Guides for youth, educators, group leaders, families, and community groups
Each toolkit below includes background on the featured issue, community connections to serve as experts and allies, lessons and activities, project ideas, and planning guides.
The promise of America is liberty and justice for all. While no two persons are the same, we should not let this divide us but unite us. As citizens of a fair and just society, we have the ability to take big and small actions to help us create a more equitable world. Leaders from our past and present provide guidance and inspire our world to listen and take action to work toward justice. This toolkit links to background information, activities and resources, and project ideas related to equity and advocacy.
Being outside, caring for plants and animals, and conserving natural resources are often a young person’s first experience with environmental stewardship. Young people looking to a sustainable future may learn about the wonders of nature, aging water pipes, environmental contamination, plastics in the ocean, overuse of natural resources, and air pollution. This toolkit shares resources to learn, connect, and take action now as environmental stewards to assure a sustainable future in harmony with the gifts of nature.
We are taught to love all humans and help others, but as a society we tend to be less empathetic when we come face-to-face with someone experiencing homelessness and poverty. Breaking the general stereotypes associated with homelessness and poverty with information and ideas may greatly help individuals who are experiencing such struggles. This toolkit provides information, activities, and resources to help youth use their voice, heart, and hands to take big and small actions for a meaningful purpose.
Every person has individual traits that make them unique and who they are. Society is enriched when it embraces our differences as gifts and characteristics to understand and respect. Awareness can change attitudes, laws, and opportunities. This toolkit provides information, activities, and service-learning project ideas related to inclusion for people of different levels and abilities.
Women around the world face challenges at all levels of income, education, global development, and age. In addition, anyone who identifies as transgender, gender fluid or nonbinary frequently faces judgment, discrimination, hate, even violence. This toolkit provides information, advocacy tools, lessons, and project ideas to help young people take action to change the world view of gender and demand equity.
The common humanity of love, hard work, and valuing community are shared across all cultures. In spite of the diverse roots that make up our country, some immigrants who come for opportunity and refugees who are forced to leave their homes are treated with disrespect or even cruelty. Young people have the opportunity to speak up and raise awareness of the beauty of diversity and value of embracing people of all backgrounds and situations.
The nonprofit sector assures we have the arts in the form of museums, theaters, ballet, and public art. Through the arts, people gain joy and explore and discuss the themes of life. Art may be an expression and communication tool to advocate for issues. This toolkit includes lesson plans, project ideas, and background information related to the arts. This toolkit includes lesson plans, project ideas, and background information related to the arts.
Our health and the health of others is important for a healthy community. We can build physical health with exercise and games, healthy food, and sleeping. We can maintain mental health with meditation, relationships, volunteering, and self-care. These lesson plans, project ideas, and community resources help youth understand and advocate for healthy and safe choices for self and community, as well as learn about advocacy for healthy practices, disease research, anti-smoking/vaping, and mental health.
For many young people their first experience with philanthropy comes out of their love of animals. They may learn about threatened or mistreated animals. They may volunteer at the local shelter or donate toys and treats. They may choose to become vegetarian or teach others about cruelty-free farms or food-waste reduction. View this toolkit of books, community connections, lesson plans, project ideas, and background information related to animal advocacy.
When a crisis or disaster strikes, whether caused by nature or humans, the humanitarian spirit of individuals and communities swells. The lesson plans, project ideas, and links to nonprofit resources here provide opportunities to discuss our response to disaster and explore actions that young people can take before and after disaster strikes.
Responsible citizenship includes following current events, seeking reliable information, listening to diverse points of view, voting, and acting for the common good. This toolkit includes background information, primary documents, lessons, and project ideas.
Photo Credit: November 4: D'arby voted! By Gwen is licensed under CC by 2.0
Learn the stories of people who represent a life of service. They may be veterans who chose to serve in the military or elderly friends who have served as activists or volunteers. Communities are stronger when people take action and work together for a common purpose. These activities, project ideas, and community resources prompt discussions and service that build respect for people of different roles, types of service, and generations.
Each person develops literacy, or the ability to read and write, on their own time table and related to their brain development, personal interests, and temperament. Environmental factors strongly influence literacy by building a strong foundation. Young people can learn those factors and help build literacy in their community. These factors include surrounding children with language, making reading a routine, having a variety of reading materials available, and playing games and doing art that sparks playful conversation.
Kindness is hardly ever wrong in any situation. Patience, standing up to injustice, and generous listening can take courage at times, but focusing on small things we can control can make it more manageable. This toolkit provides information, activities, and resources to help youth take big and small actions to promote kindness.
We are all connected in a global world where the actions of people across the world impact our lives. From poverty to education to environment and refugees, the issues of the world are the issues of our communities. The U.N. established 17 Sustainable Development Goals toward which we can all add our time and passion. This toolkit provides information, activities, and resources to help youth take big and small actions to address some of the worlds most important problems.
This toolkit inspires youth to notice and speak up about accessibility and inclusion. Ensuring that all people feel included, supported, and seen is the work of building a community. Youth of all abilities may serve as culturally competent peers and ambassadors for their peers who are marginalized or misunderstood.
