How kids can support veterans like John Kerry did

Children can support veterans without carrying weapons, wearing uniforms or being asked to join a political campaign. They can learn the stories of people who served, show gratitude, help families and grow into informed citizens. John Kerry’s service as a United States Navy officer in Vietnam gives this topic a personal reference point: courage and public duty can lead to a life of leadership. In Australia, children can begin at their own pace and in ways suited to their age.

Kids for Kerry was created in 2004 by seventh-grader Ilana Wexler to support John Kerry and Teresa Heinz Kerry in the US presidential election. It gathered campaign news, speeches, posters, quizzes, media coverage and activities that gave children and families ways to discuss politics and take part in grassroots organising. Today, its value is also historical: it shows young people that civic action can be creative, informed and community-based.

Begin with listening and respect

Start by learning what a veteran is and why service matters to a particular community. Children can read a first-hand account, listen to a recorded message or speak with an older relative who served. Questions should be gentle, and a family does not need to disclose painful memories. The aim is understanding, not turning service into a performance or asking anyone to defend a war.

Respect also means using accurate names and dates, learning from people with different experiences and listening when someone chooses not to speak. A child might write a thank-you note, draw a picture or simply sit attentively at a ceremony. These small actions count because remembrance depends on human connection as much as on monuments and formal observances.

Learn about service and sacrifice

History can give children a wider view of courage, responsibility and the consequences of conflict. In Australia, ANZAC Day on 25 April is a major occasion for remembering Australian and New Zealand service personnel, with dawn services, wreath laying and red poppies. Teachers can explain that commemoration includes living veterans, families, peacekeepers and those who never returned, rather than presenting war as a single heroic adventure.

Historical resources should be age-appropriate and should not turn Australian identity into a test of loyalty. Older pupils can compare official records, family stories and community archives, then identify how public institutions support service people after deployment. The site's 2004 campaign news from Kids for Kerry offers a different kind of record: a youth site that made current political information available to children during an election.

Make gratitude visible

A child’s support can take the form of a public act that is peaceful and useful. At a school assembly, pupils might read a poem, perform a song written for veterans or display artwork about courage and peace. Families can invite a veteran to speak without treating the person as a prop, and organisers can prepare questions in advance so the visitor is treated as a guest with expertise.

Local traditions make these actions easier to place. In Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, a school fete, community meeting or neighbourhood market can host a well-run information stall about veteran services, a craft table or a donation box. A sausage sizzle or bake sale may raise funds, but the event should explain where money will go and avoid pressuring visitors to buy anything.

Help veterans and their families

Practical help can matter more than a large gesture. Children can accompany an approved adult to visit a community centre, help organise accessible event spaces, prepare welcome packs or raise supplies for a food drive. Older students might interview returned service personnel about skills they gained in service and how those skills translate to paid employment, study or volunteer work.

A respectful fundraising drive can support reputable Australian programmes, such as a Returned and Services League sub-branch project, a welfare organisation or a service for veterans’ families. Before collecting money, check with an adult that the organisation is legitimate, explain the purpose clearly and keep records. Good intentions should become reliable support.

Give young people a civic voice

Children can learn to be citizens by handling disagreement respectfully. A class might hold a mock council meeting on a local issue, write questions for a councillor or present a proposal for a safer park, inclusive memorial or community garden. This keeps political participation focused on decisions children can understand and gives them practice listening, evidence and compromise.

The 2004 Kids for Kerry model also showed the energy of youth organising, but Australian families should adapt that model carefully. Children can make posters, podcasts and newsletters about a community issue, yet they should not be used as campaign advertising, sent into unfamiliar settings or asked to collect personal information. Adults should explain party differences and let young people form views independently.

Use Australian places and traditions

Remembrance Day on 11 November offers another moment to connect remembrance with service. In many Australian towns, schools, local councils and RSL halls hold assemblies, poppy collections or ceremonies. A child can research the meaning of a poppy, learn about the Australian Defence Force and peacekeepers, and contribute to a respectful display that names contributions without glorifying injury.

The best project fits the place where the family lives. A family in Canberra might work with a nearby community organisation; a regional town might partner with its local council or clinic. At a farmers market in Melbourne, a school group could offer a handmade memorial display and direct donations to a verified cause, with the market’s permission. Across Australia, local knowledge should guide the project, with cultural sensitivity built in from the start.

Keep the example alive

A lasting habit is a regular family conversation rather than one intense annual project. Adults and children can read one article, visit one community space or complete one useful task each quarter, checking whether the chosen organisation still needs help. Keep a shared folder of thank-you notes, photographs and reflections so progress is visible without displaying private stories or military details.

The same principle applies online. Children can share age-appropriate links, fact-check claims with an adult and invite friends to a supervised craft session rather than amplifying arguments. A youth website can preserve voices and activities, just as Kids for Kerry preserved material from the 2004 election. The goal is informed participation that continues after the news cycle moves on.

One practical next step is to choose a local RSL branch, veterans’ organisation or school-linked support group and ask an adult to make contact. A small project—make poppies for a remembrance display, collect books for a community centre or help at a supervised market stall—can connect gratitude with action.

Invite children to choose the cause, set a modest goal and report back at dinner what they learned. Choose the organisation together, make a simple plan and begin with one act of service this week.