Welcome to the Inside Out Club
Four opportunities for helping kids and families develop the character skills necessary to thrive in their lives, schools, community, and later in their careers.
Today’s youth face many risks and challenges – self-esteem, mental-health issues, bullying and more
It’s never too early to start equipping your kids and family with character and community
Since Inside Out Club Began in January 2014
Kids & Parents Attended Inside Out Club on the Weekends
Students Attended Inside Out Club in Schools
Character Learning & Volunteer Hours of Inside Out Club Kids
Volunteer Hours Donated to Execute School Program
Inside Out Club Today
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31 schools with more than 1,400 kids |
18-20 events a year serving families with kids ages 3-12 |
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online resource filled with books, videos and projects |
Through Community (coming in 2019) opportunities to practice your inside and out skills |
2nd Grade Parent
I learned to help others because some people might not have things that other people have.
I learned to work together. [We] can change the world.
Inside Out Club Kids
Lead Volunteer, May Watts Elementary School
What makes the Inside Out Club unique is our Integrated Curriculum
Character Skills – Practicing these 8 character skills translates into measurable positive outcomes.
Social Causes – Knowledge and understanding of key social issues increases a child’s sense of community and self.
Connection to Nonprofit Organizations – Children and parents believe they can create change and are empowered to help others.
Inside Out Club takes a comprehensive approach to helping develop kids with character by incorporating these three elements in all four Inside Out Club opportunities where everyone can participate.
Acceptance
- Proactively include others
- Allow others to belong unconditionally
- Value others for who they are
Collaboration
- Listen and speak with others to contribute to group success
- Actively support and inspire
- Engage positively, patiently and productively with others
Curiosity
- Demonstrate an active interest in learning
- Are brave enough to ask questions
- Are fearless innovators
Empathy
- Understand what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes
- Demonstrate compassion
- Help others through service
Gratitude
- Demonstrate a genuine appreciation for life’s gifts
- Recognize and focus on the positives
- Model gratitude to impact others
Kindness
- Put others’ needs before individual wants
- Value sharing, selflessness, generosity and compassion
- Care for themselves, others, animals and the environment
Perseverance
- Show grit, resilience and determination when facing challenges or the unexpected
- Have a growth mindset
- Follow through on commitments with grace and integrity
Self-Awareness
- Embrace their authentic selves
- Demonstrate healthy coping skills with social and emotional maturity
- Work to understand their biases, feelings and motivations to make good choices
Connecting to people for who they are and recognizing how we are all the same.
Protecting Our Planet
Working to keep our planet safe and healthy for generations to come.
Meeting Basic Needs
Understanding needs (food, shelter, clean water, transportation and literacy) versus wants.
Developing Self-Awareness / Character
Building the skills necessary to be a good person and thrive.
Being Socially Responsible
Having a desire and sense of responsibility to care for others and the planet.
Supporting Troops & Veterans
Valuing those who serve our country.
- Bernie’s Book Bank
- Blessings in a Backpack
- Celebrate Differences
- Clean Water Project
- The Conservation Foundation
- DuPage Pads
- DuPage Senior Council – Meals on Wheels
- DuPage United
- Family Focus Aurora
- DuPage Forest Preserve
- Giant Steps School
- Habitat for Humanity
- Honor Flight Chicago
- Literacy DuPage
- Loaves & Fishes CARES
- Loaves & Fishes Community Services
- Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans
- NAMI DuPage
- Naperville Area Humane Society
- Operation Drive
- Operation Support Our Troops
- People’s Resource Center
- Phil’s Friends
- Ripple Kindness Project
- Ronald McDonald Family Room
- SCARCE
- Special Olympics Illinois
- Special Spaces
- The GardenWorks Project
- Trees that Feed Foundation
- West Suburban Community Pantry
- Willowbrook Wildlife Center
- World Relief DuPage/Aurora
Check Out Our Latest Blog
Share These Acts of Kindness with Your Kids
The fact is that kids love to learn from other kids! Take a moment to share these acts of kindness by kids with your kiddos and empower them to be kind.
Grateful Kids Show Love to Soldiers and Learn Self-Awareness
This winter, over 650 elementary-age kids in the Inside Out Club (IOC) school program at eighteen schools took part in our Supporting Our Troops lesson. This lesson taught the kids self-awareness and gratitude through a two main activities – 1. IOC volunteers talked...
Simple Ways to Influence Your Children to Live Mindfully
Kids are always go, go, go: moving from one activity to another, flicking from one screen to the next. Children don’t yet have the self-awareness to reflect on life as they live it. It’s up to us adults who have discovered the value of mindfulness to influence the next generation to live mindfully.Give the following strategies a go, and your kids will be the most mindful wee ones on the block before you can say “om”
669 Kids Learn Empathy by Helping the Homeless
Have you ever taken the time to think about how it would feel and look like to be homeless? And then volunteered to help kids and families who are homeless? This is what 669 students in the Inside Out Club did this October. As part of our “Homelessness in Our...
Thank You to Our Partners!
