This lesson focuses on eight levels of tzedakah (charity) that were identified by a great Jewish thinker known as Rabbi Moses Maimonides. Students will investigate various ways to give charity and gain an appreciation of how people give of their time, talent or treasure. They will...

Learners reflect on a role-play scenario demonstrating fair and unfair decision-making techniques. They identify behaviors that promote or create barriers to making decisions. A Dr. Seuss book provides a discussion starter.

Youth explore the history of philanthropic behavior (sharing, community collaboration, service) in ancient cultures and today, as well as compare themes of love and service in different world religious practices. 

Based on the book The Runaway Rice Cake, the group writes a familiar story from a different perspective. The moral of the story is that when the character gives generously and from the heart, the giver is also rewarded in some way.

Fables teach lessons or morals through animal actions. The exaggerated human-like characteristics of animals make the moral lesson appealing. The story of the "Lion and the Mouse" illustrates that a kind deed is never wasted.

Readers examine the lasting effects of power, privilege, and discrimination on communities.

Many people have a difficult time distinguishing between acts of kindness and acts of philanthropy. Using the definition of philanthropy from the “Defining Philanthropy” lesson, youth will examine various situations and decide which ones are acts of philanthropy. They may discover...

Students will recognize different job opportunities available in the nonprofit sector and identify people in the community who have positions in nonprofit organizations.

Youth Activity: Participants will discover that sharing and trust are important parts of philanthropic action. See the handout for supplemental faith-based discussion questions.

“The point is not to pay back kindness but to pass it on.” ~Julia Alvaraz