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G is for giving … and group action

With G-week celebrating school charity work, Robert Bullard finds a lesson in empathy being taken to heart

As leaders of the G8, the major industrial nations, gather in Gleneagles, secondary schools across the country will be making their own pledges to make the world a better place. The organisers of Giving Week - a celebration of all the charity work that goes in schools - are hoping their initiative will receive an added boost as a result of this year’s coincidental overlap with the international summit of world leaders here in Britain. (Daily Telegraph, July 2005)

“The week provides a focus for what schools have been doing throughout the year - be it fundraising, volunteering or community involvement,” says Lindsey Bailey, the Public Relations Manager of Giving Nation, the organisation behind the initiative.

“This year we wanted an extra dynamic to it,” she continues. “There is evidence that the Asian Tsunami had awoken young people to charity giving, and made others realise what a lot of energy young people had to give.“

Their recent survey of 11-16 year olds found that 96% had helped raise money for the Tsunmai appeal, and that 78% of this was done through schools.

In this year’s G-Week, as it is known, schools are being encouraged to address one of two possible challenges. Either to make a petition in art – paintings, sculptures or mixed media – anything, say the Week’s guidelines, to raise awareness of the threat of global warming for islands that were affected by the Tsunami.

Alternatively, to try their hand at 20 different challenges; what are described as small actions that can bring about big changes - and that will make the world a better place if enough people do them!

‘Some of the challenges are environmental,’ says the pack that is freely available to schools - ’like turn off unnecessary lights. Some social – like introduce yourself to your neighbours. And some will just put a smile on your face – like learn one good joke.’

The source for the challenges is a book called ‘Change the World for a Fiver’, developed by ‘We Are What We Do’ and published last year. The book sold 100,00 copies in its first 100 days, and so enthusiastic was the response from teachers its ideas were embraced into G-Week.

And to make things easier for teachers and galvanise the children into action, Giving Nation have prepared lesson plans to prompt the schools with ideas, and worksheets for recording their actions.

‘Here’s one to chew on,’ says the lesson plan. ‘Put your gum in the bin! Why? Because it’s sticky, it’s messy, it ruins clothes, it looks rubbish and it is rubbish!’ ‘Right now’, the plan continues, providing the necessary figures,’ work out how much money it costs to clean chewing gum off the streets, per packet.’ (Answer 15p per packet to tidy up, 35p to buy!)

Other teenage-teasers include, how many swimming pools full of water does your school waste every year when teachers and children leave the tap on while brushing their teeth? And, always wanted to be on a pop video? Well, if it takes 320 hours to make one, how long would you need if you watched a little less TV everyday!?

“The book’s themes and ethos really appealed to me,” says Pauline Ireland, a Drama Teacher and Citizenship Co-ordinator at the Thomas Lord Audley School, Colchester. “They are things that young people ought to know – like manners and teaching others, but there isn’t the time to teach them in school.”

The We Are What We Do web site provides young people with the formulae to calculate what resources they have saved the planet, and an ‘on-line totaliser’ for them to add their actions to those from other schools – so they can see the power of collective action.

Over 450 schools took part in the first G-Week, in 2003. Last year the figure rose to over 600, and already this year certificates have been sent out to recognise the work of 20,000 children.

“Events like the Tsunami and Live Aid concert have definitely increased children’s awareness of world issues,” says Ruth Wiles, a Sixth Form Learning mentor at Greenwood Dale School, Nottingham. Here, five sixth from boys shaved their legs for charity, which provided the funds for two school desks to be sent to Africa. “It’s made them realise that they can make a difference.”

And to encourage schools to take part there is a national prize and eight regional awards each worth £1000, for which pupils must build a web site of their activities, using a template on Giving Nation’s website. (Submissions by 17th July.)

Last year’s overall winners were Stroud High School, whose 10-minute video diary told of their school’s Parable of the Talents. Each of their 800 pupils was given £1, from which they raised £11,500. As a reward eight girls earned themselves a visit to a Save The Children funded education project in Rajasthan, India.

The school’s National Curriculum Co-ordinator, Angie Zukowski, also went on the trip. “The themes that the children learnt from their experience - of empathy, awareness of different cultures and understanding others’ views - all fit neatly into the citizenship curriculum, and would be hard to deliver in the classroom.”

This year’s national prize is an outward-bound course in the Lake District, run by the Reconciliation Project, Encompass that will also be attended by young people from the Middle East and the United States. Promises to be interesting – and more fun than Gleneagles!

What can my school can do?

• Create a petition in art to raise awareness of the threat of global warming

• Order G-nation certificates to recognise pupils that have excelled at charity giving

• Introduce the We Ware What We Do challenges to your school – Giving Nation’s power point presentations can be customised to your needs

• Set yourself challenges for the year ahead

• Review the year’s fundraising/community activities by your class or school. Look at the value of your activities, the causes you helped and the benefit to pupils that took part

For more details: www.wearewhatwedo.org and www.g-nation.co.uk or contact Giving Nation, Tel. 020 7367 0505
 

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