Learning to Give, Curriculum Division of The LEAGUE

Note: This activity is a guide for developing and carrying-out a group service project - doing philanthropy! It is important to be prepared to support and guide the youth through all phases of the project to help ensure a successful experience for all. Refer to the Center for Youth as Resources at www.YAR.org for best practices in creating effective, youth-led service projects. Many local communities give small grants for youth-led service projects. The Center for Youth as Resources web site also has information about grant opportunities.

Age:

• 12-18

Philanthropy is:

• Giving, serving and private citizen action intended for the common good.

Purpose:

• Participants will identify philanthropy and how they can contribute
  to a common cause through volunteering their time.
  

Objectives:

The young person will:

• define philanthropy and their faith traditions beliefs about giving and serving.
• determine which groups or organizations might be in need of the participants’ time, talent and/or treasures, i.e. a needs assessment.
• write letters to a variety of service groups in order to assess the human needs of that particular organization.
• plan and implement a group service project.
  

Religious Activity Theme:

Derech Eretz Zuta 1:29
Regard as trivial the good you did to others, and as enormous the little good other did to you.

Ephesians 6:7-8 (New American Standard Bible)
With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.

The facilitator explains that they will be doing a community needs assessment by writing letters, and then deciding on and completing a youth-led group community service project. The letters will be written to service organizations and will explain that the participants are looking for philanthropic roles in the community and they are attempting to determine where they might be most needed at this time.

Activity Steps:

• The facilitator asks the participants to expand on the definition of philanthropy sharing time, talent and treasure, and taking action for the common good. Their expanded ideas/contributions should be displayed on a chart paper or poster. Ask them to list what they know about their faith tradition’s beliefs about giving and serving. Elaborate on what it means to give of your time, talent and treasure!
• In a fun and creative way divide the participants into groups of 3-5 and distribute paper and pens. Each group will discuss their individual available time, talents and treasures and write these down on their papers. Each group member should generate 2-4 ideas.
• Each small group should compose, write and mail a letter to a selected organization explaining their abilities and available time, and asking how they might be of service. Letters can be written to: senior centers, humane societies, environmental groups, social service agencies such as the Salvation Army and Goodwill, the volunteer coordinator of the local municipality, or any local organization. Local organizations can be found by looking under “Social Service Organizations” or “Human Service Organizations” in the yellow pages of the phone book. The facilitator might want to have a sample letter prepared for guidance. An alternative to writing letters would be for a member of the group to phone or e-mail the selected organization to gather the information. An introduction, and set of questions could be brainstormed by the whole group for the callers to use.
• After the information has been collected. The small groups present the information to the whole group about the organization they contacted, including the needs that were identified and any opportunities for service.
• As a whole group decide on one or two organizations with which to work, being careful to match the group’s talents, time, and interests to the opportunity for service.
• They can then pick a project to do in the community, following the steps outlined below:
  *Contact the organization they decided on and agree on the service they will do, and the timeframe in which it will be completed.
  *Plan the project particulars: when, how extensive or simple, etc.
  *Assign a variety of meaningful roles. Everyone should have a role.
  *Determine what other groups in the faith community you might recruit to participate in the selected(s).
  *Gather necessary materials.
  *Implement the project.
  *After the project, hold a reflection session where the volunteers consider what the challenges were and what worked well. Also reflect on the effort the volunteers put forth and the differences they made.
  *Celebrate a job well done! This can be simple, a certificate recognizing the volunteer’s accomplishment, or it could be a presentation to parents and community members of the project, or a large media event.
  

Processing Questions:

1. Is it important in our faith tradition that we serve God by serving others? Why or why not?
2. Do you believe that it is better to give then receive? Why or why not?
3. Have you given to someone and received a blessing from it?
4. What have people given to you in order to make life better? (family, friends, teachers)If those people hadn’t given to you would you be able to give to others? How could you thank them?
5. What did you learn from the Needs Assessment? What was the most challenging part of the process? Why is doing the Needs Assessment essential to meaningful help?
6. How did it feel to have to narrow down the options of who and how you were going to help?
7. Did everyone have important roles to play? Was everyone included? If, not, how can that be improved in the future? And if so, how did you make that happen?
8. What differences were you able to make?
9. How can you build on your project?
10. Would you ever like to do another project?
11. What was the hardest part of your project?
12. What would you recommend to others about doing a service project?
13. Did you feel that you had a voice in planning the project? Describe how.
14. How do you think your individual and special talents helped your success?
    

 

Variation:

Join with a partnering youth group to do a youth-led community service project. You will meet new people, share resources and have fun!

Supplemental Activity:

Suggest to your family and/or other important adults in your life that you plan and complete a community project together.

Activity Source:

Community Partnerships with Youth Inc
Who Can We Help?
Youth as Philanthropists

Additional Resources:

Value of Life-long Philanthropy
Learning to Give Lesson (Grades 3-5) “Why Should I Do Philanthropy?”
Unit “Philanthropy in Michigan”

Check It Out! Assessment Scavenger Hunt
Community Partnerships with Youth Inc
Youth as Philanthropist Curriculum

New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

 

Philanthropy Theme Framework :

Strand Standard Benchmark PHIL IV. Volunteering and Service VS 01. Needs Assessment HS 1. Identify a need in the school, local community, state, or the nation. PHIL IV. Volunteering and Service VS 01. Needs Assessment MS 1. Identify a need in the neighborhood or local community. PHIL IV. Volunteering and Service VS 02. Service and Learning HS 1. Select the service project based on interests, abilities, and research. PHIL IV. Volunteering and Service VS 02. Service and Learning MS 1. Select the service project based on interests, abilities and research. PHIL IV. Volunteering and Service VS 03. Providing Service HS 1. Provide a needed service for students in the school, or citizens in the neighborhood, the local community, the people in the state, or for the nation. PHIL IV. Volunteering and Service VS 03. Providing Service MS 1. Provide a needed service for students in the school, or citizens in the neighborhood, or the local community. PHIL IV. Volunteering and Service VS 05. Integrating the Service Experience into Learning MS 2. Evaluate progress on the Service-Learning project before, during, and after the project. PHIL IV. Volunteering and Service VS 05. Integrating the Service Experience into Learning HS 2. Evaluate progress on the service-learning project before, during, and after the project. PHIL IV. Volunteering and Service VS 05. Integrating the Service Experience into Learning HS 3. Identify outcomes from the service. PHIL IV. Volunteering and Service VS 05. Integrating the Service Experience into Learning MS 3. Identify outcomes from the service.