Kids and Philanthropy 

By the time children are in middle school, most have developed feelings of empathy and compassion, especially for animals and other children. Introducing the concept of philanthropy at this age is especially effective in helping children develop a lifelong passion for giving, volunteering and making the world a better place.

Hampstead Technology Integration teacher Sherri Mancusi introduced a new 30- day course curriculum this year that has shown how to use real-world activities to harness technology in a fun and meaningful way. Mancusi came up with the idea of having students learn how to choose an appropriate charity and to give intelligently.

“I know our students love to give and student organizations are always doing fundraisers for different charities. So I created a course that would build on the students’ interest in social responsibility that would make philanthropy a part of the curriculum and teach them how to utilize technology to make informed choices about giving.

The students had access to Flip video cameras the school recently purchased, as well as several pieces of free software that most students should know how to use.  Each student selected an issue of importance to him or her and found a charity that helps with that issue. Using a collaborative PB Wiki site, students brainstorm, research and answer eight essential questions about their issue and their charitable organization. Then, using the Photo Story 3 Flip cameras and Windows Movie Maker, each student creates a video that presents the issue and advocates for the charity. The student videos are posted on a School Tube Channel. At the end of the every 30-day session, other 6th graders vote on which video was most successful in appealing for the charity. The winner gets a $50 donation to the charity featured in his or her video, donated by the school’s Parent Teacher Association.  The project has been a big hit with the students.

The most recent winner was Kassidy Tardiff who selected child abuse as her issue and Child and Family Services as the charity she would like to support.

 “I watch the news a lot and I’ve heard about child abuse,” says Kassidy. “ It concerns me that it’s happening a lot, so I wanted to do something to help. I thought I’d heard the name “Child and Family Services” before, so I looked it up on the charity web site we used. I think they’re doing a great job of helping the children find homes and keeping them safe.“  You can see Kassidy’s video by clicking here.

According to Mancusi, the students were terrific to work with on this project. “The students’ enthusiasm and willingness to help me was contagious—the first time you teach a course, you always make changes and the kids just rolled with the punches every time. “

By the end of the school year, every sixth grade student at Hampstead Middle School will know how to make a simple video. But the class is more than that. Every student will have experienced the pleasure of hard work toward a selfless end, noted Mancusi in a story printed in the Tri-Town Times in November, 2009.