Learn, engage, serve, lead
A K-Kids club can provide opportunities for students to begin their service journey. When students discover their heart to serve, they start to learn about needs in their school or organization and the community outside its walls. The K-Kids experience at a young age helps students start to develop skills to make a difference and develops their ability to empathize with those in need in their communities.
The K-Kids program is built on the Kiwanis Service Leadership Model’s themes: Learn, Engage, Serve and Lead. Learn is the process or experience of gaining knowledge or skills. Engage means becoming involved with others. Serve is to be useful, to help. Lead is the ability to listen, communicate, serve and guide. Clubs do service that involves all themes.
The activities in the K-Kids Member Guide and K-Kids Service Guide support high-impact service, build each of these four vital themes into club life and support clubs that are student-led. Read on to see what each theme means in the life of a K-Kid.
Through K-Kids, young students learn many things about themselves, peers, their school and the community. They learn teamwork. They explore their own talents. They learn how to plan and complete tasks. They develop skills like communication, problem solving, and how to see from others’ perspectives. They practice kindness.
K-Kids gives young students in their primary school years a place to engage in purposeful and meaningful ways. Members develop the ability to listen and speak with peers and adults. They collaborate on teams. They ask for donations of items and money. They meet leaders of community organizations and clients they serve.
A K-Kids club gives some students a place to have their first service experience, while others who love giving back find a place to make service a regular part of their lives. K-Kids teaches service that starts with learning about local needs in the school/organization and community. Then members identify a way to address the need through hands-on service, fundraising, donating or advocacy.
K-Kids is a learning ground for young students to form their leadership potential. Through club experiences, members learn to focus on others, move an idea into action, and build speaking and teamwork skills. Members are responsible for various tasks for club operations and service projects. As officers and committee chairs, students learn to facilitate club meetings and activities.
When K-Kids members graduate from their primary/elementary school, they can continue to grow as service leaders in their middle years and beyond! Learn about Builders Club and a lifelong journey in the Kiwanis family here.