How Vacation Volunteering Helped My Daughter Become a Compassionate Adult
Now that my children are young adults living on their own, I am an empty nester. Without the stress of daily caregiving, I have time to think about my parenting. There are, of course, many things I wish I had done differently, but there are also occasions when I discover an aspect of my parenting that I enjoy. Raising children who have grown up to be compassionate adults is one of those things.
Unlike baking a cake, there is no recipe or set of rules to follow to ensure that your children grow up to become empathetic members of society. However, I discovered that volunteering is a way of giving back. It has been a part of my life for a long time and I hoped it would be for my children too. Little did I know that a family vacation would set my child on a path to volunteering for the rest of his life.
A house exchange in Mexico
The summer my daughter Madeleine turned 12, we traded our apartment in New York for a house in San Miguel de Allende, a beautiful little town in central Mexico. The house was in a residential area near the Santa Julia orphanage, where a few dozen girls, from the youngest to teenagers, lived under the supervision of nuns.
We didn’t know anyone in this small Mexican town. My lonely teenager watched nostalgically as the Santa Julia girls played in their yard from the window of our temporary home. One afternoon, a few girls shyly called her to ask if she could come play. They spoke a little English and she spoke a little Spanish; they were fascinated by her and she by them. The nuns invited Madeleine to come and play daily.
AFFORDABLE TRAVEL: 9 Budget-Friendly All-Inclusive Family Resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean
By the end of our month in Mexico, real friendships had been made. As the girls said goodbye, all the tears were shed. Madeleine was determined not to forget her new friends. When middle school started in September, she spearheaded a monthly bake sale, with the proceeds from all those cupcakes and brownies going to the Santa Julia Orphanage. She also helped start a pen pal program in conjunction with her middle school’s foreign language department, connecting children who were studying Spanish at her school with girls from Santa Julia who were studying English.
A “reading road trip” on the beaches of Turks & Caicos
When Madeleine was in high school, we joined our extended family for a multi-generational vacation at one of three Beaches Resorts in the Caribbean. What teenager wouldn’t enjoy staying at an all-inclusive family resort on postcard-perfect Grace Bay? Madeleine had just gotten her lifeguard certificate and many of the activities at Beaches revolved around the water, a match made in heaven.
One of my concerns was that because the property was all-inclusive, we would never leave the magnetic comfort of the resort and miss the opportunity to experience authentic local culture. However, one of the activities offered was a Reading Road Trip, where guests were invited to visit a local primary school and read to children for a few hours. Madeleine was eager to participate. As a former preschool teacher, this concerned me, too.
PARENTS’ POINT OF VIEW: Why Every Family Should Try an All-Inclusive Resort at Least Once
We boarded a bus and were taken to the nearby Enid Capron Elementary School, one of the schools adopted by the Sandals Foundation. The Sandals Foundation is the philanthropic arm of this resort chain, and supporting the education and development of children in the Caribbean is one of its primary goals. Together, my daughter and I spent a memorable morning in a first grade classroom reading Dr. Seuss books to a group of adorable children.
A minimal time commitment allowed us to achieve a significant gain. These smiles are still engraved in our memories.
Throwing Genki Balls in Hawaii
Now my daughter is grown and lives across the country in Los Angeles. We recently found ourselves in Honolulu for a mother-daughter getaway. I imagined we would spend our precious time together at the beach and sightseeing, especially because we were staying at the new Renaissance Honolulu, located in the heart of downtown. With its fabulous swimming pools, wellness center, soothing spa, and delicious dining options, I was tempted to never leave the place. My daughter had other plans.
RELATED: I took a dog on a trip to Hawaii and it was the best part of my vacation
A team of local experts called Navigators was stationed in the lobby. In addition to offering standard concierge services such as restaurant reservations, Navigators dig deeper and help guests find and arrange a range of experiential offerings. Madeleine told the Navigators that the 2023 Maui wildfires have brought home the urgency for a more sustainable Hawaii. She wanted to do something to recognize and positively impact Hawaii’s vulnerable environment during her brief visit.
The Navigators organized a morning for us with the innovative non-profit project Genki Ala Wai at the Ala Wai Canal. Although this waterway resembles a Polynesian paradise, it has been plagued by urban runoff and pollution for decades. We joined a group of volunteers making and throwing Genki Balls into the canal. About the size of a tennis ball, Genki Balls are made from dried mud, rice bran, water and effective micro-organisms, a blend of beneficial bacteria and yeast.
It’s a simple solution to a big problem. As the Genki Balls sink to the bottom of the canal, they begin to decompose and digest the layers of contaminants, debris, and sludge that have built up over generations. The Genki Ala Wai project has successfully improved water quality and is on track to make the canal usable and swimmable by 2026.
Volunteering at home or on vacation?
Of course, you can also volunteer in your own backyard. Volunteering during the holidays could potentially encourage volunteering in your own community. For Madeleine, what started as voluntourism in Mexico continued with volunteering back home. She knew the Santa Julia girls personally and wanted to find a way to positively impact their lives once she returned home.
In my family’s case, it was often easier to volunteer when we were away from home, away from our busy work and school schedules. It was also a direct way to learn about important issues that impact a specific location. These on-site experiences have helped my daughter become a global citizen who understands that the world is a large, diverse, and very complex place.
More from FamilyVacationist:
