Learning to Give, Philanthropy education resources that teach giving and civic engagement

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Carefully Managing the Earth's Resources

Lesson 3:

From Unit Environment: Sustaining Our World (9-12)

Lesson

Handouts

Academic Standards

Philanthropy Framework

9th-12th Grade

Subjects:

Language Arts, Philanthropy and Social Studies

Key Words/Concepts click to view

ELA:	Brainstorming; Group Discussions; Peer Review; Personal Response; Writing Process
PHIL:	4 genOn; Mission Statement; Time/Talent/Treasure
SOC:	Environment; Geography; Maps/Globes; Nonprofit

Purpose:

The students define philanthropy and relate it to environmental stewardship. They analyze mission statments from environmental organizations and write their own personal mission statement. They self-select a group to work with to plan and implement an environmental service project.

Duration:

One 45-Minute Session and additional time to plan, implement, and reflect on service.

Objectives:

The learners will:

define philanthropy, mission statement, altruism, enlightened self-interest.
analyze mission statements from environmental stewardship nonproifts.
write a personal mission statement about environmental stewardship.
develop and implement an act of environmental stewardship

Service Experience:

Although this lesson contains a service project example, decisions about service plans and implementation should be made by students, as age appropriate.

The students are encouraged to take personal action and to advocate for the responsible use of the Earth’s water resources. Allow them to choose a service project based on their interests.

Vocabulary:

philanthropy: giving time, talent and treasure for the conommon good.
altruism: selfless concern for the welfare of others
enlightened self-interest: sacrificing time and resources to the benefit of the whole, which, in turn, benefits self; understanding that what is good for the community is good for me

Materials:

Internet access for video and online article/statistics (if possible)
Chart paper for group notes
Print copies of a local map showing green areas. One source for printing maps is Bing Maps at http://www.bing.com/maps/?showupgrade=1. Zoom in to your area using the Bird's Eye View.

Handout 1: Sample Mission Statements

Instructional Procedure(s):

Anticipatory Set

Put the word philanthropy on the board. Ask the learners for their own definitions of the term. If Internet is available, show the video What Is Philantorpy? found at: http://www.learningtogive.org/videos/what_is_phil_large.asp .

Explain that philanthropy is “the giving of one's time, talent or treasure for the sake of another, or for the common good.” Philanthropy includes voluntary action for the public good or giving and serving to promote human welfare.
Remind the students of the definition of enviornmental steward learned in the previous lesson. Tell the students that when someone acts as an environmentatl steward he or she is a philanthropist.·
Tell the students that businesses and nonprofit organizations often have a mission statement. Define a mission statement as “a concise statement of personal belief and purpose that defines goals and/or sets direction”. They may include two or three sentences which highlight why they exist and how they will function. The mission statement will usually answer the following questions: Who are we, who do we serve, what do we do, how will we do it?
Using Sample Mission Statements ( Attachment One ), give the learners examples of actual mission statements. Group the class into five groups and assign one of the mission statements to each group. Ask them to analyze the statement to determine if it answers the four questions: Who are we, who do we serve, what do we do, how will we do it? If not, ask them to add text to complete what they think is missing. (For the purpose of understanding mission statements, its not necessary for the students to research the organization to do this, they may conjecture about what the organziaton might do.) Ask each group to read their organziation's mission statement and what additions they made if any.
Tell the students that all the mission statements are from environmental stewardship organziations. These organizations were formed by individual or groups of indivdiuals who care about sustinaing the environment for the common good. Hold a class discussion on why people are motivated to form these kinds of organziations? During the discussion, introduce the words: altruism, enlightened self-interest, common good as appropriate.
Tell the students that just as businesses or organizations have mission statements, individuals may also have a personal mission statement. The pronoun “we” is replaced with “I” for a personal mission statement. Have youth write a personal mission statement about environmental stewardship.
Challenge youth to write a personal mission statement in 25 words or less that expresses their personal beliefs about their responsibility to the environment. Have youth write drafts and meet with others for peer review and editing until they have concise statements using correct spelling, acceptable grammar mechanics, and legibility.
The mission statement should clearly and accurately define:
- Who am I?
- Who will I serve?
- What will I do?
- How will I do it?
When youth are ready to share, have them post their mission statements around the room (with or without names on them). Have youth walk around the room and read each others’ statements. Ask that they bring a notepad to take notes on wording or comments that inspire them. Have students note those statments that are similar and to suggest categories of environmental interests/action reflected in the mission statments. Form groups based on similar interests and statement.
Encourage the groups to develop a service plan to take personal action and to advocate for the responsible use of the Earth’s resources. Guide the students in developing a realistic plan of action, carry out the plan and document the impact.

Youth Voice:

When youth offer their opinions and suggestions to the service projects they are using their voice; an instrumental part of service-learning. Encourage youth to take action based on their mission statements. Ask them what is most important in taking care of the environment, and put youth in small groups of shared interest. Together they may discuss their interests and propose action.

Cross-Curriculum Extensions:

Invite a guest speaker to talk to the group about a sustainability issue. Have youth prepare questions in advance, and then allow time for questions after the guest shares information and resources. Challenge youth to find music/ songs with an environmental theme. They may bring approved music to play for the group. After they play the music, they describe the song’s message and how they feel about it.

Reflection: (click to view)

Read: If you use a map to locate the major cities around the world, you will discover that many of them have one thing in common. Cities throughout history have been located near rivers or oceans. That’s because they provide a source of water for drinking, growing crops, transportation, and power to generate electricity. But as these cities grew, more and more of them have developed things that once didn’t appear to be a problem but now have become a problem. For example, the once commonly held belief --"running water purifies all" --- allowed cities to use its rivers and streams to carry away community and manufacturing wastes. More and more run-off water enters our water ways directly rather than being naturally filtered by running through permeable surfaces because of all the impermeable surfaces surrounding them. Almost daily, legislation is now being proposed to enforce stricter usage of rivers and streams all across our globe. It is in an attempt to make them safer and healthier for animal and human usage. But the question remains, how did this problem sneak up on us without our realizing that we would eventually have the problems we have today. One environmentalist explains it this way, “It’s the Boiling Frog story all over again.” He explained, “A frog can be boiled alive if the water is heated slowly enough. If you place a frog in boiling water, it will jump out. But if the frog is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will never jump out. When it comes to the use of our rivers and streams we were not aware of the catastrophic loss we would experience as a result of the gradual change in our cities and areas surrounding them.”

Discuss: As we look around our community are there any “gradual” changes that have occurred that started out not being a problem but have now become one? In what ways did we or can we become more aware of problems or potential problems in our community? Why is it important to avoid an “out of sight, out of mind” approach to caring for our environment? Are making and enforcing laws the only way to right the wrongs? Why or why not?

Bibliographical References:

Bing Maps at http://www.bing.com/maps/?showupgrade=1

Handouts:

Handout 1Print Handout 1

Sample Mission Statements

Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation

Mission Statement

Since its formation, the mission of the Foundation has been to improve the quality of life through a balance between technology and nature

Cottonwood Foundation

Mission Statement

Cottonwood Foundation, a charitable, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization, is dedicated to promoting empowerment of people, protection of the environment, and respect for cultural diversity. The foundation focuses its funding on committed, grass roots organizations that rely strongly on volunteer efforts and where foundation support will make a significant difference. At least 90% of Cottonwood Foundation's expenditures will be for grants to other organizations.

Minnesota Land Trust

Mission Statement

The Minnesota Land Trust permanently protects the lands and waters that define our communities and enrich our quality of life

Sierra Club

Mission Statement

To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth;
To practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources;
To educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.

Greenpeace

Mission Statement

Greenpeace is the leading independent campaigning organization that uses peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and to promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future