Compassion

Wagonload of Compassion

Share individual stories of people in need. Identify what everyone can contribute. Where could we find the needed materials? Together as a group, deliver the donated items to a nearby organization in wagons, if available. Work with the accepting agency to provide further information about the services and supports they provide (examples: donation to a …

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What Should We Do?

Show pictures and/or video of certain situations at school and in the surrounding neighborhood. Examples include: seeing garbage on the floor, an elderly person dropping their cane, a person not able to get through a door because their hands are full, a child crying or looking sad, or classmates arguing or fighting. Hold a classroom …

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What Would They Say?

Ask youth to critically think about how others might respond to their words and actions. “What would they say or think if you did or said _____?” Expand the effect of the activity by asking, “What do you think your teacher would say about that decision?” or, “Your parent or coach, or other influential and …

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Structured Academic Controversy

An opportunity to explore controversial issues and divergent positions and work to reach consensus on what may have happened– highlighting the complexities of particular perspectives, opinions and events. Have youth argue one side of an argument and then have them switch sides before negotiating an agreement between the two sides. The controversial issues can be …

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Web of Life

Youth sit in a circle, often at a transition point in the day. Holding a ball of yarn, they share one thing (something they like to do, someplace they have been,  something they learned recently) . Then they throw the ball to someone else while they hold on to their bit of yarn. The next …

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Silk Road

The Silk Road carried trade from cultures embracing numerous religions and worldviews. Stretching from Italy to Japan, the Silk Road runs through Buddhist, Confucian, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Shinto, and Taoist cultures. Youth reflect on similarities and differences between belief systems. Using quotations from philosophical and religious texts, they are asked to organize quotations into …

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