Living In a Community
How does a community form to address issues for the common good?
Photo Credit: Small Town, USA by Andy V. is licensed under CC by 2.0
Youth explore the concept of community and learn about the assets and organizations in their own community. They take a field trip to a local community business district/downtown and learn about the four sectors: business, government, nonprofit, and family.
This lesson introduces the definition of a community and explores how communities come together to help or address a need.
Photo credit: Woodward Downtown by Becky McCray is licensed under CC BY 2.0
The children recognize they form a community when they are brought together for a common purpose. They are encouraged to be philanthropic within interest groups, schools, and families to build trust and for the common good of the community.
The children explore attributes of the community in which they live. They compare ways to be generous in rural, urban, and suburban communities.
Children learn that the community has four sectors: business, government, nonprofit, and family. The children may walk through an area in their local community to identify which sector is represented by different places. As an alternative, they may look at a local map.
The children select a service project based on interests and abilities, and community needs. They plan and carry out the project. Some community projects may include fixing up a park, helping at the library, helping a neighbor, building bird houses for the nature center, and making banners or posters to teach others about a need.