Philanthropy

Philanthropy: a deliberate affection for mankind, shown in contributions of money, property, or work for the benefit of others

Voluntary giving isn’t necessarily a natural action. From a young age, children need to be taught to share, and to learn that the act of giving has its own rewards. For many years, kids still find it much more pleasurable to receive money and gifts rather than to give them away, but eventually, most learn that doing a good turn for others can feel pretty amazing.

Students have long been taught that, as adults, they must contribute to society in a meaningful way and for the common good. It’s an important sentiment, and one that many students take to heart. It can be difficult, though, for students to truly understand and appreciate such lessons in civic responsibility when they don’t have the opportunity to actually experience these lessons firsthand. As a result, increasing numbers of schools and extracurricular programs have instituted service-learning projects as part of the curriculum.