Contribution: Each of us helping make the world fairer, healthier, and safer for everyone.

How Contribution relates to Gender Equity.

Contributing is about taking action, rather than sitting around talking. Action is necessary for change to happen.

By focusing on contribution, we remind ourselves that we have power to make changes in our own lives: from the words we use to the goals we set for ourselves. With each choice we make, we are either feeding gender equity and progress or sexism and the status quo.

Examples of what Contribution looks like in an adult.

• An adult who donates and/or volunteers toward making the world fairer, safer and healthier for everyone.
• Someone who actively and regularly engages in making the world better by starting committees, leading initiatives, joining protests, writing letters, supporting others, donating money, and/or running for office.
• Someone who stays informed about what needs are not being met in their community and finds a way to fill some of them.
• An adult who speaks up against jokes and comments that perpetuate exclusion and hierarchy.
• Someone who role models the behaviors they want expressed in the world.

Examples of how we can teach Contribution to our child.

• Role model all of the above.
• Bring your child along to volunteer opportunities as often as you can.
• Explain to your child which causes you donate to and volunteer for, and why.
• Give money to your child to donate to the organizations of their choice.
• Talk about the ways you are helping the people in your life and your community.
• Have a culture of “everybody helps” in your family and give everyone age-appropriate tasks.
• Acknowledge your child for contributing, especially when they’ve initiated it.
• Read stories, books and articles about people who are contributing. Make sure to have gender equity in what you read, too.
• Put up images of people who are contributing. Make sure to show as many females as males as role models. Racial, ethnic and other ways to show diversity are also important.
• In different situations, ask your child: What would make this fairer for everyone? What would help everyone be healthier? What would make everyone safer?

*I am using “they/their/theirs/them/themselves” as singular pronouns.

Back to Guiding Principles for
Developing Whole Children

Self Awareness | Reciprocity | Full Personhood | Equality | Physical Ownership | Verbal Conflict Resolution | Emotional Wellness | Advocacy | Humility | Authenticity | Contribution | Resiliency | Joy | Gratitude | Community | Critical Thinking