The purpose of this session is to plan and develop a video documentary. Modeling their documentary after the West Michigan documentary The Gift of All, youth interview local philanthropists and create a multi-media story of their community and local philanthropy. Creating and sharing the documentary is an act of philanthropy as they teach and inspire others about philanthropy in the community.

In this session, we learn about the sectors of civil society sector - business, government, and nonprofit. Youth watch the second half of the documentary The Gift of All and talk about the issues in West Michigan and the motivations of the philanthropists who made a major difference in the area. They also write a personal mission statement.

Young people view and discuss the film The Gift of All: a Community of Givers and identify the influences and attributes of the generous people interviewed. They read biographies of generous people and make a four-slide presentation about their civic virtue.

Youth raise awareness of ways to advocate for justice and kindness and bring positive change in their school, community, and world.

Learners write personal narratives to document activities, insights, research, impact, and discoveries of their firsthand experience with civic engagement, service, and volunteerism. By explaining involvement in action for the common good, learners raise awareness of a social issue, the need for change, and the impact individuals can have by giving time, talent, or treasure for the common good.

This lesson teaches how to journal about their own experiences and feelings. It is intended to be taught in conjunction with a project of civic engagement or service. The project provides content and a context for journaling about personal experience.

This lesson guides learners as they inform a public audience about philanthropic acts that enhance the common good. The learners write newspaper articles that describe acts of service and volunteerism in their community.

Through persuasive writing, young people build awareness and invite action for change about an issue. Typical writing forms may include essays, editorials, feature articles, or speeches.

Youth research current data and stories about climate change and ways to reverse the damage caused by human activity. Through discussion and research, they establish things they can do personally and as a team as environmental stewards.

Young people gain awareness of the negative effects of air pollution, especially asthma. They research and identify some of the sources of air pollution in the school and community and possible ways to improve air quality in these areas.