These Learning Links provide ten quick-and-easy, five-minute mini-lessons to promote student thought and dialogue about service and civic engagement. You may use as many of them as you wish, and in whatever order best meets your needs and the interest of your students. The purpose of these mini-lessons is to provide a deeper understanding of philanthropy (the giving of time, talent, and treasure for the common good) and to reinforce the lesson focus. These Learning Links also promote the development of character traits, civic engagement, and student leadership. As appropriate to your grade level, it is recommended that students play an active leadership role in presenting these mini-lessons to their classmates.

1. Read: Have you heard of Mohandas Gandhi? Starting in 1915, he led a nonviolent revolution in India to bring justice and fairness to poor people, women, and people of different faiths. Instead of using the power of weapons to fight against injustice, he used the power of mass civil disobedience. He organized protests and work stoppages against unfair treatment of farmers and peasants, and he successfully turned away the oppression of a foreign government, England, that dominated India. Gandhi chose to speak about truth and fairness rather than violence and hatred. The power to fight oppression comes from the cooperation of people refusing to serve and support an unjust practice. His work inspired Martin Luther King, Jr. to lead the Civil Rights Movement in America and Cesar Chavez to get fair working conditions for California farm workers.
   Discuss: What issues of fairness and justice do we need to be aware of today? What unfair or destructive practice have you seen or read about? Is there something you can refuse to take part in or support? There are many injustices in our world—wasted resources, bullying, hunger, poverty, even slavery—what can you do to stand up for a better world? How can our service project remind people of the importance of standing up for the rights of others?
2. Read: Sierra Leone, in West Africa, engaged in violent civil war for eleven years from 1991 to 2002. The war affected children directly and indirectly in many ways. Young people watched killing and mutilation firsthand, as rebels shot their friends and families. Many children were killed, and others were orphaned. Orphaned children without resources needed to make a living in jobs that were unsafe or immoral. Through torture and threats, village boys themselves were forced to join the soldiers and start killing and torturing others. Over 1,200 schools were destroyed in Sierra Leone during the war, leaving children without access to education. Statistics gathered by UNICEF show that in Sierra Leone, nearly a third of children die before they are five (UNICEF, 2006). This high mortality rate for children is caused by poverty, hunger, disease, and other effects of war.
   Discuss: Even after the war is over, young people need help recovering from the impact of the war. They need help dealing with the emotional impact of what they have experienced. And they need to get back to school. Of the children who survive, many need to work, cannot afford the costs of going to school, or do not have access to a school building. In addition, high mortality rates lower school enrollment. How does low school attendance affect the future of the country? Is education important to the country? Is it a right for all children? What can we do to bring justice to the children of Sierra Leone?
   Facts from The State of the World’s Children, UNICEF, 2006

3. Read: Nelson Mandela is widely accepted as the most significant black leader in South Africa and a symbol of resistance against the ruling National Party's apartheid policies. From 1964 to 1982, he was incarcerated for his anti-apartheid beliefs and acts. During his years in prison, he consistently refused to compromise his political position to gain freedom. Nelson Mandela was released on February 11, 1990. He received the 1993 Noble Peace Prize. In 1994, Mandela was elected President of South Africa in the first fully representative"There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires."
   Discuss: How are the life work of Nelson Mandela and that of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. alike and different? What character traits do you think these two advocates share? What do their lives teach us about the character traits necessary to be agents of change for justice and fairness in our communities and the world? democratic election. Nelson Mandela has spent his life working for freedom and justice for all people. He is quoted as saying,

4. Read: Civil Disobedience is the active refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government. It is one of the primary methods of nonviolent resistance. Through acts of civil disobedience, people can rebel against unfair laws. Historically, it has been highly effective in bringing about change for the common good in many nonviolent resistance movements: in India’s campaign for independence from the British Empire led by Mahatma Gandhi, in South Africa in the fight against apartheid led by Nelson Mandela, and in the American Civil Rights Movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King said, "An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law."
   Discuss: Do you agree with Dr. King’s statement? Do you believe that civil disobedience—deliberately disobeying the law for a just cause—is ever appropriate? If yes, under what circumstances? What issues or causes do you believe so passionately about that you would exercise civil disobedience?

5. Read: One component that contributed to the success of the Civic Rights Movement in the United States was the music. Music had a vital role in inspiring and motivating the movement. “We Shall Overcome” was one of the most effective songs. The lyrics include, “We shall overcome some day. We'll walk hand in hand some day. We shall all be free some day. We are not afraid some day. We are not alone some day. The whole wide world around some day. Oh, deep in my heart I do believe, we shall overcome some day.”
   (Optional: Show the video of Dr. King’s “We Shall Overcome” speech found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=130J-FdZDtY&feature=related.)
   Discuss: As we plan to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy through our service event, what issues related to justice, fairness, and respect exist in our school that we need to overcome? In our community, nation, and world?

6. Read: Recently the world paused to recognize a hero by the name of Jackie Robinson who burst onto the Major League Baseball scene in1947, breaking baseball's color barrier for the very first time and bringing the Negro baseball leagues' electrifying style of play to the major leagues. Mr. Robinson entered the all white world of Major League Baseball while the entire rest of world looked on. In the fish bowl of athletic competition, his every move was watched and scrutinized. While having to continue to tolerate much of the racial bias of that time, Jackie persevered and soon he became baseball's top drawing card and a symbol of hope to millions of Americans. Those who wrote about him were quick to say, he was an extremely talented, multi-sport athlete and a courageous man. On the diamond, he electrified the crowds with his speed, fielding agility, and power. He dominated games on the base paths and irritated opposing pitchers with his uncanny ability to drive in runs. But Mr. Robinson’s story of “having been there and done that” does not end with his collection of trophies and plaques.
   While continuing to lend his name and offer his talents to civil rights advocacy, Mr. Robinson also established The Jackie Robinson Foundation which provides comprehensive scholarships and support services to minority students enrolled in colleges and universities.
   Discuss: What do you think motivates people like Jackie Robinson, who even though often treated unfairly, “step up to the plate” and continue to do what they can to make the world a better place? When it comes to our service event, how might we encourage our classmates to “get off the bench and into the game” even though there may be some who jeer and hurl derogatory comments “from the bleachers”?
7. Read: In her new book entitled, Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain (2007) Sharon Bagley, a science columnist for the Wall Street Journal, reports that continued research affirms the idea that the greater one’s sense of emotional security, the less likely one is to be hostile or bias against people who are different from themselves. The greater one’s sense of emotional security the more likely one is to interact with members of groups other than their own and be empathetic and caring toward them.
   Scientists define emotional security as feelings of comfort and interdependence with others, an optimistic nature, a realistic self-confident approach to stressful and challenging situations, an acceptance by others, a feeling of being loved by family, a sense of being safe and secure, a self-esteem that says ”I’m certainly not perfect, but I’m OK for now.” If we feel good about our circumstances, and ourselves we tend to be more accepting and tolerant of others.
   Discuss: Assuming that the conclusion of this research is correct, what might it have to say about those who involved themselves in activities such as our service event? How might this information be helpful as we encourage others to join with us during this event? Why is it important that we help others gain a sense of their own emotional security? How might our service event help to promote and enhance our own emotional security as well as that of our peers and total strangers?
8. Read: In the original movie, City Slickers, starring Billy Crystal, some hard working city people decide to leave the pressures of their city life and check out life on a horse ranch. They thought it would be fun and easy to become cowboys for a time. It wasn’t long, however, before they discovered that being a cowboy took hard work, perseverance, responsibility, and courage. It was this movie and hearing about the gangs and gang violence in Los Angeles California, that inspired Michael McMeel of Agua Dulce, California to do something to help out. He opened up his 10 acre ranch to give “street kids” a chance to meet the cowboys.  Over the past 15 year an estimated 10,000 kids ages 10-18 have been given the opportunity to attend Inner City Slickers camps. “For many kids, this experience has helped them to grow and become responsible young men and women,” Mr. McMeel shyly admits.
   Discuss: In what ways might our service event require us to be hard working and responsible? It what ways might it require us to persevere with courage? How might this experience help us to grow and become even more responsible young men and women? Mr. McMeel took on some of the toughest cases, kids who operated alone and preferred it that way and was able to get them to cooperate and be a part of a team. What strategies do you think we could use that will help everyone who participates in our service event to see the value of teamwork?
9. Read: Korina Smith graduated from High School in 2001. Prior to her graduation ceremony she had already completed 16 mission trips to Third World countries, including three "Teens for Humanity" missions she organized and took classmates to join her. At California State University, she continued to involve her classmates in this work under a more ‘grown-up’ name: INSPIRE.  Her efforts captured the attention of The Stone Soup Institute, a leadership foundation that assists people in building a more peaceful and sustainable world. She was selected as one of the world's top 100 "teen heroes." The story of Smith's passion for teaching American youths how to think and love globally through helping less fortunate people is published in Stone Soup for the Teenage World a book filled with life-changing stories of kindness and courageous acts intended to promote good citizenship and public service.
   "Korina is amazing," said a spokesperson at the Stone Soup Institute. "She has demonstrated over and over again how much can be accomplished when everybody pitches in."
   Discuss: What might motivate someone like Korina Smith to do what she did at her age? Why is it important that everyone pitch in during our service event? How will our service event be an example of an accomplishment in building a more peaceful and sustainable world?
10. Read: The Ripple Effect is a term used often in education, sociology, and economics. It depicts the impact of every single thought or act whether that thought or act is deemed extremely important or seemingly insignificant. For example, if a student is not reprimanded to correct a behavior like talking when he or she is not supposed to be talking it is likely that the negative behavior will spread like a “ripple through water”. This means that the rest of the class is more apt to engage in talking at inappropriate times. If someone is seen tossing trash out of their car window, people who observe this negative behavior are more like to imitate it.
    Social Psychology refers to the positive aspects of this imitating behavior as the Modeling Theory. The basis of this theory is that by observing model behavior and imitating it, it will result in desired positive outcomes. For example if someone is observed being thoughtful and kind, odds are that those who are the recipients or even those who have just been observers of this thoughtful and kind behavior will be more likely to pass it along; creating a rippling effect ever expanding to include others.
    Discuss: The intent of our service event is to promote positive “ripples” in our school, community and world. In what ways will the Modeling Theory play an important role in the success of our event? Why is it important to the success of our service event that we consider the impact of our behavior on others? In what ways might what we accomplish during our service event result in a flood of thoughtful and kind deeds?