Faith Groups

Age:

• 12-18

Philanthropy is:

• Giving, serving and private citizen action intended for the common good.

Purpose:

• Participants will have the opportunity to demonstrate how teamwork is effective in accomplishing a goal and in being a better philanthropist.

Objectives:

The young person will:

• identify the differences between competition and cooperation in teamwork and how these concepts impact results.
• recognize the power of cooperation and teamwork in achieving philanthropic actions.
• discover how philanthropy, teamwork and cooperation go together.

Religious Activity Theme:

Pirkei Avot 2:7
“The more charity, the more peace.”

Ecclesiastes 4:12 (The Message)
By yourself you're unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn't easily snapped.

Ephesians 2:16-18 (The Message)
Christ brought us together through his death on the Cross. The Cross got us to embrace, and that was the end of the hostility. Christ came and preached peace to you outsiders and peace to us insiders. 18He treated us as equals, and so made us equals. Through him we both share the same Spirit and have equal access to the Father.

Hindu Proverb
"Help other’s boat across and your own will reach the shore."

Read Shel Silverstein's poem "Hug O' War" (Attachment One—view by scolling to bottom of page). Explain that they will experience the difference between a “tug of war” and what it is like when “everybody wins.” Explain that they will do activities where teamwork and cooperation is key. They will consider how teamwork and cooperative relate to being a philanthropist in your community. Explain that they will look at the effects of competition and cooperation and how it affects us as individuals and as teams related to caring and sharing in the community.

Activity Steps:

• Ask participants for examples where competition is the focus, i.e. academic, getting a job, sports. Ask participants to share what that was like for them as individuals and for their team. Now ask for examples they have had where cooperation is the focus, i.e. faith organizations, team sports, school group projects, family related activities, and service projects. Ask participants to share experiences of cooperation in their faith organization. How does cooperation facilitate the groups’ activities?
• Invite the group to do an activity now that will give them a first-hand look at the effects of competition and cooperation on teamwork.
• Show participants the heavy object that they will be moving during the activity. Explain that the goal of the team will be to move the object from one point to another point without touching the object itself.
• Forms groups of no more that 5-6 people in each group. Ask the groups to brainstorm as many ways as possible to move the heavy object and record them on newsprint. Remind them that everyone in the group must participate in some way. Show the participants that items are available to assist them in moving the heavy object. (Hint: The facilitator may have any number of creative possibilities including a strong rope, bungee cords or tape, etc.)
• Assign two participants as observers to record and report the challenges and reasons for the success of each group’s attempt. Begin by having one group at a time try one of the safe, individual, non-cooperative ways they have brainstormed. After an individual from each group has attempted to move the object, instruct the groups to try one of the methods suggested that involves cooperation and working together. (One cooperative method that works is to tie a rope around the heavy object and have all of the participants pull together.)
• Once each group has successfully moved the heavy object, begin the processing, asking the recorders to share their observations on the differences they saw in the groups on the competitive attempts and on the cooperative attempts.

Processing Questions:

1. Ask individuals from each group to describe what happened during each attempt. How did they feel as an individual during the competitive versus the cooperative attempts?
2. What are some benefits that come from working as a team? How can teams advance philanthropic acts more effectively than individuals?
3. How can competition be used in a fun way to advance philanthropic goals? (Use of an annual fundraising campaign, set a monetary goal, form teams to design their own themes, and have fun while cooperatively competing for a common cause).
4. In what ways are communication and cooperation important in fostering effective philanthropic action?
5. Where and how during the activity did philanthropy (giving your time, talent and treasure) tie in?
6. How does sharing our time, talents and treasure promote peace?
7. What are some examples of where we have seen competition or cooperation in our faith community or world?
8. Ask participants if they think it is human nature to work cooperatively or to work competitively. Ask them to identify traits of the teams that make them cooperative versus competitive.
9. Ask the group for examples of helpful traits or behaviors of individuals and community groups they have seen as they work to accomplish philanthropic tasks.
   Additional Questions – Christian Perspective:
10. How did Christ make us equal? According to Ephesians 2:16-18 what are the benefits of being equal in God’s economy?
    

Variation:

Divide the participants into groups of approximately 5-10 people each. On the chart paper write: Together Everyone Accomplishes More With Ongoing Respect & Kindness = Teamwork. Give them 10 minutes to design their own Teamwork acronyms with flipchart paper and markers. They can make the acronyms into advertisements or billboards. Encourage participants to include how teamwork relates to philanthropy. Ask a speaker from a local media source to look at your advertisements and discuss getting the word out about working together as teams to promote philanthropic acts in the community. Ask the media representative to explain what a Public Service Announcement is and how they work. You may also ask them how teamwork helps them to accomplish their job.

Supplemental Activity:

Encourage participants to check newspaper articles that demonstrate teamwork for the common good. Ask them to identify how many of the articles refer to cooperative groups versus competitive groups.

Activity Source:

Teamwork -- Habitat For Humanity
Learning to Give Lesson (Grades 3-5) “Too Big a Task”
Unit “Philanthropy in Literature”

Leadership
Learning to Give Lesson (Grades 9-12) “Incorporating Leadership Into My Own Life”
Unit “Concepts of Leadership”

The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

 

 

Attachment One

 

Hug O' War

I will not play at tug o' war.
I'd rather play at hug o' war,
Where everyone hugs Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses,
And everyone grins,
And everyone cuddles,
And everyone wins.

By Shel Silverstein
From the book Where the Sidewalk Ends

Philanthropy Theme Framework :

Strand Standard Benchmark PHIL II. Philanthropy and Civil Society PCS01. Self, citizenship, and society MS 4. Describe the characteristics of someone who helps the community. PHIL II. Philanthropy and Civil Society PCS01. Self, citizenship, and society HS 4. Describe and give examples of characteristics of good citizens in a democracy. PHIL III. Philanthropy and the Individual PI 01. Reasons for Individual Philanthropy MS 1. Define and give local examples of the seven motivations for giving and serving.