Learning to Give, Curriculum Division of The LEAGUE

Purpose:

• Participants will gain an appreciation for the importance of nature and the environment through the philanthropic act of planting a tree to beautify their community

Activity:

1. Facilitator introduces the activity by explaining that a personal mission is developed by combining our beliefs, interests, skills and qualities with the needs we see around us in global or local communities.
   
   
2. Facilitator gives participants a worksheet or lists the questions on newsprint so that everyone can see them. Facilitator asks participants to complete the sentences. Note: Use of quiet music might be helpful.
   
   
3. Facilitator reads the beginning of each sentence (see script below) aloud while participants fill in the blanks with their thoughts.
   
   - The world (or community) needs people who...
   
   I believe that...

   Leader should refer to the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal...” (Leader may update the concept by substituting the word “human beings” for “men.”) Participants then list their own beliefs or truths.
   
   - A cause I care deeply about is...
   
   - The special skills and qualities I have (or would like to develop) to give to the community include...

   Facilitator should explain that this is the hardest of all to admit to for most people. But it is important as a trustee to recognize, own and cultivate our gifts. Be sure to point out the “or would like to develop” phrase which take some of the pressure off for people who don’t want to sound as though they’re bragging about their gifts or, conversely who don’t feel they have any gifts to offer.

   
   

4. After each round of sentences, facilitator may ask volunteers to share examples of their thoughts. The pace should be kept fast and upbeat.

5. The facilitator gives an overview of the importance of a mission statement and how to write one. Facilitator should list the following on flipchart paper and explain each:
   
   Mission Statement:
   - Reflects Values
   - Is lofty
   - Gives direction for skills and qualities
   - Serves as a compass for decisions
   
   

6. The facilitator should share his or her own personal mission statement with the group. Examples should reflect a blending of the categories brainstormed above: beliefs, needs of the world (community), skills, etc. Other examples can be used and discussion can be generated by asking questions, such as, “What do you think Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s mission statement would have been?” (See other names under Variations/Options below.)
   
   

7. Facilitator emphasizes that writing a mission statement is difficult and that participants might have trouble with the task. Facilitator points out that a mission statement is something that may change over time and participants may want to focus on a statement for six months, a year or some other specific length of time.

   
   

8. Facilitator gives participants 10 to 15 minutes to write their statements on the personal mission worksheets. Facilitator asks for volunteers to share their work with the group. Note: The decision to share should be totally voluntary. Remind participants that, while we are focusing on personal mission, it is a mission based also on the needs of the community or the world.

 

Variation:

Facilitator might read stories of people who established a personal mission, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa, Marian Wright Edelman, Gloria Steinem, Audrey Hepburn, Thurgood Marshall or Sting.

Resources:

A helpful metaphor on “compass” is found in Dr. Stephen Covey’s Principle-Centered Leadership, published by Summit Books of New York in 1991. www.workforceonline.com/section/11/feature/23/68/48/index.html