ABOUT COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS: Community Connections is a lesson collection designed for adult learners and community colleges, with the goal of inspiring student civic action. This might be respectful debate or conversation about a local issue, planning a community event, or a creative project that helps connect local, national and global issues.
To use this lesson: First, watch the video and answer the questions below as a warm up. Next, choose one or more of the activities under "Take Action" that best fits your classroom. Or, use the segment above to inspire your own original classroom activities — the spirit of these lessons is to connect current events to actions that make your community a better place for everyone!
SUMMARY
Before the United States was founded, the idea of volunteering was well underway in the colonies. Now, Americans consistently donate more of their time than citizens of any other country. Judy Woodruff explores how the idea took root and why it’s become a part of our national identity. It’s part of her series, America at a Crossroads.
View the transcript of the story.
NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?
News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
- Who volunteers more of their time on average than citizens of any other country?
- What is the Patagonia fire department, and what makes it unique?
- When was the first volunteer fire department founded, and who created it?
- How did the way the United States was founded contribute to the spirit of volunteering, according to Elisabeth Clemens?
- Why did members of the Patagonia fire department decide to volunteer their time (what are some examples they offer)?
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
- What is your theory for why people in the U.S. volunteer more of their time on average than people in any other country?
- In this segment, Mark Shriver of the Special Olympics says, "human beings are social animals, right? We want to be together. We want to do something that's good for the community, good for your neighborhood." Do you think this need to be social is what motivates people to volunteer their time? Do you think the ways people socialize for your generation also impacts the way they think about volunteering their time?
Media literacy: Why do you think journalist Judy Woodruff sought to draw a line between the earliest days of the United States and volunteering today? What was important about exploring the history of volunteering?
TAKE ACTION
Plan your own community event and host a volunteer fair. Consider —
- What organizations that need volunteers could you invite to your event?
- Is there a pressing need in your community that you could address through the volunteer fair?
- What impact would you hope to have through the fair?
Also, consider interviewing a local non-profit representative about their work, especially as it addresses local needs.
This project was funded under the 2024 Leonore Annenberg Civic Mission of the Nation Initiative, sponsored by the Leonore Annenberg Institute for Civics. LAIC is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.
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