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Beverly Hills: Path to Poverty Leads to Global Kindness


Nouriel and Yaelle Cohen, California

Video Synopsis:
Many people have been affected by the country's economy. Many people have lost all they have. If you lived in Beverly Hills, had a successful business, and then lost everything, what would you do? Watch this video of an incredible couple who lived in Beverly Hills, had a successful business of their own and did lose everything, and then decided what they needed to do was simplify their lives and focus on helping other people. With modest beginnings Global Kindness now feeds, clothes, and even pays bills for people who cannot do it themselves. With plans to grow into a storefront, despite the fact that the Cohens and their six children still don't have much themselves, this couple continues to give what they do have: their time, their energy and their home. Be inspired by this couple who have little but give so much.

Suggested for: Traditional schools, alternative programs, youth groups, community centers

Suggested grade use: 5-12

Quick Start

Pre-video Discussion points: Time: 10 min
21st Century skills used: LIS-CT, LIS-CI, CS-CL, CS-EL
  • How would you describe community?
  • Who is part of your community?
  • What would you do if you had everything your heart desired and overnight you were left with nothing?
  • What comes to your mind when you think about people in poverty? How do you think people come to be in poverty? How do you describe poverty? Do you think it is your responsibility to do anything about it?
  • What do you know about California? Is California, Los Angeles in particular, similar to your city or very different?
  • What do you think a wealthy business man or woman should do after they lose their business?

Video Links: Please scroll down the page to watch the video here, or click on the links below.
http://www.50in52journey.com/states/California5.asp Time: 9:43 min
Optional additional video: http://www.50in52journey.com/states/California6.asp Time: 8:08 min

Post-video Discussion points: Time: 20 min +
21st Century skills: LIS-CT, LIS-CI, CS-HL

  • What do you think about Yaelle and Nouriel?
  • What do you think about Yaelle’s sister suggesting she has to help others in her time of need?
  • How do you think Nouriel felt about his wife going out to collect food?
  • Do you think you would have come up with the same project as Nouriel and Yaelle?
  • What would you have done differently?
  • What problems do you feel the Cohens are solving?
  • Would you consider their actions Kind actions? Why/Why not?
  • What is the Cohen’s community, who is in it?

Action: Time: 40 min 21st Century Skills: CS-CL, LIS-CT, LIS-CI,

  • Define as a group what your community is and who is in it
  • Explore things that could be improved in your community.
    • Tip, this is accomplished best as a brainstorming session. One suggested method: Give each student a post-it-note pad and a pen. Depending on attention span provide 1-5 minutes for the students to write one idea on each sheet, not fleshed out, just concept. Encourage student to write as many ideas as come into their head. At 5 minutes, or when they stop writing, collect all of the notes and begin grouping them by sticking them on the wall. Create a separate line for each similar idea/category/theme. Have the group determine which line has the most suggestions and choose that as the area your group will explore to provide a solution.
  • After agreement has been reached discuss an activity/program/project the students can create to work on that problem.
  • Develop groups to tackle the different sections that need to be researched, designed, developed. Be sure to utilize all possible new media tools in the project design as appropriate.

Create Kindness based community action: 40 min 21st Century Skills: LCS, LIS-CT, LIS-CI, IMT-ML, IMT-T

  • Breakout into groups to do the groundwork for the class chosen activity.

ACTIVITY: Time determined by class

Post-activity: Time: 60 min 21st Century Skills: LCS, IMT

  • Be sure to capture a video or photographs of the students in action and have the students develop a blog entry utilizing video and photos to report their results and how the project made them feel. Submit to RAK!

Life lessons explored:

  • Need for Education
  • Struggles of poverty
  • Life choices
  • Personal drive
  • Personal passion
  • Connection to heritage

Community lessons explored:

  • Determining a need
  • Building from the ground up
  • Finding support
  • Building a team
  • Service to others

Kindness lessons explored:

  • Care for another
  • Doing over and above the expected for another
  • Living with awareness of all in your community

21st Century Skills Explored:
Life and Career Skills (LCS)

  • Initiative and Self Direction - Manage goals and time
  • Social and Cross-Cultural skills - work effectively in diverse teams, work w/people in a range of social and cultural backgrounds
  • Productivity and Accountability, manage projects, produce results
  • Leadership and Responsibility - guide and lead others, be responsible to others

Learning and Innovation Skills (LIS)

  • Critical thinking (LIS - CT)
    • Systems thinking - analyze how each part interacts to create the outcome
    • Make judgments through analysis, interpretation, reflection
    • problem solving
  • Creativity and Innovation (LIS - CI)
    • use a wide range of ideas
    • create new ideas
    • be open and responsive to new ideas
    • understand the real world limits of adopting new ideas

 

Information, Media and Technology Skills (IMT)

  • Media Literacy (IMT - ML)
    • Create media products using appropriate tools and effectively communicate to a diverse audience
  • Technology (IMT - T)
    • Use technology as a tool to research, organize, communicate


Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes (CS)

  • Civic literacy (CS - CL)
    • Civic engagement as defined "Individual and collective action designed to identify and address issues of public concern." "Civic engagement", American Psychological Association. Retrieved 11/26/07
    • Video projection
    • Internet
    • Basic video editing software
    • flip cameras or other basic video camera
    • Additional materials as required by students for their impact/kindness project
  •  


    Suggested Materials:


    Time:
    Video watching: 10 min
    Discussion time: 40 min
    Group break-out: 60 min
    Community/Kindness project: Time determined by group and action chosen
    Report creation: 60 min



    ®2010, The Random Acts Of Kindness Foundation
    1727 Tremont Place, Denver, CO 80202 • Phone: 800-660-2811 • Fax: 303-297-2919
    www.randomactsofkindness.org

    Guiding principles of 21st Century Skills from Partnership for 21st Century Skills: www.p21.org
    Videos courtesy of 50 in 52 Journey (c) 2009

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