We define philanthropy and discuss the joy of giving, as well as various ways to give through nonprofits in the community. We learn how #GivingTuesday, an international initiative, focuses on generosity and the power of social media and combining efforts with others to make a big...
Young people discuss examples of philanthropy in poems and quotations. They write an expression of philanthropy using the poetic conventions of metaphor, simile, and personification. These statements could be used as the text for greeting cards produced for an Art from the...
Benjamin Franklin's work was in service to making a better world, and he influenced the nonprofit sector. His book, Poor Richards Almanack, makes connections to the common good through personal virtue and actions. The participants choose quotes to create posters that communicate...
We are made by history. In this activity, youth read the stories of philanthropic African Americans and influential related events that made America what it is today. Then they create a virtual Pop-Up Museum as an advocacy service project in which they tell stories of Black history and philanthropy.
Students learn effective techniques and complete prewriting activities for writing a persuasive essay. As a culmination of the unit, students choose one of the three styles of writing--news article, personal narrative, or persuasive essay--to write, edit, and publish about their experience with...
Young people investigate the problems caused by plastic shopping bags, then propose solutions to address the problems. This lesson prompts teams to design a reusable shopping tote out of an old T-shirt using engineering, problem-solving, creativity, and communication. They take action...
Junkanoo is a Bahamian Festival that takes place in December. The festival was started by slaves who were restoring some of their native customs that they left behind in Africa. Junkanoo is a nice example of artistic expression communicating aspects of a...
Participants gain awareness about the work of local nonprofit organizations through research and by interviewing representatives. They summarize the mission, needs, and impact of the organizations on the community.
A read-aloud book teaches about George Washington Carver and his contributions to science. Students gain an understanding of a famous person of the past and the importance of his actions for the common good.
Young people identify local nonprofit organizations through the Idealist.org website. They describe what the nonprofits do for the community and how people can help with their mission.