URI Kids - Activities
Traditional Learning:
What is the United Religions Initiative?
Objective:
To help students learn about the United Religions Initiative both for the
purpose of providing students with an innovative model for doing global good
and/or for the purpose of exploring involvement in the organization
Materials:
The background information titled Learning More about the URI: backgropund
Information and Charter (found on the web site and in the hard copy manual.) The
leader should read this information carefully and determine how to present the
information (or parts of the information) to the particular group of students
they are working with. The ideas will need to be simplified and/or interpreted
for students below high school age.
The Lesson:
This depends on the age group but here are some basic suggestions.
- Use the Preamble. Ask students to
take turns reading the preamble a line at a time. Pause after each and ask for
an interpretation as to the meaning or intention.
- When you finish reading the preamble
ask students what statements were particularly meaningful and important to
them.
- Use the purpose statement. Have
students copy it down phrase by phrase. After each phrase, unpack the meaning.
When you have finished taking apart the purpose phrase by phrase ask students
to read it out loud together in unison. Then ask them what they think of the
purpose. Does it seem important to them? Why?
- Use the principles. Again use the
line-by-line reading format, each read by a different student. This time
rather than discuss each principle one-by-one, ask students to each select on
principle they think is important and ask them to explain why to the group.
- If you are working with an older
group interested in possibly joining in the efforts of the URI, use the
guiding questions and activities described at the end of the document Learning
More about the URI.
- Use the diagram of the
organizational plan for the URI to discuss the organizational plan itself.
Have students discuss why such a model was chosen.
Follow-up/Assessment:
Have students write a reflection in their learning logs or as a stand alone on
what they think of the United Religions Initiative and what they think the
challenges of such an organization would be. Have students share their thoughts
with the group.