Empathy Rocks in the USA:
Homeless Youth
Find the Lesson Here
Students will learn about homelessness in America’s young people, how it happens, why kids end up homeless, and how people can help. They will complete a community service learning art project at the end.
Each month we will provide our “Empathy Countdown,” with 5 Acts of Kindness, 4 suggested art lessons with instructions, 3 Reading Guides, 2 Activities, and 1 Empathy Inspiration. Each has a lesson about empathy that can be discussed either before or after the art project is completed. These are simply extras provided for you if you would like to supplement the lessons, and are not required. Most projects shouldn’t take more than thirty minutes and are easy and fun for students.
Supplemental Guides
ACTS OF KINDNESS
Make a video to bring awareness to an issue that matters to you.
Write a letter to someone in your family you don’t get to see a lot telling them how much they mean to you.
Say thank you to everyone who helps you with anything.
Donate one old clothing item or toy to a homeless shelter.
Make something for someone, just because they’re special to you.
Art Projects
How to Change the World
Personal Pizza
People Puppets
Shaving Cream Marble Earth
Reading Guides
Those Shoes
Sam and the Lucky Money
Each Kindness
Classroom activities
Similar and Different
What Do You See
Empathy Inspiration
From a very young age, Jahkil Jackson, 9, would beg his parents to give money to the homeless people they passed on their local Chicago streets. After helping his aunt distribute food at a local shelter, Jahkil decided he wanted to do more.
He founded Project I Am and creates what he calls "Blessing Bags," filled with snacks, toiletries, a towel and socks and began to distribute them to the homeless people in his community. Jahkil works with community members and friends at school to generate donations, organize bag-stuffing parties and hand out the bags. With the help of friends and family, Jahkil has donated more than 3,000 Blessing Bags in Chicago communities and has set a goal to distribute 5,000 by the end of this year.