We Have So Much to Give

 What are the special talents and gifts you have that you can use to serve issues you are passionate about? What priveleges do you have that others in the world do not and how can you share your privlege to help others? 

Time: 

• 60 minutes 

Materials: 

• Paper and pencils
• How Much Do I Have To Give (Attachment 1) 
• Chart paper 

Activity: 

Note to Facilitator: This is an activity where the “right to pass” is especially important. Keep in mind that there may be participants in the group who are hungry at times or are experiencing some of the other hardships identified on the survey. You will want to be careful to guard against embarrassment and be especially sensitive should someone choose to share a personal hardship. In this activity, participants will look at ways each of them can give back to the world. 

1. Distribute the “How Much Do I Have to Give?” surveys and pencils (Attachment 1) and ask that students wait a moment to begin. Talk about how it may be hard to determine what it is exactly that you have to give, but the supporting self-regulated survey will help youth discover the resources they have that they may not realize, and look at their ability to make a difference in the world. 
2. There are no right or wrong answers in this activity and the survey will not be collected.
3. Before reading and completing the survey, each participant will give themselves the grade they think they deserve using the following scale. Consider listing these on the board or repeating verbally to the group.  
   • Give yourself an A if you think you have a lot to give to the world
   • Give yourself a C if you think you have a little you could give to the world
   • Give yourself an F if you think you don’t have very much at all to give to the world
4. For the next 10 minutes, complete the survey. Allow ample time for discussion and reaction from the group once everyone has had a chance to complete their survey.
   • Ask: What surprised you? Do they think youth in other areas in their community, state, nation or the world could respond in the same way? 
5. Post some of the survey facts on chart paper around the room. The charts can be labeled with the headings: Hunger, Shelter, Clothing, Health, and Education. Ask the participants to stand by the fact/topic that interests them the most. 
6. If there is only one participant who selects a particular topic, give them the option of joining another group or working alone. Each group should select a recorder and a reporter. Instruct each group to develop a list of ideas of things they could do to address the fact/topic. 
   • For example: 800 million people in the world have only one set of clothing to wear. One way to respond might be to donate clothes to a national or international relief organization, or a local shelter. In this activity, you are listing ways you could make a difference by sharing your individual time, talent, or treasures to help solve real problems. 
7. Give each team 10 to 15 minutes to develop their own list. The recorder will keep track of ideas and the reporter will share out the groups ideas with the larger group when the time is up.   
8. To conclude the activity, ask the youth to give themselves another grade using the same scale as described above. Now, by a show of hands, ask how many of the participants gave the same grade as before. Then, ask the participants who gave themselves a higher grade. Encourage conversation about why they decided to keep their grade, raise it, or lower it.  

Reflection: 

• What did you learn from this activity about sharing and caring? 
• What is the one idea that you had today that would make a difference in the world?