The December Giving Games Ends

Reflect On Yesterday's Mission Before moving on to your eleventh and FINAL mission, take a moment to reflect on yesterday’s mission. Which project or cause did your class choose to support, and why? What do you think they will do with your donation? Even if your donation is small, do you think it will make a difference? What other things could you do to make a difference for this cause?

Agents, your eleventh and final mission is here. Do you know what a selfie of you looks like from outer space? Well, here it is. It looks like the WHOLE PLANET! With every person and living being on it! It is the ultimate selfie. No matter how you spin it, we are all connected to one another. This means we all depend on each other to respect and care for the Earth so that it can continue to sustain our life, the lives of our loved ones, and the lives of all living beings! So… your eleventh and FINAL mission, Agents, is to discover ways you can give back to the Earth, our one and only home. You can do this as an individual Agent or as a Team. As an Agent, be extra mindful of the impact you have as you go about your day. Recycle whenever possible, and compost food instead of throwing it into a garbage where it will go to a landfill. Pick up litter on the ground to protect the wildlife, and avoid littering at all costs! As a Team, you can organize a service project to help make the Earth healthier. Organize a project where you plant trees to absorb carbon from the atmosphere while making the land more beautiful, or volunteer to clean up a nearby park or beach. Plant a garden to grow healthy, organic food, and donate some of the food to a local food shelter. The sky is the limit... Good luck, Agents. This is your final mission! If you haven't already begun to do so, report and share your experiences on the Compassion Report Map! We have already started to see meaningful and inspiring examples of what compassion looks like when brought to life by you and your team of Agents around the world! For Teachers/Parents/Mentors: Research shows that adolescents who volunteer their time and talents reduce their risk of heart disease, as well as experience higher levels of positive emotions, a stronger ability to regulate their emotions, lower levels of risky behavior such as early pregnancy and drug use, increased civic engagement and moral reasoning, and a greater likelihood of volunteering in adulthood. Learn more about the social and wellbeing benefits of service projects. All 11 Missions are available to be viewed here. Use this resource as a way to review previous or missed missions, and to see how far you've come on your journey as a Secret Agent of Compassion!

Mission 10: : Give Change

Reflect On Yesterday's Mission Before moving on to your tenth mission, take a moment to reflect on the last mission. What was it like to take time to think and care about those who are not feeling well? If you were away sick, how would it make you feel knowing others are thinking about you and concerned about your well-being? To relate to or feel another’s suffering with the desire to alleviate their pain is the essence of compassion. In what other areas of your life do you feel compassion for others? I had a huge lesson in compassion from the three teachers who have dedicated their lives to empowering  life with meaning to refugee children from around the world providing them with a safe place where to find healing and purpose.   It is a school where life and human dignity come in balance with knowledge and skills for a happy productive life.  Thank you Mrs. Seitter and Mrs. Pardue for introducing me to New Land Academy

Your tenth mission, Agents, is to collect change for a meaningful cause! You can use the #GivingTuesday Helping Hands Penny Project as a way to make your change jar. Then, decide together as a group or class which cause you want to raise money for. (You can choose from the featured projects listed below, or any cause that is meaningful to you!) Giving Games Featured Projects: The Giving Games has partnered with the Charter for Compassion International to bring you four featured projects, each centered on helping fellow youth around the globe. If you choose to do so, work with your youth to select one of these projects to focus on during the Games, or other projects they feel drawn to give to! Learn more about the featured projects here! Agents, remember... As you fulfill your mission, share your experiences on theCompassion Report Map! Your report inspires others, amplifying the power of your compassion and generosity! For Teachers/Parents/Mentors: Check out these three science-based strategies schools can use to cultivate more kindness in students. Spoiler! All 11 Missions are available to be viewed here. Use this sneak peak as a way to plan ahead, or to review previous or missed missions.

Mission 9: Give Compassion

Reflect On Yesterday's Mission Before moving on to your ninth mission, take a moment to reflect on yesterday’s mission. What was it like to realize that you own your feelings, and that you can learn to control them? Did your feelings about the person who you thought hurt you change after you thought about the good things in your life? Did your feelings of sadness or anger change? What might need to happen in order for you to forgive this person completely? I had a different take on this mission because I realized how much forgiveness we need to have as a society as we face the stereotypes - the negative actions of "some people" create.  Whether we like it or not somewhat begins to define our identity, who we are.  One wise freshman at Casady School stated during her facilitation of the I am Youth Lead workshop (a workshop on facing stereotypes created by teens for teens):  The stereotype does not define me.  In the same way, the hurt does not define my heart! The only way to happiness is by forgiving,.  If the hurt is so great, forgetting might be impossible - my brother by was killed in a car accident where the other driver was under the influence of drugs- that driver took away so many possibilities for my brother, his future family, my family and the role he would have played in making a difference in his community as a engineer specializing in anti-earthquake construction.  I have chosen to forgive,the driver but I cannot forget his action.  I honor the memory of my brother with his passion to serving others.  Altruism we only discovered from the mouths of those whom he helped.

Your ninth mission, Agents, is to bring comfort to those who are not feeling well. Bring comfort to kids who are not feeling well by making art to hang in the nurse’s or principal’s office. Draw some colorful pictures or decorations that will let these fellow students know that you are wishing them to get better. Then, deliver the pictures to your school nurse! Agents, remember... As you fulfill your mission, share your experiences on theCompassion Report Map! Your report inspires others, amplifying the power of your compassion and generosity! Going Deeper: Compassion is defined as the feeling that arises when you see another’s suffering and want to help relieve that suffering. Although you may just be learning about the word compassion, you have probably felt compassion before. If you see someone who is sad, hurt, or crying, you may have felt a pull within you that wanted to do something to help them, to comfort them and soothe their pain. Compassion is a central part to who we are as human beings, and the more we feel compassion and act upon it, the more we feel a greater sense of purpose, happiness, and connection in life with others. For Teachers/Parents/Mentors: Learn more about the science of compassion from our friends at the Compassion Action Network, including its physical and emotional health benefits, and ways to cultivate more compassion in ourselves and others. Spoiler! All 11 Missions are available to be viewed here. Use this sneak peak as a way to plan ahead, or to review previous or missed missions.

Youth LEAD OKC students worked all semester to fine tune their diversity leadership skills and chose to address a need to help other teens.   They created a new project:  Teens4Teens Project,

The Teens4-teens project partnered with Metro Tech Career Academy to help provide teen clothing to their homeless teens and then had an amazing, fun filled, deep thinking day that encompassed one of the most diverse groups of teens I have ever seen working together in the same room. @youthleadok#ProudProgramDirector #LoveMyJob #MyBabyIsLearningToLoveAll — with Carmen Clay and Tabitha May-Tolub.

Mission 8: Give Foregiveness

Reflect On Yesterday's Mission Before moving on to your eighth mission, take a moment to reflect on yesterday’s mission. What was the hardest part of talking to someone new? Some people make new friends quickly, others need time to get used to someone new. What do you like or dislike about meeting new people? What qualities do you look for in a new friend? Discuss these questions as a class, or break into small groups. I went with several students to a new school, a bit concerned about how we were going to be viewed and how our desire to share "opening difficult conversations" was going to be viewed.  The sequence the teens created for teens to open up was a good one,  We ended in a good conversation started, I AM activity.  The way the teens developed, facilitated and provided positive feedback was amazing.  The Youth LEAD teens were good listeners and provided the feedback that was needed for the conversation to continue at Metro Career Academe.  I guess for old and new friends, the most important part is to be a good listener and to ask the right questions- the ones that have the other person in mind, not a personal agenda.

Your eighth mission, Agents, is to give yourself forgiveness. Think of a situation in your life recently in which you felt hurt and connected your hurt feelings to something someone else had done. You may have even blamed this other person for your hurt feelings, saying something like, "You made me mad!" Sometimes, even just remembering what happened can make you feel hurt all over again. In fact, did that happen to you now? Take time today to notice that the hurt feelings you experienced or are experiencing exist inside YOU. That's right, the feelings come from what you are thinking and remembering in the moments in which you have them, whether this is two months ago or even now. But here's the catch: you can learn to control your feelings, rather than having them control you. It just takes practice. To do this, first recognize what you are feeling, and maybe even give your feelings names like sadness or anger. It might help to talk to someone you trust about what you are feeling. Next, try to identify if you are blaming someone else for what you are feeling. If so, remember that you can control your feelings because they are yours. And you are probably having them because something didn't happen the way you think it should. Maybe a friend said something mean about you. That's not what any of us want to have happen! This is where forgiveness comes in. It's been shown that true forgiveness takes place when people let go of their hurt feelings and replace them with positive feelings. This doesn't mean forgetting what happened, no. It's about a decision you make to see the situation differently. Maybe your friend was having a hard day or wanted something you have. It's not that they really believe what they said about you. It was just the easiest way they knew to express their unhappiness. A really common response to feeling hurt is to want another person to feel hurt. That's called trying to get revenge and when we do it, we just make situations worse. Learning to focus instead on how to be happy and live a good life is the best way to let go of hurt feelings and practice forgiveness. Agents, remember... As you fulfill your mission, share your experiences on theCompassion Report Map! Your report inspires others, amplifying the power of your compassion and generosity! Going Deeper: There is a wise saying that goes "Hurting people hurt people." It means that when our feelings are hurt, we are more likely to be unkind, grumpy, or snappy toward others. Understanding that about ourselves can help us understand our friends and family members when they are behaving this way. We can then let go of the cycle of hurt feelings by saying or doing something nice. That's how you practice forgiveness. For Teachers/Parents/Mentors: Read more about teaching the challenging concept of forgiveness to children. Spoiler! All 11 Missions are available to be viewed here. Use this sneak peak as a way to plan ahead, or to review previous or missed missions.

Mission 7: Give Friendship

Reflect On Yesterday's Mission Before moving on to your seventh mission, take a moment to reflect on yesterday’s mission. What was it like to put someone else’s needs before your own? Did you find that giving your time to help another gave you something in return? How many people in your life give their time to you so that you can feel well-taken care of, safe, and happy, and how can you return their kindness to them? Yes, I am thankful for my husband, my few friends, my students, and the people in the internet working to make this planet better for the next generations

Your seventh mission, Agents, is to make a new friend. Find someone in your school or community that you’ve never spoken to before, and strike up a conversation. Ask them about their teacher, or how their day is going. Tell them about your favorite book or movie. Invite them to do your favorite activity at school with you, or ask if you can join in on theirs. You may find you have something in common! Agents, your compassion powers are growing! As you fulfill your mission, share your experiences on the Compassion Report Map! Your report inspires others, amplifying the power of your compassion and generosity! Youth LEAD OKC gave itself the opportunity to make new friends today Going Deeper: There are many studies that show people are likely to become friends simply because they are given the chance to get to know one another. For example, one study found that students were most likely to develop best friendships with people whose last name was close to their own in the alphabet. Why? Because many teachers organize students by their last names! This simply gave those students more opportunities to get to know one another, to realize that they had things in common while they were standing in line, sitting close in class and working in groups together. The takeaway point here is this: we have something in common with everybody, if we only give them a chance. We are all human, alive, and on Planet Earth! That’s already a lot we have in common! For Teachers/Parents/Mentors: Check out this article to learn five great strategies for fostering interracial friendships among your students. Spoiler! All 11 Missions are available to be viewed here. Use this sneak peak as a way to plan ahead, or to review previous or missed missions.

Mission 6: Give a helping hand

Reflect On Yesterday's Mission Before moving on to your sixth mission, take a moment to reflect on yesterday’s mission. When you created the thank you card yesterday, did it make you see the person in a new way? Were you more aware than usual of how hard this person works, and how much they contribute? How did the person react when you delivered the card? How do you think it impacted this person’s day? Discuss these questions as a class, or break into small groups. Yes and I do not know because I sent everything via e-mail.  I will know the reactions when I see them.  I feel good connecting to all the do to make my daily routine enjoyable because of their contributions to my day and my safety.  I hope others see me in the same light.

Agents, your sixth mission is to lend a helping-hand to your home or neighborhood! Ask your parents or guardians how you can help out around your home, and happily do that for them. If you have neighbors who may need a little assistance, ask them with the permission of a parent or guardian if there is anything you can do to be of service to them. You’ll be surprised at how surprised their reactions are! Your acts of service and kindness will make a big difference for them and make you feel really good, too! Agents, remember... As you fulfill your mission, share your experiences on theCompassion Report Map! Your report inspires others, amplifying the power of your compassion and generosity! I am going to be with teens from different neighborhoods and invite them to be intentional at playing this game.  I will see what the students who live in my neighborhood and I can do for our neighbors.  At home, I will organize my home and help my husband recuperate from a bad cold. Going Deeper: Many studies show that, nationally, feelings and experiences of neighborliness have been on the decline. Neighborhoods are less a place of community than they once were for many people, where a third of Americans say they never interact with those living closest to them. Yet it takes a village to raise children! In what ways can you reach out to your neighbors to bolster your sense of community, and make your neighborhood a safer and kinder place for children and adults alike? For Teachers/Parents/Mentors: Did you know that kindness is contagious? Learn about the neuroscience of “moral elevation,” and how witnessing acts of goodness changes our brains. Spoiler! All 11 Missions are available to be viewed here. Use this sneak peak as a way to plan ahead, or to review previous or missed missions.

Mission 5: Give Appreciation

Reflect On Yesterday's Mission Before moving on to your fifth mission, take a moment to reflect on the last mission. How did you feel after laughing at nothing for 60 seconds? Did your mood change? Did you have more fun in class or as a group that day? What are some other things that really make you laugh? Discuss these questions as a class, or break into small groups. I did not laugh...just had warm moments the whole day

Your fifth mission, Agents, is to show appreciation for someone! Think of one person in your school or community who works really, really hard, but may not receive a lot of credit for doing what they do. Create a thank you card for them, and deliver it to that person before the end of the day. And Agents, remember! As you fulfill your mission, share your experiences on the Compassion Report Map! Your reports are already beginning to inspire others as the world is continues to become a safer, kinder, and better place! Good work! I will write to my students and Mr. Coate ( a picture of him clearing tree debris for our safety and his wife teaching students how to make blankets for the Salvation Army) Going Deeper: To feel “seen” is to be acknowledged by another that you belong, and that you are valued as a member of your community. This is a wonderful feeling, and giving appreciation is a power you can use all the time! If you see something that someone does that makes you happy, go and “see them” by letting them know how much you appreciate what they did or even who they are! It keeps that person motivated to stay positive, and makes you feel really positive, too. For Teachers/Parents/Mentors: While it’s valuable to encourage students to show appreciation for others, sometimes it’s our students who desperately need recognition themselves. Take a look at how this special education teacher in Florida starts each day in the classroom. Spoiler! All 11 Missions are available to be viewed here. Use this sneak peak as a way to plan ahead, or to review previous or missed missions.