Unit Two/Foundations 

Introduction

1. Values Clarification
2. Understanding the History of Foundations and the Role of Individuals
3. Learning the Vocabulary of Foundations
4. Learning about Nonprofits and Foundations in the Community
5. Establishing a Timeline
6. Determining a Focus for the Student Foundation
7. Naming the Student Foundation
8. Selecting Officers of the Student Foundation

Introduction to Unit Two

Foundations

"Foundation" is not a household word for most teenagers. Still, more and more athletes and rock superstars do give some of their millions to charity by establishing foundations. The Magic Johnson Foundation and the Arthur Ashe Foundation are ones students will probably be familiar with, and such names may offer a good jumping-off point for a discussion about foundations. From the first foundations in ancient Egypt and Greece, the institution has played an important role in making our communities better places to live. Foundations are really about people helping people.

Developing the school foundation that the students will run is the focus of the work over the next month. In finding a direction for their own foundation and planning its activities, students will be practicing their leadership and public speaking skills. Through small group and class discussion, they must resolve their differences and create a plan of action. The additional responsibility of raising funds for their foundation will make this a very busy time. Reaching out to the community organizations and individuals will make this a challenging time, but one we hope will capture the students' interest.

The teacher is the coach. The students must do the planning, and in doing so, they feel the ownership of the foundation. It is important that everyone understands that from the very beginning. The teacher must constantly ask him/herself, Am I doing or saying too much? Are the students making the decisions? Discuss this with the students in the beginning so they will be sensitive to keeping the ownership in their hands.

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Lesson One

Instructional Objectives

• Examine our individual values
• Practice public listening skills
• Develop public speaking skills

Activities

• Brainstorm for the names of different types of organizations that help others in the community, or the groups of people that need help.
• Students should describe what they will do with the money that they keep and to whom they will give the rest of it, and why.
• Each student will stand up in front of the class and describe in under a minute how he/she plans to dispose of the money.

Pivotal Questions

• Is there a right or wrong way to spend (allocate) this money?
• How would it make you feel to give that much money away?
• Does how we spend our money say something about us and what we value?
• Were there common threads in the giving patterns?
• What were some of the common values reflected?

Conclusions

• Charitable giving is a reflection of our value system.
• Giving makes us feel good about ourselves.

*Brainstorming is a technique used to generate a lot of ideas in a short time. Take only 2 to 4 minutes, with someone recording on the board ideas that are called out. There are no wrong ideas and no criticism is allowed. At the end of the allotted time, review and evaluate the responses.

Homework

• If someone gave you $50,000 to give away to at least 3 different organizations, would it be hard for you to do alone? What problems would this present? Where could you get help?

Note: Students may not be able to answer these questions. That's okay. The lesson opens the way to introduce foundations.

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Lesson Two

Instructional Objectives

• Learn about the history of foundations
• Understand the role individuals have played in the development of foundations
• Practice public speaking skills by presenting brief oral reports

Activities

• Distribute the Foundations and Their History handout. Students read it silently or one student may read it aloud.
• Discuss what some of the social problems of the 1800's might have been. Teacher will lead discussion.
• Divide the class into groups of 4 students and assign each group a topic from the Pivotal Questions.
• Have each group report back to the class at the end of the period.

Pivotal Questions

• What does the presence of foundations in ancient Greece and Egypt tell us?
• What role did the Catholic church and other religious organizations play in the community then and now?
• What do you think motivated Andrew Carnegie? Why did other wealthy people follow his lead?
• Have you ever given your time or money to an organization that helps others? How did that feel?

Conclusions

• There has always been a need for people to help one another.
• Foundations and charitable organizations were created to fill that need

Homework

• These topics might be developed into a research paper for the term. Or, because there are always people behind philanthropy and service, students might prepare a book report on a biography of such an individual.
  

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Lesson Three

Instructional Objective

• Become familiar with foundation vocabulary
• Assist each other in learning
• Practice public speaking skills

Activities

• Introduce the vocabulary list, discussing each word.
• Pair off students so they may quiz each other on word meanings.
• Each team writes a paragraph about its school foundation and how it will work. (Not all the words will be used.)
• Students present their paragraphs to the class and correct any words that have been misused.  

Pivotal Questions

• What other subjects have "special" vocabularies?
• What type of foundation is most like our school foundation? Why?
• Does working together help us learn? How?
• Did you find writing something with someone easier or harder than writing alone?

Conclusions

• Working together can make learning and doing things easier and more productive.

Homework

• Study vocabulary words for a test the next day.
• Visit the Vocabulary area of the Resources in Learning to Give web site.
  

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Lesson Four

Instructional Objectives

• Learn to use the Yellow Pages
• Acquire information on nonprofits
• Develop telephone skills
• Practice public speaking

Activities

• Discuss nonprofits (McDonald's versus March of Dimes).
• List nonprofits that students know of in the neighborhood.
• Hand out xerox copies of the Yellow Pages covering (1) Social and Human Services and (2) Foundations
• Discuss what an annual report might tell you.
• Role-play making phone calls to these organizations to request an annual report (they should probably call two to make sure they get one).
• Have students choose two nonprofits or foundations to call (try to avoid duplication).
• Students will present a brief talk about the organization as well as a written report at a later date.

Pivotal Questions

• What is the difference in the roles of a nonprofit and a for-profit organization?
• What do we want to know about these organizations?

Materials

• Copies of the Yellow Pages. These can be shared.

Conclusions

• Our communities have many resources to help people.
• We can collect information that can be used to help us in the future.

Homework

• Make phone calls and prepare speech based on annual report when it is received.
  

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Lesson Five

Instructional Objectives

Students will be able to:

• construct timelines to show important dates and occurrences in their own lives;
• discuss the use of timelines and the representational value of the time interval (analogous to scale of miles on a map);
• list main jobs of the foundation and time frame for these (elect officers, set focus and publicize existence, establish grants, selection and not)fication process, prepare awards reception; in second semester, implement and supervise grants, set seminar goals, evaluate budgets, write year-end reports, prepare final school ceremony for all grant recipients);
• hypothesize some difficulties that arise when timelines and deadlines are neither established nor kept.

Activities

• Students construct their own life timelines to establish familiarity with tools.
• Students explore value of timelines and problems that arise in the absence of deadlines and timetables.
• Students establish dates for key activities for their foundation.
• Assign or elect members of foundation to perform specific tasks by specific dates.
• Have a student make a timeline for the classroom.

Pivotal Questions

• Why do groups establish due dates and time plans to guide their activities?
• How much planning went into events in our lives? Would the outcome have  been different if there had been more planning?
• What happens if groups do not have a plan for the use of time?
• What are the major tasks the foundation must perform during each semester? (Include public relations and advertising.)
• How much time must be permitted for each step and what is the order of the steps?
• How can the timetable be updated and implemented?

Conclusions

• Establishing timetables, timelines and other "concessions" to the passage of time is essential to make sure goals are reached in a timely fashion.
• To provide adequate opportunity for specific tasks to be performed, timetables and timelines should build in a certain margin of error.

Homework

• Prepare to discuss the following question: How can the student foundation in general, and you in particular, work this semester to make the best possible use of time to make a difference and create change? repare to discuss the following question: How can the student foundation in general, and you in particular, work this semester to make the best possible use of time to make a difference and create change?

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Lesson Six

Instructional Objectives

• Students will be able to define brainstorming, needs assessment, survey, prioritizing, alternatives, consequences and plan.
• Students will be able to identify problems people face in the city, neighborhood and school.
• Students will vote to determine the scope of their focus and types of grants they will consider.

Activities

• Students brainstorm for problems, with particular emphasis on those plaguing the community and the school.
• Students prioritize problems.
• Students conduct informal debate as to whether to open grants to all proposals dealing with community and school problems or to narrow focus (e.g., environmental projects, educational projects, work  other generations, etc.).
• Students conduct class election to determine focus of foundation.

Pivotal Questions

• What specific problems do people in this community and school encounter?
• What are the advantages of focusing on just one area in awarding grants?
• How would opening grants without limitations involve more people and provide greater opportunities to help the community?
• How can the foundation get more information about student of what the problems are?

Conclusions

• An open foundation offers the advantage of providing a variety of projects and student service experiences, and is inclusive of the needs assessments and creative plans of various groups and individuals.
• A focused foundation offers the advantage of concentrating attention, manpower and money to one specific area of problems.

Homework

• Write a newspaper report on the work of this class/foundation, including a description of the focus (limited or open). Include answers to the reporter's usual questions, such as who, what, where, when, why, etc. Try to be objective. Submit best reports to the school paper and local newspaper.
• Write an editorial opinion explaining whether or not you personally agree with the decision of the class/foundation. Tell whether or not you support the decision to have a limited or open approach, and give reasons for your point of view.
  

Note: A school foundation would operate best as an open foundation. But it is up to the students. This decision can be made each year, unlike the naming of the foundation.

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Lesson Seven

Instructional Objectives

• Understand the function of the family name and first name
• Understand the reasoning and symbolic importance of the name of at least one country
• Be able to state the purpose of the foundation
• Brainstorm to find several suggestions for a name and select a process for choosing the name
• Be able to explain the connection between the sense of mission and the name selected

Activities

• Direct students to write a paragraph or discuss why Martin Luther King, Jr. was given his name.
• Have students discuss the widespread use of the name George Washington for schools, streets, towns, cities, malls and other places in this nation; have students explore uses of other names with which they are familiar, e.g., Kennedy, Lincoln.
• Divide students into groups to explore the connotations associated with various names given or claimed by various group (colored people, Negroes, Afro-Americans, Blacks, African-Americans).
• After defining the foundation (see previous lesson) and exploring   function, brainstorm for possible names for the foundation
• Develop some guidelines for "good" or "not so good" names (catchy rather than pedantic and verbose; suitable for publicity or use of initials, clarity of purpose, pride in group).
• Have students decide how to choose the name.
• Use that process for selection.
• Brainstorm for ways to publicize the foundation's work and existence.

Pivotal Questions

• How can your foundation empower you?
• How can your grants empower other students?
• What would you like to call your foundation and why? 

Homework

Write a paper on any of the following topics:

• What do you think and feel about your own name?
• How can you and your foundation members let other students and staff know about your existence?
• How does picking a name as part of a group compare with picking a name by yourself?

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Lesson Eight

Instructional Objectives

Students will be able to:

• explain at least three jobs performed by leaders (organize, articulate, offer vision, mobilize followers, plan, budget, set goals, serve as role model, delegate, supervise, etc.);
• discuss at least three qualities of leaders (commitment, courage,patience, insight, tenacity, etc.);
• distinguish between "good" and "bad" leaders in terms of effectiveness and morality (democrats versus demagogues);
• evaluate various ways of selecting leaders (inheritance, age, physical prowess, gender, class, race, religion, nepotism, cronyism, favoritism, intimidation, etc., versus consensus, expertise, civil service exam, experience, performance, interview, campaign, election, etc.);
• consider consequences of elections based on "popularity";
• entertain nominations after deciding what offices are needed and who is eligible;
• conduct mini-campaign (speeches, etc.);
• conduct election (use of secret ballot or other means);
• design logo and letterhead for official foundation stationery, including names of student officers.

Activities

• Students discuss, in general, historical and specific student foundation terms the specific office needs and qualifications and qualities of desired officers to fill them.
• Students decide what jobs the office holders will perform for the life of the foundation (run meetings, make final decisions on which grants to fund and what revisions to make in budget, host receptions for grant winners, host final feedback party to share grant project experiences, etc.).
• Students conduct campaign with nominations, speeches of candidates and voting to select officers.

Pivotal Questions

• What jobs or officers does the student foundation require?
• What qualifications should the officeholder have?
• How should the officeholders be selected?
• How can you exercise democratic decision making in the best possible way to get the best person for each job?

Homework

Write an essay on any of the following topics:

• How do you explain the apathy or indifference that keeps many Americans from registering and voting in elections for their own leaders?
• How well did the class elections work? Explain.
• If you occupied a leadership position, what would you do, or do differently from the present occupant (mayor, governor, president, principal)?
• If you were an adviser to the officers of the student foundation, what advice would you have for them? Be specific.