Rooted in Community: Helping Youth Grow Gratitude and Generosity
As the season of giving approaches, adults working with youth have a unique opportunity to help young people reflect on what it means to be part of a community and how gratitude and generosity can shape their role within it.
Gratitude and giving are not just seasonal sentiments. They are foundational attitudes that help youth build emotional resilience, foster meaningful relationships, and develop a sense of civic responsibility. In accordance with the Positive Youth Development (PYD) training, caring adults further support a gratitude-driven generation of youth. TYAN often uses the “6 Cs” of thriving youth: connection, confidence, character, caring, contribution, and competence to inform its community. (TAMU PPRI, 2025) The 6 C’s build and nurture beliefs and behaviors like gratitude.
Start with Words: Talking About Gratitude 
Adults working with youth can model and encourage gratitude through simple, intentional conversations. Try starting group sessions or one-on-one check-ins with questions like:
“What’s something you’re thankful for today?”
“Who made a difference in your life this week?”
Activities like gratitude journals, “thank you” notes, and “gratitude circles” help youth reflect on their blessings and recognize the people behind them. These practices can be adapted for classrooms, after-school programs, or informal mentoring settings.
Resource: The Gratitude Journal: Prompts, PDFs and Worksheets
Build Through Action: Giving Back in Texas Communities
Gratitude deepens when paired with generosity. Texas offers many opportunities for youth to engage in meaningful service:
Generation SERVE Central Texas empowers youth ages 3–18 to volunteer with over 100 nonprofits monthly. Their programs include family volunteering, teen-led service days, and philanthropy education through “See Teens Give.”
Volunteer TX, powered by the OneStar Foundation, connects Texans with local service opportunities statewide. Youth-serving adults can use the platform to find family-friendly volunteer events and community projects that match their group’s interests.
Texas Juvenile Justice Department Volunteer Services offers mentoring and tutoring roles that help youth in secure facilities build skills and confidence. These relationships often foster deep gratitude and personal growth for both mentor and mentee.
Stepping Stone School integrates giving into its curriculum through food drives, holiday outreach, and youth-led fundraising for local charities. Their “Young Entrepreneurs & Philanthropists” program teaches children how to give through creativity and action.
TYAN’s Role in Cultivating Community Values
TYAN supports adults and youth working in Youth Adult Partnerships (YAPs) across Texas by offering training, technical assistance, and coalition-building opportunities. Through its Community Partner cohorts and regional Pods, TYAN helps organizations integrate youth voice into decision-making and program design.
By teaching PYD principles and promoting YAPs, TYAN equips adults to guide youth in becoming thoughtful, engaged members of their communities. Gratitude and generosity flourish when youth feel heard, valued, and empowered.
Café Momentum believes that “all youth deserve to dream,” and operates one of TYAN’s largest Youth-Adult Partnership initiatives across the state in Dallas, Texas.
Justice-involved youth get a second, and often a last chance that they would otherwise not receive, to learn skills that help them succeed among their peers in a free society. Youth participants between the ages of 15 and 19 are taught how to serve, manage, and lead within the hospitality industry.
This organization truly gives back to those that need it the most. Learn more about Cafe Momentum’s spirit of giving by visiting their website cafemomentum.org today.
Try This: A November Challenge
This month, invite youth to:
- Write a thank-you note to someone in their community.
- Volunteer for a local cause or service project.
- Reflect on how giving makes them feel and why it matters.
Adults can lead by example, sharing their own stories of gratitude and service. Together, we can help young people see that being part of a community means both appreciating what we have and giving back to others.
Sources
Texas A&M University, Public Policy Research Institute (TAMU PPRI), Texas Youth Action Network (TYAN). (2025). TYAN Summer Conference Welcomes New Community Partners. Retrieved from https://ppri.tamu.edu/2025/08/22/tyanwelcomesnewpartners/
Generation SERVE. (2025). Volunteer Opportunities in Central Texas. Retrieved from https://www.generationserve.org/
OneStar Foundation. (2025). Find Volunteer Opportunities in Texas. Retrieved from https://onestarfoundation.org/volunteertx/
Texas Juvenile Justice Department. (2025). Volunteer Services. Retrieved from https://www.tjjd.texas.gov/state-programs/volunteer-services/
Stepping Stone School. (2016). Teaching Gratitude and Giving to Young Children. Retrieved from https://www.steppingstoneschool.com/teaching-gratitude/
TxCEE. (2021). Giving Thanks and Giving Back. Retrieved from https://www.txcee.org/giving-thanks-and-giving-back/
Music City Counselor. (2024). 7 Activities That Teach Gratitude. Retrieved from https://musiccitycounselor.com/7-activities-that-teach-gratitude-a-guide-for-school-counselors/