Child Psychologist?

Have you ever read "The Political Life of Children," by Robert Coles? Here's a link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0871137712/?tag=absolutewritedm-20

Coles is a child psychiatrist. I've read a couple of his books and they're very good reads, not dry academic stuff. I think reading this book would give you a TON of background material that could help not only your article, but also your interview preparation for whomever you end up interviewing.

Found this link on CompassionateKids.com
http://www.compassionatekids.com/volunteering.shtml

(Sorry, I'm not sure how to hyperlink)
It may be helpful for your article.

Glad to help! Good luck with the article. It is a great topic.

Hi Kat Frass - Another line to think about - kids do a lot of volunteer work through scouting and the scout organizations do have some guidelines about what age levels are allowed to participate in particular activities. If you have a Girl or Boy Scout Council office near you, call them and see if you can interview someone there. Puma

Kat Frass said:

OK.. I'm trying to figure out if a child phychologist is what I really need, or if there is a better resource to interview. I am writing a magazine article about children who volunteer.

Specifically, I'm looking for answers about what age a child should begin volunteering. When is it appropriate and at what age do they really start to get the internal "message" of volunteering and activism. What types of volunteering are "too much" for younger children... etc. etc. etc.

So - does it sound like a child psychologist would help me the most?

Also - any ideas on how to find one? I can't use ProfNet, as I don't have a published clip yet to use. I guess I could just pick up the phone and call one?

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Click to expand...

Hi,

You can talk to a child psychologist or counselor who works with kids. You can also speak to a college psychology professor, specifically Human development. Before school-age ie 7-12 years, children really don't seem to understand the world beyond themselves. However, as with everything there are exceptions. School-age children understand right and wrong. They can also understand that people sometimes need help. Once children are clear on what they can do to help, they will. Children younger than that will not comprehend that they should help people in need.
Anyway, as mentioned, you can contact a child psychologist, school counselor, or therapist or professor who can explain the stages of development. You can also check out Fowler's Stages of Faith (Google it). Fowler describes about six stages of Morality and faith along with examples of how people react to issues of morality. I hope this helps.
Email if you have any other questions.



On a side note, I became a volunteer in an after-school program when I was 13 after two years as a participant in the program. I was a counselor for another 8 years, worked a couple of summers and was a Citibank intern the summer after freshman year of college. I'm now considered an alumnus of the program and am in my last year of graduate school. My field of study is in mental health counseling with a concentration in youth and family services.

Ditto on the Scouts.

Both my boys are in scouting, and they started as cubs at 7-8. Even at that age they did service projects galore--from gathering food for the food bank, to collecting blankets for the children's receiving home.