Asset #27 - Equality and Social Justice - Young person places high value on promoting equality and reducing hunger and poverty.

"The true measure of an individual is how he treats a person who can do him absolutely no good" - Ann Landers

THOUGHTS TO DISCUSS WITH TEENS

Visit Amnesty International's Web site (amnesty-usa.org), click on "Act Now!" and you'll learn about several letter-writing campaigns you can join. A few recent issues: alleged abuses in U.S. jails, a humanitarian crisis in a Middle Eastern country, children forced to become soldiers in an African war. If you write a letter (or more than one), will you ever hear back from the person or persons you may have helped? Doubtful. Will anyone come to your door and say thank you? No. Is it worth doing anyway? You decide. (Succeed Every Day by Pamela Espeland, page 241.)

THOUGHTS TO DISCUSS WITH CHILDREN

Young children are concrete learners - they learn by doing. So they'll better understand the ideas of equality and social justice if they see it or experience it firsthand, instead of simply hearing about it. You might give your child lightweight canned foods to place in a donation box, while explaining the importance of sharing with people who have less. Or take your child to an animal shelter and talk about how the animals have been hurt or left behind, but are now being cared for until they find new homes. These hands-on experiences will help your child understand ways that we can make our communities better places for the people and animals who live there. (Raising Healthy Children by Jolene L. Roehlkepartain.)