Learners explore personal identity traits and discuss how a community is strengthened by similarities and differences among them. They each write a biographical poem using the provided template and their discussion notes.
In this lesson, learners explore and address the following questions: Who are the minority voices of the past and how has the civil society sector stepped in to protect their rights? What actions were effective? What public policies are in place to protect them? Who are the bullied today and what policies and practices should be in place to protect them? Why is it our responsibility as people with civic virtue to take action?
The learners define bullying and describe the impact on victims, bystanders, and the whole community. We explore how bullying behavior can be a civil rights issue when it makes school a place that isn't fair and safe for all. They create a survey and poll members of their school and family communities to determine a snapshot of the status of bullying.
The learners define philanthropy and relate it to environmental stewardship. They compare mission statements 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.
The learners define environmental stewardship and determine what they care about related to the environment.
Students explore the legacy of George H. W. Bush and how he has contributed to the common good as part of his lifelong commitment to service and through his Points of Light initiative. The students work in small groups to answer questions and present to the class for discussion. Each student writes a tribute to someone he or she knows who inspires civic action.
The purpose of this session is to show and celebrate the completion of the video documentary. Sharing the documentary is an act of philanthropy as it teaches and inspires others about philanthropy in the community. Participants reflect and write about the service-learning experience.
In this session, we learn about the sectors of civil society sector - business, government, and nonprofit. Youth watch the second half of the documentary The Gift of All and talk about the issues in West Michigan and the motivations of the philanthropists who made a major difference in the area. They also write a personal mission statement.
Young people view and discuss the film The Gift of All: a Community of Givers and identify the influences and attributes of the generous people interviewed. They read biographies of generous people and make a four-slide presentation about their civic virtue.
Raise the learners' awareness of responsible energy usage in their daily practice and global energy choices. They connect environmental stewardship to the use of renewable and non-renewable energy sources.