Ideas for Children and Youth

A volunteer helps organize food for distribution at the San Francisco Food Bank

Children and youth are leading the way toward environmental justice and stewardship of the Earth. If you’re looking for ways to involve children and youth in 40/40/40, you might best start by asking them for their ideas. Looking for more?

The 40/40/40 Sample Actions Document lists 10 sample actions for children and youth. But that’s just the beginning.
Jessica Rubenstein, Director of Youth Ministry for Winchester Unitarian Society in Massachusetts, has generated great conversations in the church’s large youth group with excerpts from Michael Pollen’s book The Omnivore’s Dilemma for Kids, which is really for middle school and high school ages, and movies like Fast Food Nation, Supersize Me, Food Inc., The Future of Food, and FRESH (most of which are reviewed in the updated Ethical Eating: Food and Environmental Justice 2010 Study Guide).
Jessica points out the availability of great curriculum online on food sovereignty, lessons for garden, kitchen, and classroom, and much more.

On 40/40/40 for the Earth!’s Facebook page, starter activities for kids has been a hot topic. Check out that page’s comments for more ideas like Peggy Ellis’s to “throw away NOTHING at lunchtime. Use all reusable containers, take utensils from home that get washed and reused, take water in a reusable container. Urge other kids to do the same.” Susan Eakins reminds us how easy it is to find a nearby farmed animal sanctuary where you can help, pet, and care for farmed animals…and she asks, are any UU congregations part of Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots groups?

Soon we’ll post ideas about UU curricula you can use during, and well beyond, the 40/40/40 campaign. But what ideas would you add to the mix? Let’s hear it in the comments.

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