Charity For Change – Empowering Children Through Empathy, Compassion and Compassion
Charity for Change provides children with the skills they need to be resilient and compassionate in the face of trauma. Our proven curriculum improves behavior and academic performance and builds resiliency and life-skill competencies in pre-K-5 students.
Charities are designed to address societal issues that may go unaddressed by governments or corporations. Whether they are focused on promoting social justice, advocating for policy changes or empowering marginalised communities.
Educator-Facilitated Curriculum
Charity for Change builds resiliency and self-efficacy in children, setting them on a trajectory to thrive in school and later in life. This character-based program empowers students to help their peers and the world through empathy, compassion and a spirit of generosity.
This curriculum is anchored by the Charity for Change mascots, Giver and U2Can and is expanded through the interactive video series GiverTV. It combines service learning and character education with mindfulness, social-emotional learning and critical thinking.
This work has the potential to change the way schools approach global citizenship. It challenges a knee-jerk reaction and the ‘impulse to help’ as described by Bryan (2013) that can lead to the perpetuation of the vicious circle of aid. It encourages educators to consider the wider implications of their actions and to challenge the underlying agendas of certain charities. This can help to reduce the reliance on Western donors and avoid creating a ‘West-centric’ perspective. It also supports the development of a more nuanced idea of happiness that is not dependent on material wealth.
GiverTV
GiverTV is an interactive video series that expands the classroom-based Social-Emotional Learning Giver Program to reach students beyond the classroom. Featuring the Charity for Change mascots, U2Can and Giver, as well as the program’s founder, Charity Karen, this series offers real-life examples of key character traits, service learning activities and philanthropic crafts that families can do together.
Developed by Sinking Ship Entertainment and TVO, this popular show gives kids the opportunity to see their own efforts pay off in a big way. The episode-by-episode build projects are a testament to what can be accomplished when you put young people in charge of a project and empower them with resources, materials and support.
Each episode follows teams of six kid volunteers and their adult counterparts as they work together to make thematic playground fantasies come to life for community programs in need. With the help of an energetic and handy host, Michael, this do-it-yourself reality series teaches the value of teamwork and problem solving.
Online Activities
Charity for Change offers an online children’s TV series that helps students learn about key character traits and engage in charitable crafts and activities. Episodes feature guest appearances from Florida Senator Kathleen Passidomo, Safari Suzanne, and other community leaders along with educational content designed to support academic achievement in math and language arts while building resiliency and critical life skills.
The system also has an online petition platform, where users can create petitions advocating for various causes. However, the site is for-profit and profits from each “victory” that is won on the website.
Another tech friendly option for charity events is a text drive where attendees can donate to charities of their choice by sending in their cellular phone numbers. Incentives like free swag or discounts on future event packages can help persuade potential donors. Ultimately, this can be a powerful way to build brand loyalty and engagement in a time of crisis for your organisation.
Volunteer Opportunities
A variety of websites offer online volunteering opportunities. Some of these include VolunteerMatch, Idealist and JustServe. Each of these sites allows nonprofits to post volunteer positions and allow volunteers to search for those roles in their communities. Idealist also provides a wiki-like feature where users can create volunteer projects and upload photos of those events.
Spread Knowledge – Teach children at local libraries, schools and day care centers to love reading through organizations like Jumpstart. Tutor students who struggle academically through organizations like Reading Corps. Help keep museums and other historic sites alive by donating your time and energy to museum services like archaeology and exhibit maintenance.
Organize and clean out your closets to donate gently used clothing to organizations such as Dress for Success or your local thrift store. Lend an ear – Become a listener on your local crisis hotline or call center. Be a voice of compassion for teens at your local teen crisis line.