1. family and parenting
2. children

DEAR
EDUCATORS,
We have always been proud to share our founding story, because Free The Children started in a school.
One dedicated teacher saw that Craig and his classmates—just 12 years old at the time—were raising awareness about the issue of child labour and
looking for more ways to take action. This educator gave guidance and support to our small band of shameless idealists when we needed it most.
Eighteen years later, teachers still help drive our movement as our network expands to include two million youth around the world.
To this day, educators continue to be our greatest allies not just on the domestic front, but also internationally. We have built 650 schools and
school rooms, opening doors to 55,000 students every day in developing communities that share our passion for education. Our holistic and
sustainable development model, Adopt a Village, is founded on the belief that if you break down the barriers to education, a community will
never need charity again.
This Campaigns Kit, used in conjunction with the We Act program, is our way of thanking educators and putting the resources for meaningful social
issues education and community service into their hands. The kit includes how-to guides leading you through the steps of organizing a food drive,
fundraiser or any action that your students want to take to better communities locally or globally. But more than that, we offer a broader curriculum
for engaging your students around the issues you’ll be tackling. In each specialized booklet, you’ll find:
•
Ready-to-go instructions for organizing a campaign
•
Tips and tricks for fundraising
•
More information on resources available through Free The Children
•
Sample lessons and links to extended curriculum
We’re sincerely grateful that you’ve decided to embark on this journey with us, and we hope you will stay in touch with our team as you go forward.
Your Educational Programming Coordinator is always available for guidance and support throughout your journey with We Act.
Thank you for continuing to lead the way for youth empowerment. Through the support of one dedicated educator, our group was able to grow into
a global movement. We can’t wait to see what you and your band of world-changers will achieve this year.
SHOW YOUR BELIEF IN EDUCATION
Help us build 200 schools in developing communities around the world. Across Africa, to honour Nelson
Mandela as a champion of education, 100 of these schools will be built in his name and 10,000 students will
Be the change!
be provided with school supplies.
Here are three ways you can support the Year of Education:
1. Build a school with Brick by Brick and track your fundraising with the poster included in this kit.
2. Provide bricks for schools by collecting coins with We Create Change.
3. Give children the ABC’s of education by selling ABC Rafiki Friend Chains to fundraise for school kits.
freethechildren.com
Craig and Marc Kielburger
Co-FounderS, Free The Children
Educator’s Guide | 3
ABOUT FREE
THE CHILDREN
Free The Children is an international charity and educational
partner that believes in a world where all young people are free to
achieve their fullest potential as agents of change.
We work internationally to free children from poverty and exploitation
through a holistic and sustainable development model called Adopt
a Village. Domestically, we offer innovative programs that educate,
engage and empower youth to become the change they want to see in
the world.
Our goal is to create systemic change by working with educators to
inspire a generation of active global citizens. We have seen time and
time again how young people are looking for something more than
what material culture is offering them—and it’s educators who have
the passion and experience to provide it.
We Act
Thank you for participating in We Act! This comprehensive program
combines social issues education with meaningful community service
and provides the practical tools needed to turn inspiration into
knowledge and action. Designed as a menu of resources available to
teachers and students, the We Act program can be used in-class to
achieve community service initiatives or as extracurricular activities
within student-led clubs. The resources are flexible to enhance a
school’s existing initiatives or to spark new ones. We Act transforms
school communities through positive changes in student behaviour,
heightened engagement and the belief that it’s cool to care.
This Campaigns Kit is just one of the resources available through the
program. We Act also offers: the support of an Educational Programming
Coordinator (EPC) to help plan and fulfill your service commitment;
educational materials, including weekly emailed lessons plans on timely
news events; campaign resources and fundraising tool kits on local and
global issues such as bullying, hunger, and education; an online community
for connecting you to the causes you care about; and the fundraising
resources to “adopt a village” in Asia, Africa or Latin America.
4 | Educator’s Guide
The Story of
Adopt a Village
ADOPT A VILLAGE COUNTRIES
Decide which Adopt a Village country you want to support! Once you’ve selected your country, choose which pillar you want your donation to go to.
Kenya
Since 1999, Free The Children has been working with Kipsigis and
Maasai communities in Kenya, building schools, libraries, water
projects, latrines, kitchens and teachers’ accommodations, as well as
implementing alternative income programming with youth, men’s
and women’s groups.
Rural China
Since 2002 we’ve been implementing education projects in some of
China’s poorest areas, where schools have the least governmental or
community support and rapidly become dilapidated and unsafe. We refurbish schools and introduce small business programs that empower entire
families, and have recently begun expanding our health programming.
India
Free The Children has been operating in India since 1998. We work
in the rural areas of Rajasthan, one of India’s driest states, focusing
on issues like gender equality and water access. Our goal is to bring
sustainability by building on the local knowledge base and building up
the community’s capacity to upkeep projects like schools, health centres
and small businesses.
Haiti
With a 12-year history of development in Haiti’s Central Plateau region,
Free The Children’s recent work has focused on bringing stability and
sustainability to those affected by the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake of 2010. Adopt a Village is helping to rebuild this, devastated,
but resilient country by providing health and education and improving
household and community livelihoods.
Ecuador
Our work in Ecuador began in 1999. Since then, we’ve developed
deep ties with indigenous Quichua communities in Ecuador’s most
resource-poor rural areas. We implement systemic change by starting
girls’ groups—part of our Alternative Income and Livelihood pillar—
and help locals recognize the potential of girls to be both learners and
earners for families.
Ghana
In the last decade, Free The Children has refurbished classrooms,
schools and water projects in Ghana. Today, we focus our efforts on
the Western coast, where child labour is rampant in the palm oil and
fishing industries. We are working closely with our communities to free
children to attend class in our new schools and spread the message of
the importance of education.
Nicaragua
Free The Children has been building and repairing schools and school
rooms in the Central Pacific Region of Nicaragua since 1998. Nicaraguans
face many challenges like poor access to education, employment and
resources such as sanitation facilities and medication. Free The Children
works closely with local leaders, families, educators and students to ensure
the community is given ownership of new projects.
Sierra Leone
In the aftermath of a devastating 11-year civil war, Free The Children
began working in Sierra Leone in 2002. Most of the youth we work
with have been deeply affected by the war or the echo of its impact
on the country—children who were left with no access to education.
We build and refurbish schools and wells and provide health care for
prominent local health issues, like diarrhea and epilepsy.
5 Pillars
1 Purpose
Adopt a Village is Free The
Children’s holistic and
sustainable development
model created in response to
the needs of the communities
with whom we partner.
We started by building schools, but we became aware that girls
couldn’t attend because of household chores like fetching water from
distant sources. We expanded to water projects, giving girls access to
water and education. However, illness still prevented students from
attending class.
We introduced health programs, but soon realized that even healthy
children missed school when their families needed them for work. We
added alternative income programming to empower women with
financial independence. Children were then able to attend school, but
hunger still affected students in time of famine.
Finally, with the help of founding partner PotashCorp, we developed
Agriculture and Food Security initiatives to give families the resources
to produce accessible nutritious food for the whole community.
Working together, the five pillars of Adopt a Village—Education, Clean
Water and Sanitation, Health, Alternative Income and Livelihood, and
Agriculture and Food Security—address the root causes of poverty and
break down the barriers to children’s education. Each pillar supports
the others, amplifying their impact and providing solutions that are
holistic, sustainable and maintained by the community itself.
Through our Adopt a Village model, we are empowering communities
to break the cycle of poverty forever.
Educator’s Guide | 5
GET YOUR
GROUP STARTED
1
Step 1: Connect with your EPC
Your Educational Programming Coordinator (EPC)
is your best friend at Free The Children. They are
always ready to offer support and encouragement
to you and your students throughout your
year of action. Talk to your EPC, who can:
•
Send resources to your school
•
Answer questions about campaigns
•
Accept donations and send you updates about the
Adopt a Village community you are supporting
•
Answer your questions about We Act
•
Connect you with other departments at
Free The Children and Me to We
•
Help you get support from school
administration and other educators
Keep your EPC posted on what your group is up to.
We’ll make sure to offer whatever support you need.
Find your EPC at [email protected].
2
3
Step 2: Get permission and
build a team
Before you get started, you’ll want to seek the support
of your school’s administration and reach out to other
teachers about getting involved. We usually suggest
sending a letter or email to any staff whose support is
important to the success of your group. If you’d like a
template letter to work from, just send an email to your
EPC and they’ll get you started.
Step 3: Get your students on board!
Okay, time to get excited! Let everyone know you’re
starting a Free The Children group. Come one, come
all! Free The Children’s programming is inclusive of all
causes—just bring your passion for change.
6 | Educator’s Guide
4
•
Make announcements, put up posters and spread
the word in your school newsletter—make sure you
mention the time and location of your first meeting.
•
Now’s a good time to get in touch with your EPC to
get your hands on some ready-to-go educational and
promotional resources! We have lesson plans and
educational resources you can use to bring social
issues into your group or any course you teach!
5
•
Set your goal. Decide what your fundraising
goal is and begin brainstorming event ideas.
(Check out pages 8-10 for ideas on how to do
this.) Make sure everyone feels included and is
given a job to do.
•
As a group, decide on any other local and global
issues you want to take action on throughout the
year, then have students volunteer to take the
lead on different issues.
To make this easy, we’ve drawn up a little formula
to help your students discover how their gifts and
passions can contribute to your group. It goes something like this:
GIFT + ISSUE = CHANGE
It’s a simple idea with extraordinary results.
And it’s how you can get your group excited about
choosing the actions they want to take.
Step 5: Dive in!
Organize your first event! This kit comes with a
collection of ready-to-go campaigns. All you need to
do is draw up an action plan for how you want to share
the roles and responsibilities of organizing campaigns.
On the blackboard, draw a chart in three columns.
See below for the example.
Step 4: Start the meetings
Gather everyone together for your first meeting.
Set the mood with some ice-breakers so your group can
get to know each other.
Set the stage at your first meeting:
•
•
•
•
Introduce Free The Children, its mission and
projects. You can find more about us online at
freethechildren.com/aboutus. We’ve also prepared
some videos to help you introduce our work. Check
them out at youtube.com/freethechildrenintl.
You’ll also want to talk about Adopt a Village, Free The
Children’s holistic and sustainable development model.
Check out page 2 and 3 for more information or visit
freethechildren.com/international-programming.
Talk to your group about organizing a weekly
meeting time to keep things going or set aside
regular class time to focus on social issues. Consider
inviting your EPC to your meetings. We can join you
on the phone, online or—hopefully—in person!
Finish the meeting by asking your group to start
thinking about which Adopt a Village pillar they
would like to fundraise for, and in which country.
Gift+ Issue= Change
In the first column, ask your students to write down activities, hobbies and other interests that they think of as
gifts. Can you sing, bake, draw, play a mean kazoo, hopscotch like a champion? Anything goes here!
In the second column, write down the Adopt a Village pillar and country your students have chosen to support.
In the third column, write down ideas for connecting your gifts to the issues you care about. For example:
Gift+ Issue= Change
SoccerHealth in IndiaSoccer tournament fundraiser
BakingClean water in rural ChinaBake sale
KazooEducation in KenyaNon-stop kazoo until
fundraising goals are met
As a group, decide which idea would work the best with everyone’s gifts. Run with it! Use the
following chart to come up with a timeline and share roles and responsibilities.
Action
Responsibility
Potential Challenge
Solution
Deadline
Complete
Go big at your second meeting:
Example:
Jess and Alex
Principal may
Get feedback
Dec 10
Yes
•
Meet with principal
not approve
and return with
Take a vote! Have your students decide on which
country and pillar they want to support. Share
this with your EPC, who can help set you up with
ideas and resources. Remember, you don’t have
to support all the pillars in your chosen country.
Often it’s easier to focus on just one!
for approval of
new proposal
fundraising proposal
Educator’s Guide | 7
FUNDRAISING
TIPS AND TRICKS!
This is the best part—you’ve chosen your issues, you know
the country you’re fundraising for, and it’s time to get
busy! But how to start?
SNACK ATTACK
►► Book a table in a spot where you’ll get a lot of foot traffic.
►► Sell freezies, pizza, subs, cookies etc., every week, bi-weekly
or monthly. Because who doesn’t like snacks? Make sure to
bring information about your Free The Children group.
►► Go a step further and make it a full-out
embarassing teacher talent show!
►► Agree to play dodgeball against one or more
of the school’s sports teams.
►► Snap a pic and post it on We365. Let us know
which snack is flying off the shelves.
►► Spend a night sleeping in a tent in the gymnasium.
►► Extra challenge:
►► Shave your head on the school steps.
►► On a health kick? 100% fruit juices, vegetable snacks
or bananas and apples are all healthy alternatives.
►► Cook your best dish for a teacher “top chef” competition
where students taste and critique dishes.
►► Buy organic ingredients from your local farmers’ market.
►► Bring in the pies! Top-fundraising students throw pies
at the brave teachers who step up to the challenge.
►► Theme your food choices around the Adopt a
Village country you are supporting.
RUMMAGE SALE
►► Ask students, teachers and community members to bring
in materials for a rummage sale: handmade crafts and
jewelry, old toys, gently used clothing or books.
These are a few of our favourite models and incentives for fundraising.
Remember, fundraisers don’t have to be extravagant—the most effective
campaign makes use of the resources that are readily available.
►► Perform a karaoke or dance routine to a song
chosen by the students.
►► Set up booths in a busy spot at your school and let the selling begin!
►► Extra Challenge: Double up and hold your
Rummage Sale and Friday Fun Fair together.
SENDING IN DONATIONS
Please remember to indicate which Adopt a Village country and pillar
you wish to support, and include a brief description of how you raised
your funds. If you would like to donate via credit card or set up a
personal fundraising page, please contact your EPC.
To send in donations, reach out to your EPC about getting a donation
form. You can make a cheque out to “Free The Children” and mail it,
along with the form, to:
THE DARE (FOR THE BRAVEST OF TEACHERS)
FRIDAY FUN FAIR
►► Ask students to donate extra games and toys as prizes.
►► Get your students to plan a series of carnival games
and activities like basketball free-throw, bottle bowling,
watermelon-eating contests, beanbag toss and a water balloon
range with live teacher targets—for the truly brave!
►► Students buy tickets to play games and win prizes.
►► Extra challenge: Set up concession stands
to sell healthy drinks and snacks.
Want your students to give 110 percent during their fundraisers and
make some memorable moments? Set a fundraising goal and agree to
undergo a special dare if they succeed.
Here are some stunts we’ve seen teachers and principals pull as huge
incentives for students who achieve their goals. Pick something that will
challenge you, as well as them. These stunts make for the best memories!
►► Spend the day teaching in a costume. Monkey suit,
zombie make up, school mascot costume—
the victorious students decide!
Free The Children
c/o (Insert EPC’s name and your We Code)
Re: (Insert campaign name)
233 Carlton Street
Toronto, ON,
M5A 2L2
ART SHOW EXTRAORDINAIRE
►► Paintbrushes at the ready! Get the school’s artists, of any age, to
submit their pieces to a school art show followed by a sale or auction.
►► Set a date for the art show! Encourage students to invite
their parents, grandparents, neighbours and friends
to browse and purchase or bid on the artwork.
►► Post a picture of a crowd favourite on We365. Maximize your
fundraising by having a raffle or door prizes at the event.
►► Extra Challenge: Choose a theme for your art show
that reflects the issue you are fundraising for.
GAME ON!
►► A video game/movie day is a tried, tested and true fundraiser!
Have students donate money to play video games or watch
a movie. This can be done at lunch time or after school.
8 | Educator’s Guide
Educator’s Guide | 9
GIVE YOUR
YEAR A SOCIAL
MEDIA BOOST
WHAT IS WE365 AND HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?
We365 is a mobile app and website that helps students and educators build a better world,
every day of the year.
Each student downloads the free mobile app to join this digital community that connects
them to the causes closest to their hearts. We365 tracks and verifies volunteer activities
for school, and helps students fundraise for the charity of their choice, on their own or as
a group.
Students can tackle local and global challenges on We365. With every action, students
can create a portfolio of their social impact and share it with others—friends, teachers,
future employers.
Encourage your students to join others in their community, and around the world, on
we365.com.
JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow us on social media to get updates on events, news and exciting opportunities for
your students. Join a network of like-minded change-makers.
WORKING WITH THE MEDIA
A MESSAGE FROM THE FREE THE CHILDREN PUBLIC RELATIONS TEAM
To our educators,
Thank you so much for all that you do with your students to support Free The Children. We can’t tell you enough how much we appreciate
your support.
Every year, we see tons of news articles across the country featuring the incredible accomplishments from the schools that work with us.
As such, we want to ensure you feel supported and comfortable when/if you decide to reach out to your own local media outlets (TV, radio,
newspapers) to raise awareness about the amazing efforts you and your students are taking to support local and global causes with Free
The Children. The following are a few steps to help guide you through this process:
1
2
Facebook:
facebook.com/freethechildren
facebook.com/weday
facebook.com/metowe
Twitter:
twitter.com/freethechildren
twitter.com/craigkielburger
YouTube:
youtube.com/freethechildrenintl
10 | Educator’s Guide
STEP #2
Develop a media list. This may include:
►► Community newspapers/radio and TV shows
►► Free The Children
►► Free The Children has developed
an extensive collection of resources
to equip educators to bring social
issues into the classroom.
►► Check out our issue-based
educational resources, including
elementary and secondary
curriculum, resource guides,
lesson plans, activities and other
teaching tools at freethechildren.
com/teach. All resources, which
cover local and global issues, are
created in-house in collaboration with educator consultants.
Remember:
►► National newspapers/networks
Media contact information can be found on individual media
sites, and you can reach out to producers, city reporters,
assignment desks and news editors.
3
STEP #3
Decide how you are going to outreach to the media on your
list and compile the information. This can include:
►► Informal pitch via email or phone
►► Media alert
We365:
we365.com
Identify the opportunity/purpose for contacting the media.
►► Daily newspapers
RESOURCES
►► Visit youtube.com/freethechildrenintl
to access videos about Free The
Children, whether you want to learn
more about our international or
domestic programming, or about how
Free The Children got started.
STEP #1
►► Press release
►► Event listing
►► Phone call
4
STEP #4
Begin your outreach.
►► Your communication with the media
should be done on behalf of yourself or
your school, not Free The Children.
►► If you use the Free The Children brand in
any of your PR/advertising materials, please
send the material to us—the PR and Publicity
department (contact information below)—so
we can review it to ensure accuracy.
►► If you receive an interview request (or if you are
asked a question in the middle of an interview)
related specifically to Free The Children and do
not feel comfortable answering it, please refer
the media to us (contact information below).
►► Please contact us if you receive a
request from the media to speak with
a member of Free The Children.
Should you have any questions or require any
assistance from Free The Children, please do not
hesitate to contact us. We are happy to help!
Warm wishes,
The PR Team!
Julia Thomas,
PR Manager
►► Keep things simple and personal.
►► Be confident and concise when
communicating with the media.
Free The Children
416-925-5894 ext. 831
[email protected]
►► Make sure your pitch stands out. Highlight what you and
your students are doing differently from other groups.
Educator’s Guide | 11
Want to put a spotlight
on your school’s actions?
Submit your stories and photos
to your EPC and through the
online survey, and we might
profile you next year!
Holland Landing Public School is small,
but that didn’t stop the students from
making a big splash during the Year of
Water. In November 2012, the students
had a speaker from Free The Children
come to the school and talk about her
experiences in Kenya. She told the
students about the long water walk that
many Kenyan women make every day
to fetch water, which often comes from
dirty water sources.
Walkin’
for Water:
Holland Landing
Public School,
ONTARIO
12 | School Profile
After hearing the speech, the students of Holland Landing knew they had to help.
They started with a penny drive to fundraise for water projects in Free The Children
communities. Their spare change really added up, and they raised $780. The most exciting
part? “Challenging students to see how many bags each class could fill,” says Jennifer
Chiarot, an educator at the school.
But even more plans were afoot for the next half of the year. They soon drew motivation
from another role model and speaker—Spencer West, who lost his legs at age five. Inspired
by Spencer’s story, his climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro and his 300-kilometre walk to raise money
for clean water projects, the students decided to do their own water walk in June.
For the two weeks before the walk, the students sold Me to We’s Water Rafiki Friend
Chains to encourage everyone in the school to get involved—a total of 60 rafiki friend
chains. Every rafiki sold provided one person in a Free The Children community with clean
water for a year.
The day of the water walk, the weather was beautiful. The whole school, from junior
kindergarten to Grade 8, walked the perimeter of the school field, while a student who
volunteered to DJ added an air of excitement with some tunes. Halfway through the fivekilometre walk, the intermediate students broke out into a flash mob. Talk about excitement!
And their enthusiasm is already gearing up for the coming year. With a full slate of Free
The Children campaigns planned, the students of Holland Landing are looking forward
to diving into their new year of action. At the top of their list? “We are definitely looking
forward to We Day,” says Chiarot. “We are thrilled to have earned tickets.” We can’t wait to
see what We Day will inspire them to do next!
School Profile | 13
YOUR YEAR
OF ACTION
Participate in any of these campaigns and access the materials and
resources created for both youth and educators.
OCTOBER 2013
NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2013
►► October 31: We Scare Hunger
►► We Create Change kicks off (continues all year!)
►► ABC Rafiki Friend Chain fundraiser begins (continues all year!)
►► Free The Children launches holiday campaign
►► Youth Summits (multiple cities throughout the year)
FEBRUARY & MARCH 2014
APRIL, MAY & JUNE 2014
►► February 14: We are Love
►► April 17: We are Silent
►► February 24 to March 7: We Stand Together
►► April 29: Spencer West’s road trip kicks off
►► Applications for Me to We Trips and Take Action Camps
►► Applications for Me to We Trips and Take Action Camps
TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Take Action Camps
Throughout the year, we try to provide as many opportunities as we
can for youth to take leadership and social issues education to the
next level. If your students have already mastered Free The Children’s
campaigns and want to go even further, make sure you let them know
about these additional opportunities to take action and connect with
other passionate youth.
Send your students to summer camp! Free The Children and Me to
We’s Take Action Camps are unforgettable, week-long experiences
that take place every spring and summer in Ontario and Arizona.
Along with gaining leadership skills, exploring local and global
issues, and learning the real benefits of volunteerism, youth create
friendships and make memories that last a lifetime. But there’s also
lots of room for fun, including dance lessons, soccer games, arts and
crafts, and more! Returning participants are also offered the chance
to register for advanced leadership training in specific streams—
Arts and Activism, Journalism for Justice and Social Innovation.
Youth Summit
Take the lead. Encourage your students to take part in Free The Children’s
Youth Summit, a free, one-day, annual event for student leaders to connect
and share their experiences and interests. Through a series of interactive
workshops and activities, young people ages 11 to 20 take the necessary
steps toward becoming leaders and Free The Children ambassadors.
ONE CHAIN. ONE CHILD.
ONE YEAR OF SCHOOL SUPPLIES.
Every ABC Rafiki Friend Chain equips
a child overseas for school for one
year—supporting the gift of education
in Free The Children communities. The
ABC Rafiki Friend Chain is a 48” long,
stretchy chain with glass beads. Each
piece is unique and handmade by a
mama in Kenya.
Participants leave the event with a new network of peers to support
their world-changing efforts. Youth Summit events take place in
Canada, the US and the UK. See the website or contact your EPC for
cities and dates.
Stellar Youth
PROVIDE THE ESSENTIALS
FOR SCHOOL:
Is the next world leader in your Free The Children group? Do you have
a superstar youth who is passionate, enthusiastic and committed to
changing the world? We want to hear about it!
metowe.com/abc
Me to We store | 223 Carlton Street, Toronto, ON, M5A 2L2
[email protected] | Bulk orders: 647.288.0104 ext. 1912
14 | Educator’s Guide
Share your top change-makers’ stories with your EPC, who will connect
them with like-minded youth and new opportunities to take their
involvement in local and global issues even further.
Email us at [email protected].
Bursaries are available for camp participants.
For more information on how to apply, visit
metowe.com/leadership/take-action.
Me to We School Volunteer Trips
As a teacher, you know that there’s no better classroom than
the greater world itself. Me to We school volunteer trips are
unparalleled travel experiences that give your students the chance
to immerse themselves into an eye-opening, vibrant culture in a
Free The Children community. Each trip is built around four pillars:
community interaction, cultural immersion, leadership development
and meaningful volunteerism. Me to We offers school volunteer trips
to Ghana, Nicaragua, India, rural China, Ecuador, Kenya, as well as a
unique environmentally focused adventure trip to Arizona.
Learn more at metowe.com/trips or call 1-877-638-6931 ext. 510.
Educator’s Guide | 15
sample
LESSON
ELEMENTARY Lesson
Barriers to Education; Core Lesson 1
Purpose: Students will learn about the barriers to education
that many children around the world experience.
INSPIRE YOUR STUDENTS:
BOOK A SPEAKER
Do you want to motivate your students? We’re proud
to share our team of professional speakers with
you. Our speakers are passionate, knowledgeable
individuals who can help raise awareness about
Free The Children at your school and inspire your
students to take action.
If booking a speaker isn’t financially or
geographically possible, connect with your EPC
about a live video speaking option.
Tour Speakers
Thanks to the generous support of sponsors, Free The Children is able
to offer speaking tours across select regions. These speeches are entirely
free of cost and include a one-hour keynote address for your whole
school and a two- to three-hour workshop for up to 25 students.
Tour speakers offer talks specialized to a particular theme (for example:
clean water issues, the environment, food security) instead of speaking
generally about global issues.
To book a tour speaker, email [email protected].
Instructional method: Group activity, class discussion
3. Ask students to define the term “barrier.” Name
some examples of barriers to education (e.g. poverty,
lack of school facilities, child labour, etc.).
Differentiated instruction:
4. Distribute photocopies of the story on page 18. Have one
student read aloud while the rest of the students follow along.
►► Break into groups to read the attached scenario and
brainstorm potential barriers to education.
5. Allow students 15 to 20 minutes to independently write down a
list of barriers. Then, bring the class back together in one group.
►► Have students research and write their own
scenarios illustrating barriers to education.
6. Invite students to discuss the different barriers that exist
in Sohan’s life. As students name different barriers, write
them on the blackboard. Ask students to add any additional
thoughts about the scenario and about the value of education.
Course connections: Language, Social Studies and History
Estimated time: 45 minutes
Steps:
1. Ask students why education is so important. Have
students explain the benefits of getting an education.
Outreach Speakers
2. Explain that there are many barriers that restrict children
around the world from accessing a proper education.
7. Explain that there is no single solution for overcoming the
barriers to education. That’s why Free The Children believes
that to help a developing community, you have to not only
build schools, but provide solutions to all of the obstacles
preventing children from accessing a proper education.
Outreach speakers give tailored speeches about
how they came to be passionate about global
issues, while also sharing the history of Free The
Children’s youth-led movement of global change and
sustainable development model.
Outreach speakers are:
►► Eager to speak to any age group, but
specialize in Grades 3 and up
►► Ready to customize their speeches
for your individual needs
►► Available free of cost, although there may be
an honorarium for travel expenses incurred
Contact your EPC about booking an outreach speaker.
Bureau Speakers
The Me to We Speakers Bureau is comprised of some of Free The
Children’s foremost icons and activists, such as Craig and Marc
Kielburger, Roxanne Joyal, Spencer West and Molly Burke. There is a fee
associated with booking Me to We speakers, and we ask that clients cover
travel and accommodation expenses for the speaker and one assistant.
Me to We speakers are happy to customize their speeches to your
needs. Visit metowe.com/speakers to meet the speakers and learn
about their stories and specialties. To book your Me to We speaker, visit
the website or call 1-877-638-6931.
16 | Educator’s Guide
Educator’s Guide | 17
Sohan Meena: The Struggle to Stay in School
Sohan Meena’s parents believe that you learn more by working
than you do at school. But that’s not the real reason why Sohan and
his younger brother were working before either had turned 10.
Sohan’s father grows maize for his family and works in construction.
His mother, in addition to taking care of her eight daughters and two
sons, works at the construction site alongside her husband. In the
unforgiving land around the village of Lai Gow near Udaipur, India, the
Meena family is doing everything they can to put food on the table.
As the eldest son, it’s Sohan’s responsibility to put aside his own future
to help feed his younger siblings. In 2009, when Sohan was just 13
years old, the owner of a quarry took him to the city of Udaipur to
work in his house as a cook. Sohan left his school and his community
to help support his family, hoping that his young siblings would be
luckier. But despite the barriers, he was still determined to go to school.
After a few years of working in the city, Sohan heard that a Free The
Children school was built right in his own community. He returned
home, thrilled at the opportunity to receive a good education.
His family still needed money, so Sohan got a job cooking for a work
crew of a nearby stone quarry. He would wake early and quickly
clean the kitchen and cook breakfast for the crew. From 10:30 a.m.
to 4:30 p.m. Sohan went to school, where he made many friends
and excelled in his classes. After school, however, he immediately
returned to the quarry to make dinner for the workers.
Between school and work, Sohan was hardly able to spend
any time with his family. He hopes to finish school so he
can get a better job and maybe even play a part in bringing
electricity to his village—a dream he’s had all his life.
5
easy steps FOR
participatING in THE
ABC Rafiki fundraiser
1.
1 Wear your sample chain and put
up the posters included in this kit
to share the cause with friends
and family.
2.
2 Collect order information and
payments from family and friends
and fill out the order form.
3.
3 Send or deliver a completed order
form and cheque made out to Me
to We. Remember to include your
school’s We Code.
4. Once Me to We receives
4
completed order forms and
amounts, your ABC Rafiki Friend
Chains will be sent to you.
5.
5 Distribute the chains and wear
with pride!
freethechildren.com
18 | Educator’s Guide
Jennifer Hudson supports education by wearing the ABC Rafiki Friend Chain.
freethechildren.com