6 posts categorized "Education"

By Nina Keehan

Ray Canterbury, a Republican member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, recently proposed that children should have to work for their free school lunches, an addition he wanted included in the Feed to Achieve Act (Senate Bill 663). The bill, which passed by overwhelming majority without his additions, makes breakfast and lunch available for free to every K-12 student in West Virginia through foundations that collect private donations and grants.

"I think it would be a good idea if perhaps we had the kids work for their lunches: trash to be taken out, hallways to be swept, lawns to be mowed, make them earn it,” Canterbury said during the debate. “If they miss a lunch or they miss a meal they might not, in that class that afternoon, learn to add, they may not learn to diagram a sentence, but they'll learn a more important lesson.”

Although Canterbury's proposal was roundly criticized by his fellow delegates, with both Republicans and Democrats voicing opposition, the controversial idea continues received national media attention, and the general public has continued the debate.

The government’s efforts to improve child nutrition through school feeding programs, as the Feed to Achieve Act aims to do, should be supported by all lawmakers who want students to excel regardless of their family’s income. Kids who eat breakfast and lunch perform better in school and have fewer behavioral issues in class, putting them in a better position to succeed.

The last thing we need to do is make it harder for the kids who need assistance to get it. Already, child nutrition programs don’t reach everyone who needs them. Today, 20.6 million schoolchildren receive free or reduced-price lunches, but 11 million of those don’t receive any breakfast assistance. Having a “there’s no such thing as a free lunch” mentality will keep millions of America’s children from realizing their true potential.

Nina Keehan, a media relations intern at Bread for the World, is a senior magazine journalism and public health dual major at Syracuse University.

Two men chatting at Bread for the World’s 2011 National Gathering. (Alisa Booze Troetschel)
 

By Mary Getz

When I was in college, I had the opportunity to spend a month in Honduras on a service-learning trip. We worked on a variety of projects and spent time talking to those alongside whom we worked. We learned about culture, agriculture, and the economy.

One afternoon after our group had finished putting in a concrete floor to a community building and we were feeling pretty proud of ourselves, we heard chuckling from some of the men with whom we had been working. We could tell that we were the source of their amusement. When we asked to be let in on the joke, the answer turned our perspective on the day upside down.

The men explained that while we did a fine job on the floor, they were capable of doing it more quickly without us. They said that the important work that day was the friendship we built and the details we learned about each other’s lives.

The men told us, “You have something that we don’t have. You have a voice. You can go back to the United States and tell our story.

"Tell about what it means to be a small farmer here. Tell about what you’ve learned about how trade in your country affects people in our country. Tell our story.”

Our friends’ call to us that day mirrored Proverbs call to action:

Speak out for those who cannot speak,
for the rights of all the destitute.
Speak out, judge righteously,
defend the rights of the poor and needy. (Proverbs 31:8-9)

We are called to advocacy—to work for justice—to speak out for those that cannot. 

Advocacy is about building relationships to achieve goals. We tend to focus upward towards our elected officials when we think of advocacy. But that focus can obscure the important relationships that are at the heart of our advocacy—people who are hungry or living in poverty. Our most authentic advocacy is done when we are in relationship with those that we are assisting.

In Matthew we read,

for I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
I was naked and you gave me clothing,
I was sick and you took care of me,
I was in prison and you visited me.  (Matthew 25: 35-36)

By meeting Christ in those around us, especially those who are in any kind of need—and by being in relationships with them—we can learn their stories and share those stories with people in power.

We can speak up for those who cannot.

Mary Getz is the grassroots and online communications officer for the Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations. She manages the Episcopal Public Policy Network, a grassroots network of Episcopalians committed to the active ministry of public policy advocacy.

[This piece originally appeared in the April edition of Bread for the World's e-newsletter.]

Photo: A street vendor selling vegetables in Vietnam. (Robin Stephenson/Bread for the World)

By Robin Stephenson

On Fridays, Bread Blog will highlight an activity, for either adults or children, that can be used by Christian educators. This activity, and others like it, can be found in the Engaging Church section of Bread’s website.

If you have ever been to a hunger banquet, you probably know that participation in one of these events often results in an “aha” moment around the issues of global hunger and food disparity. 

At a hunger banquet, a group of people share a meal, but the quality and quantity of the food and water varies. The meal that you eat is determined at random.

We are often presented with grim statistics about hunger. We hear that 925 million people face their days hungry, and are floored by that figure. But how can those who live in abundance even begin to grasp what that statistic really means? Attending a hunger banquet gives attendees at least a sense of how large the global food gap truly is.

My first hunger banquet was on a college campus. The hosts separated us into three groups.  The group representing the developed world ate large portions of protein, vegetables, and rice—a typical American meal. This group sat at a table and used flatware. Needless to say, there were only a few people in this group. The middle income group sat at a smaller table with few aesthetic details. Food was basic, but nourishing—a meal of rice and beans and clean water to drink.  There were more people at this table. The largest group sat on the floor with only one small bowl of rice per person, and no utensils or clean water.  This is how the majority of the world lives. 

I sat at the fancy table, but I could hardly eat my meal. I thought to myself, why in a world of so much do so many go without?  How did I get so lucky to be born into such abundance? 

I thought of the scripture Luke 12:48:

"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

It can be difficult for instructors to convey the concepts of abundance and scarcity in the world during a 45-minute Sunday school class or youth group. In the "Make Hunger History" curriculum there is an exercise that sparks a conversation using M&Ms. "Getting A Fair Share:  A Distribution Exercise" targets grades 7 through 9 and goes beyond just visuals and statistics and asks students to think about the root causes of hunger. 

On Fridays, Bread Blog will highlight an activity, for either adults or children, that can be used by Christian educators. This activity, and others like it, can be found in the Engaging Church section of Bread’s website.

In the "Is There Enough for Everyone?" activity, students are encouraged to work together to share increasingly scarce resources. This activity, which is appropriate for younger students, is designed to foster discussion about sharing and how people treat one another.

The children start by playing a traditional game of musical chairs—one chair and one student are eliminated each time the music is stopped. The children then play a second round of musical chairs, during which a chair is removed each time the music stops, but all students continue playing. As the game progresses, more and more people must find a way to sit on fewer and fewer chairs until, finally, everyone must sit on one remaining chair.

Once the commotion dies down, ask everyone to sit down, and think about how they acted toward one another in each of the games: How did it feel to have enough chairs, and then to slowly lose them until there wasn’t enough room for everyone? What would it be like if this was the amount of food you had to eat, instead of the number of chairs you had to sit on? How would this affect your life?

After the discussion, the activity ends with a prayer about sharing:

Read the entire "Is There Enough for Everyone" lesson plan from Bread for the World's "Making Hunger History" children's curriculum for more details. If you're interested in addressing the same general topic with teenagers or adults, consider a book group discussion of Bread for the World founder Art Simon's How Much Is Enough?

On Fridays, Bread Blog will highlight an activity, for either adults or children, that can be used by Christian educators. This activity, and others like it, can be found in the Engaging Church section of Bread’s website.

This week, African-American Voices for Africa released a new public service announcement that encourages African-Americans to support programs that help citizens of African nations lead more prosperous, stable, and healthy lives. Bread for the World’s Offering of Letters Campaign continues to urge Congress to create a circle of protection around  poverty-focused foreign aid, funding vital programs that save lives and help improve conditions for millions more by giving them the tools they need to lift themselves out of poverty.

How do you teach children about people and countries so far away?  This week, consider taking them on an airplane ride—a virtual one—to Africa. 

In this activity, children hear how Jesus taught his disciples the Lord’s Prayer because he wanted them to pray but also to pray for others. After learning many facts about Africa, and taking an imaginary plane ride to the continent, the lesson culminates in learning the prayer below. 

Read the entire Praying for Children in Africa lesson plan from Bread for the World's “Helping Hungry People" children's curriculum for more details. 

Our Prayer For Africa

We thank you for all children,

Near and far away.

Today we learned about Africa,

And we learned that we must pray.

The children need clean water

And healthy food to eat.

They also need medicines.

In schools they want a seat.

Take care of those in Africa.

We know you love them too.

As we continue to pray for them,

Show us more that we can do.

Photo: A young girl holding a collection plate filled with letters after an Offering of Letters workshop. (Bread for the World)

 

Seven Cents a Day Educational Activity

Ages: 5-12

Time: 20-25 minutes

Description:

In 2000, the world’s leaders set goals that would make the world a better place for everyone by 2015. One goal was to decrease the number of people living in poverty and hunger by half. If every person in the United States gave seven cents a day, we could achieve that goal.

With the children, figure out how much seven cents a day would be at the end of one week, one month, six months, one year, two years, and at the end of 2014. Then, make banks for the children to take home and use to save their seven cents a day.

Materials:

1. Jars with lids

2. Drawing paper

3. Pencils

4. Markers that will write on the surface of the jar

5. A sharp implement to cut the jar lid

Directions:

1. Clean the jars thoroughly, inside and out.

2. On drawing paper, plan the design for the bank.

3. Copy the design to the jar with markers.

4. Cut a hole large enough to insert a penny in the lid (An adult can do this—do not have the children cut the hole).

5. Screw the lid on the jar.

Discussion Topics: 

1. What would seven cents a day mean for your family?

_______ family members × 7 cents = _______ a day

_______ × 7 days = _______ a week

_______ × 4 weeks = _______ a month

_______ × 12 months = _______ a year

2. What might your family do without in order to give seven cents a day for each family member?

Here are some ideas:

• One dessert each week
• One movie (rental or theater) each month
• One special snack each week

What else can you think of?

How much would you be able to give if you gave up one of these things?

3. How often will you give your money to your church or another organization that fights hunger?

Is there an activity you have used to teach anti-hunger advocacy?  Tell us about it in the comments.