Bank clients.
"I love serving people, that's my religion," says Poulsen. "I was raised that way, to help people. At church, the kids mow lawns, weed gardens and clean, if they're old enough." On their next visit, she plans to bring her boys back to the warehouse to sort food.
Ordinarily, says Food Bank development director Amberlie Phillips, there are age restrictions for volunteers, so Family Night is the one time parents can bring small children. It's the perfect opportunity for 10-year-old T.J. and his brother Michael, 8, to "make people happy instead of sad."
Also at the Food Bank, Alex Hall, 19, tackles his first service project as he transfers peanut butter and cereal into the decorated boxes. His mother, Jacinta Hall, joins him. Hall made sure, when her children were young, that they participated in church activities and were aware of her volunteer work.
The experiences of these families illustrate the idea that activism is actually a simple concept. So are its rewards. Perhaps Alex Hall says it best: "It feels good."
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* JANE GRAU can be contacted at jgrau@sltrib.com or 801-257-8694. Send comments about this story to livingeditor@sltrib.com.
established that respect for the views of children - letting their work be seen and their voices heard - was inherent to their dignity and development. It was reiterated that when it comes to the following questions, the best interests of the child are most important.
* Is it right to expose children to physically or emotionally dangerous situations?
Example: Ugly crowd scenes where people are yelling and throwing things. Author Barbara Lewis says children deserve protection and it's the parent's responsibility to keep them safe. She also notes that some people think exposing children to unhappy events in the world causes them to worry. Actually, says Lewis, children worry when they feel helpless. It's better that they learn to take control of their own lives. "It builds self-confidence."
* Is it right to exploit children for a cause? Example: Using children to arouse public sentiment for or against a position by putting them in the public eye. Lewis likes to emphasize "child exploration, not exploitation."
* Is it right to ask them to make themselves objects of derision for being different from their schoolmates? Example: Making them wear clothing from consignment shops instead of buying new. "This is a great example of kid exploration vs. kid exploitation," says Lewis. "If they're in charge, teasing doesn't happen."
* Choose a problem to solve. Look around your neighborhood for such things as smelly dumps, homeless people or drug houses.
* Do research. How do area residents feel about this problem? What's already been done? Who's in charge?
* Brainstorm possible solutions and choose the one that looks like the most possible.
* Create a support network of people who agree with your solution - teachers, city officials, legislators and other students.
* Work with your opposition. Get to know your "enemy" and that side's position, and work out a win-win solution for everyone.
* Advertise. TV, radio and newspapers love stories about kids in action. They might give you space for free.
* Raise money. Not always necessary, but remember that money gives you extra power.
* Carry out your solution. Make a list of steps that includes speeches, letters and petitions that will take your case public.
* Evaluate and reflect. Have you tried everything? Do you need to change strategies? Do you need more help? Are you feeling stressed instead of proud? Weed out all the things that don't work until you find something that does.
* Don't listen to those who'll tell you it can't be done and then don't give up.
* Call 2-1-1 for the Infobank. Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
* Call 888-826-9790.
* Go to http://www.information andreferral.org. Click on "Volunteer Services."
* For more information about Family Night at the Utah Food Bank in Salt Lake City, call the volunteer office at 801-978-2452.
