These respected youth organizations have developed programs that teach philanthropy content and concepts.

Earth Force

As stated on the Earth Force Web site: “Earth Force engages young people as active citizens who improve the environment and their communities now and in the future.

We do so by training and supporting educators in programs that enable young people to lead community action projects focused on creating sustainable solutions to local environment issues in the community.”
http://www.earthforce.org/section/aboutef/

Boy Scouts of America

The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.

The Boy Scout law states that a scout is: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.
http://www.scouting.org/nav/enter.jsp?s=mc&c=mv

Girl Scouts of the USA

As stated on the Web site, Girl Scouts of the USA is “dedicated to helping all girls everywhere build character and gain skills for success in the real world. In an accepting and nurturing environment, and in partnership with committed adult volunteers, girls develop strong values, leadership skills, social conscience, and conviction about their own potential and self-worth that will serve them all their lives.”

Through the badge program girls select areas of interest and work toward a goal. This is an effective teaching tool because it eliminates male competition, fosters positive personal characteristics and instills a global intelligence that teaches the concepts of the common good.
http://www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/

As you can see, philanthropy education is not an add-on! Teachers in every classroom are participating in similar programs and activities, and we can see how students are already being exposed to philanthropy education. Bringing this element into your classroom can easily be done through simple connections and recognizing the concepts of philanthropy education: sharing of time, sharing of talent, sharing of treasure, the common good and social capital.

The next modules will examine commonly used techniques that can be used for teaching philanthropy.