Learning to Give, Curriculum Division of The LEAGUE

Objectives:

• To recognize where caring and sharing are needed in the neighborhood/community
• To realize the potential people have to be philanthropists
• To learn that the power of caring and sharing can be stronger when there is more than one
• To guide participants in observing the needs and assets in the neighborhood/community
• To develop a philanthropic team project

Activity Theme:

“Be Bold. Commit and Act.”

~“The Portable LIFE 101” by John-Roger and Peter McWilliams, Prelude Press, 1992, Los Angeles, California

The facilitator explains that each participant has probably done an act of philanthropy on his or her own. Today’s session will ask each one to experience the power of philanthropy when a team is formed to accomplish a goal. The group will discover the power of having philanthropic teams. Sometimes it takes more than one individual to focus on an issue to make a difference. In the Think About It, Act On It, Stand For It activity, the power of a group was apparent. Each story needed a group of committed individuals to make a difference. This activity continues this idea. The activity might need to be done in several sessions. The activity has three components:

1. The Power Lift: An Energizer
   
   
2. Taking a Community Walkabout/Driveabout
   
   
3. A Powerful Community Project

 

Activity - Part One: The Power Lift:

The facilitator divides the group into groups of five. The person who is the tallest in the group is asked to have a seat on a chair that is placed in the center of each small group. The facilitator asks the person in the group whose birthday is closest to today to volunteer to go first.

The facilitator tells the volunteer that he/she is to pick up the person on the chair without touching that person. The person is to remain seated the entire time. All four-chair legs must be off the ground and the person must be safely seated on the chair the entire time. The size of the person on the chair may determine how successful the volunteer is to picking up the person.

The purpose of the activity is to demonstrate the power of NOT just one, but of a team effort. The facilitator instructs the group of five to work together to pick up the person on the chair. The group should take about five minutes to plan how they might pick up the person before they begin. Same rules apply: person stays seated and all four chair legs must be off the floor.

Some groups may successfully pick up the person; other groups might have difficulty. If a group is unable to pick the person up, ask another group to assist, increase the team power.

Processing Questions:

1. What happened in this activity?
2. How did the team decide how to accomplish the task?

3. Who was the leader in the group?

4. How did every member help — pull his or her team share?

5. What examples of a team effort can you give in a project or activity?

6. How might this relate to sharing your time, talent, and treasure for the common good?

7. How does this activity relate to what we do in other parts of our life?

   
   

Variation:

(To be used if the participants are too young to record their own talents)
Have the participants brainstorm a list of talents that they could share to help others. After a list has been created, have the participants stand in a circle facing each other. Tell them that they will be practicing sharing their talents with the group by acting out a talent, as a group, when one is called out. Begin with talents everyone knows how to do, such as dance, hug, or smile. After the group has warmed up, use more complicated talents such as painting, singing, planting a tree or playing a game. The youth can take turns doing the “call outs”. They love to have roles of responsibility.

Supplemental Activity:

Tell participants to have their family and friends add to their envelopes with other talents that the participant has. They can bring them back to the next group meeting to share.
The youth may want to plan a real talent show with the adult helpers serving as “guides on the side”. This is a great way to involve family members and mentors, too! The talent show should be interactive, with an MC who asks the audience for suggestions on ways the various “showcased” talents can be used to help others in the community. Always remember that the “behind the scenes” roles are as important to the show’s success as the “on stage” roles. All the youth should be introduced and recognized. The Talent Show could be used as a fundraiser using the “treasure” collected for a good cause that the students pre-determine. More money can sometimes be raised by not charging a set fee, but by simply asking for donations.

 

Activity - Part Two: Taking a Community Walkabout/Driveabout:

The facilitator explains to participants that the next activity will begin to help them work together as a team to accomplish a philanthropic goal. Participants are going to act as community detectives using the handout for their search. Participants will be looking for signs in the community/neighborhood that might answer some of the questions on the handout. They are to pay attention to the needs and problems they see in the community/ neighborhood and look for the strengths or positive parts of the community/neighborhood.

NOTE: If the participants are taking a walkabout in the neighborhood, each group should have an adult facilitator.

Review the questions on the handout and send the groups out to walk the neighborhood. If the facilitator wants the participants to view more than just the immediate neighborhood, consider the driveabout version. Set a specific time for the groups to return back to the training session. Ask the adult facilitator to watch the time for the group.

When the groups return, the facilitator asks the participants to share what needs and strengths they observed and puts the responses on the flipchart. Facilitator compliments the participants on being excellent community detectives and explains that the group will use this information to select a community project.

The facilitator asks the group to form a circle and gives a ball to one of the participants. The participant is to toss the ball to someone across the circle. As the persons catch the ball, they are to share something they discovered about the neighborhood/community. No one is to receive the ball more than once, until everyone has had an opportunity to share.

 

Activity - Part Three: A Powerful Community Project:

The facilitator places the flipchart from Part Two in front of the room. On the flipchart are the responses from the community/neighborhood walkabout/driveabout. The facilitator tells the participants that they are going to brainstorm service projects to address some of the needs in the neighborhood based on their observations during the walkabout.

The facilitator explains brainstorming by using the DOVE process and begins brainstorming:
D efer judgment

O ffbeat ideas encouraged

V ast number of ideas sought

E xpand on other people’s ideas

Facilitator reminds participants that being philanthropists means sharing time, talent, or treasure. When the children have finished brainstorming, participants are asked to look at the list and group any ideas that seem similar. Ask if any of the ideas need more explanation.

Once the list has been clarified and grouped, give each participant three sticky dots. Each partici¬pant is to think about these responses and determine what the first and second choices might be for a project. Explain that they are to place the three dots by their top three choices of service projects. They must place the dots on three separate ideas that they would like to do. No one can give dots away or try to persuade other group members to vote for one idea.

When everyone has placed their dots, the facilitator counts the dots. The idea with the most dots will be the selected project. The facilitator explains to the group that this will be the first project and the others will be saved for another time.

The facilitator distributes the Action Planning worksheet to each participant. Facilitator creates one on the flipchart. The group discusses some rules that need to be followed in order to complete the project:

1. The project has to be a team effort.
2. The project should be done at little or no cost.
3. The project must be completed by a given date.
4. The project must be able to be completed in one day or evening.
5. The project has to meet the community need voted upon.

NOTE: The facilitator may need to add other rules that apply to the group as appropriate.

Working together, the facilitator has the group complete the action plan. The first thing is to fill in the Need/Issue box. What did they see in the community? The group fills in the project idea selected by the brainstorming and dot voting.

The facilitator then moves to the third box on the planning sheet. What are the tasks that need to be done? Who will be responsible? Who else do they need to invite to help them? And when will they complete the project?

The facilitator hands out strips of colored paper to each participant. After deciding their role in the project, the participants write it on the strip of paper and form a chain link out of the paper with the others in the group. The paper chain can symbolize the importance of everyone in the team in accomplishing the goal and how there can be no weak links.

Processing:

The facilitator needs to debrief the community power project with the participants. It is very important to allow time for discussion of what worked; did not work; the strengths of the project; the weaknesses of the project. How did the team effort work? Could just one person have done the project? Did they make a bigger difference because more were involved than just one? How did they use their time, talent, and treasure in the project?

Application:

Participants should think about projects they have done for their school, church, or organization. Discuss some of these projects: what worked? And why? Did a group of people do the project or one or two individuals?