It is better to be part of a great whole than to be the whole of a small part.

Transcription

1 LESSON ONE We are the World: Why We Give It is better to be part of a great whole than to be the whole of a small part. --Frederick Douglass Purpose: Students will learn that serving others is part of the fabric of American society. We are a nation of givers. Citizens are engaged individuals who actively work to establish justice and ensure liberty. Objectives: To cultivate an authentic commitment to service by examining the meaning of philanthropy and a brief history of philanthropy in the United States. To illustrate that philanthropy begins with the recognition that our individual lives are part of a whole. To show that small donations from thousands of individual citizens can make a big difference. I. PERSONAL REFLECTIONS: From I to WE: Ask students to consider the following questions in their journals or in small groups: 1. Family: What do people in your family do for you every day? What is it like to be on the receiving end? What do you do for them? 2. School: What do teachers and friends in your school do for you every day? What is it like to be on the receiving end? What do you do for them? 3. Nation: What do your elected officials do for you every day? 4. World: How do you connect with other people across the globe? How does news about what is happening across the globe affect you? II. CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES: Part ONE: What is Philanthropy? A. Philanthropy involves taking (or making) the time to apply your skills and knowledge to solving community challenges and problems. Philanthropy is usually developed in three interrelated ways: 1. TIME: An individual gives Time to support the efforts of an organization. In the case of #GivingTuesday, individuals dedicate Time and Talent to raising awareness about a Cause and to designing and implementing fundraising activities in advance of #GivingTuesday.

2 2. TALENT: Individuals use their skills to support an organization. Everyone has a talent; identifying your strengths is essential. 3. TREASURE: By combining Time and Talent, individuals can raise money to help support the work of an organization. Make and sell a craft. Offer a yoga class. Create a painting with friends to sell at an auction. Plan a Pancake Breakfast to raise funds for a Community Partner. 1 B. Discussion Questions based on the 3 T s of Philanthropy: 1. TIME: We tend to say that we are losing time, that we are out of time, or that time is going too fast. Why do we all seem to feel this way? Think, on the other hand, about ways that you waste your time? How can you bank that wasted time and use it to serve others (and build a sense of community in the process)? 2. TALENT: What can you do as a class to use your talents to raise money for a Cause? 3. TREASURE: How can you spread the message that no gift is too small? Participation counts. 1 Learning to Give, Definitions of Philanthropy,

3 Part TWO: HISTORICAL SPOTLIGHT on LIVE AID, The International Response to the Ethiopian Famine, Use the power of song to begin to elicit a discussion about citizenship as an obligation to serve others. A. Listen to the lyrics of We are the World by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie (while watching the Youtube video of USA for Africa --We are the World at We are the World There comes a time when we hear a certain call When the world must come together as one There are people dying And it s time to lend a hand to life The greatest gift of all We can't go on pretending day by day That someone, somewhere will soon make a change We are all a part of God's great big family And the truth, you know, Love is all we need [Chorus] We are the world, we are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day So let s start giving There's a choice we're making We're saving our own lives Its true we'll make a better day Just you and me Send them your heart so they'll know that someone cares And their lives will be stronger and free As God has shown us by turning stones to bread So we all must lend a helping hand [Chorus] When you're down and out, there seems no hope at all But if you just believe there's no way we can fall Let us realize that a change can only come When we stand together as one.

4 B. Using the following historical notes, teach students about LIVE AID and the public response: 1. Prior to the airing of a BBC documentary in October 1984, Americans had heard very little about the Ethiopian famine. Since the Reagan administration was reluctant to send provisions directly to this socialist regime, it actually cut its food assistance - to zero - in After it aired, the BBC film shocked the world: 10 to 12 million people were starving or on the verge of starvation in Ethiopia. The socialist government was responsible for serious human rights violations: the collectivization of agriculture had lessened productivity, and poor rains and harvests had intensified famine conditions. 3. The LIVE AID rock concerts in London and Philadelphia in July 1985 sought to raise money for the starving of Ethiopia. An estimated global audience of 1.9 billion, across 150 nations, watched the live broadcast. Famous singers such as Elton John, Madonna, and Phil Collins participated (among many others). 4. Mass fundraising efforts led to the distribution of 20,000 tons of food to two million people each month: between $50 and $80 million was raised in six months, and the average donation was $40. The Republic of Ireland gave the most even though it was threatened by recession at the time. 5. After the concerts, the Reagan administration changed course and approved $45 million for USAID to buy and transport 80,000 metric tons of food. 6. This event led to the passing of the African Relief and Recovery Act (1985), whereby aid for rehabilitation was deemed by Congress to be legal even in socialist countries. Funding for irrigation projects, seeds and tools, and training in health skills became possible. 2 C. Discussion Questions: 1. What does We are the World mean to you? What does it imply about your civic responsibility to others? 2. What does it mean to be a citizen? 3. How did the world lend a helping hand in ? 4. In your opinion, why was this response particularly effective? 5. What are your special talents? How can you envision using them to serve others? 2 Oliver Zunz, Philanthropy in America (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2012),

5 Part THREE: American Traditions. We are a nation of givers both big and small donors - and no donation has been or will ever be too small to make a difference. A. Spark-the Lesson Questions: SPARK- the- LESSON QUESTION #1: Following the Tsunami of December 26, 2004, did the American government or civil society (foundations, corporations, individuals) give more aid relief money? ANSWER: American civil society: to be precise, 3.7 times more than the federal government. 3 In 2005, private entities provided more humanitarian and economic aid to poor countries than did the American government: foundations, corporations, individuals and other private sources donated $33.5 billion while the federal government provided $27.6 billion. In fact, prior to 2005, official development assistance ranged from a low of.58 percent to a height of 1.75 percent of total US revenues over the previous nine years. 4 SPARK -THE -LESSON QUESTION #2: A $10 gift can provide an insecticide-treated bed net for a family that is threatened by malaria. What are its long-term benefits? ANSWER: It not only keeps a child healthy and in school, but the parents do not need to stay home so they can continue to work productively. NOTE: A child dies of malaria every 30 seconds if not treated, a simple mosquito bite can disrupt the blood flow to vital organs and become life-threatening. 5 B. BIG DONORS. Using the following notes, teach students about the fundamentals of BIG GIVING in America in the twentieth century. Emphasize the idea of a reciprocal relationship. 1. In his 1907 piece in Outlook magazine, entitled Five Great Gifts, Daniel Coit Gilman, the first president of Johns Hopkins University, noted that a new trend in giving had emerged in the United States: the very Rich were making investments in funding long-term solutions to national and not provincial- social problems. The 3 Wendy Smith, Give a Little (New York: Hyperion, 2009), xiv. 4 Ibid., Ibid.,

6 new money of over 40,000 millionaires in the United States funded advancements in science, education, and public health. It was an investment in social progress In contrast to 19 th century charity, which had been destined for the needy (it was a form of social welfare), philanthropy of the 20 th century was for mankind. The shift from charity to philanthropy occurred when the Rich partnered with progressive elites of the academic world, local governments, and professional associations. They all worked together to generate progress in science, education, human rights and public health The foundation was created at the beginning of the 20 th century as a way to channel big money to important social causes designed to promote human progress American philanthropy is a joint project to which people adhere freely and help themselves while helping others. In other words, donors themselves gain when their contribution leads to a cure for a common disease or when it provides them access to better cultural amenities, supports educational institutions, or fights for human rights Our nation has come to view philanthropy as both a quintessential part of being American and another means of achieving major objectives. American citizens embrace the idea that with rights come duties; we have the duty to work for social justice as members of a larger community. Our individual freedoms thus do not inhibit us from caring for the community. We are all interconnected; we are working together for the betterment of everyone. C. SMALL DONORS. Using the following notes, teach students about the tremendous impact of the millions of SMALL DONATIONS that have been given during the course of the twentieth century by American citizens. 1. Today, millions of Americans participate in a global philanthropic movement that is supported by the Internet. American philanthropy is not a matter of the rich helping people in need, but of people, rich or not, providing for their own future. 10 In 2007, 6 Zunz, Ibid., Ibid., Ibid., Ibid., 279, 295.

7 for example, living individuals donated $229 billion in America. $229 billion was greater than the gross domestic products of 136 countries in the world in HISTORICAL SPOTLIGHT on The March of Dimes: Polio victim Franklin D. Roosevelt founded the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis in The NFIP turned to media stars to spread the message about how a donation of a single dime could add up to an amount that would be big enough to fund research to find a polio vaccine. The NFIP hired radio star Eddie Cantor to popularize the idea that one dime could help to eradicate the scourge of polio. The name of the campaign was well chosen as it referred to a popular newsreel of the time, The March of Dimes. 1.8 million dollars was raised in first year of campaign ($238,000 arrived at White House one dime at a time). 20 million dollars was raised by By 1959, the year the campaign ended, a total of 622 million dollars had been raised. The dimes collected did fund Dr. Jonas Salk s research for a polio vaccine, and by 1979, polio was eradicated in the United States. NOTE: Polio causes paralysis and some victims were subject to the much-feared iron lung, which forced air into and out of the lungs. 12 D. Discussion Questions: 1. Imagine what a small donation could do to help others today. Tell a story. 2. In what ways will you benefit from service and social action? 11 Smith, Ibid.,

8 III. HOMEWORK ACTIVITIES: 1. Do research on the Internet to find out how BIG philanthropy has helped and will continue to help everyone even those who donate the money. You may want to begin with the following names: Johns Hopkins, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, George Soros, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet. 2. Do research on the Internet to find out how SMALL donations have made a huge difference in improving the lives of people in the world today. You may want to begin with the following events: 9/11, Hurricane Katrina (2005), Tsunami Relief in 2005, Earthquake in Haiti (2010).