SERVICE TO COMMUNITY BUILDS STRENGTH

At Northwest Passage, we know that service to others not only provides benefits to those who receive but also to those who give. This therapeutic lifestyle choice works to improve one’s health through a number of avenues. On the most basic level, an effective way to distract from emotional distress is to contribute to others who may be experiencing some manner of distress of their own. Purposefully turning attention from internal strife, outward to the lives of others is both an exercise of empathy and mindfulness. Research has shown that community service bolsters the physical and mental health of participants. Finally, reaching out to volunteer or help others in their environment can offer a path for youth to build connections with the world around them. It has been shown that such connections can have a positive and healing effect on all humans.