Action on Poverty2016 - 2018

National Service Project

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ACTION ON POVERTY INSTANT MEETINGThe following activities support the National Service Project: Action on Poverty by providing an opportunity for girls to learn about poverty in Canada. You may choose to do as many activities as you want, but be sure to choose ones that best match your unit’s abilities and interests. Please do not hesitate to adapt activities as needed. While these activities are not mandatory for earning the Action on Poverty crest, they are a great and fun way to garner interest in the NSP and determine which service project(s) your unit is interested in pursuing.

PARTICIPATING IN THE NSPAction on Poverty will run for two Guiding years – 2016-2017 and 2017-2018. Units can participate by choosing to prepare for their service by using activities from the Instant Meeting document. Once units have completed their service activity and logged their actions, Guiders can choose to present girls with the Action on Poverty crest available that year. There will be a unique new crest available each year of the Action on Poverty NSP.

Your Action on Poverty Kit includes the following documents all available on the Action on Poverty NSP website:

• Backgrounder document• Instant Meeting document

All service activity suggestions are outlined on their unique pages of the NSP website.

We recommend that you complete both the Starter Activity and Closing Activity as well as two or three other activities. After completing this instant meeting, as well as a service activity, Guiders can choose to present girls with the new NSP crest available from the online store.

The activities in this instant meeting could elicit strong personal feelings for some girls and Guiders. Please refer to the Addressing Sensitive Issues section of the Action on Poverty Backgrounder for more information.

Don’t forget to share what you’re doing to take Action on Poverty with us. Tell us what activities your unit participated in , share photos and stories with us using #GGCNSP and #poverty and the following tags:

Girl Guides of Canada @girlguidesofcan @girlguidesofcanada

LET’S CONNECT Share your

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LEARNING OBJECTIVE:To learn about the causes of poverty in Canada and the diverse individuals it affects

LEARNING OUTCOMES:1. Girls will gain a better understanding of what poverty is – who it affects and the various ways it can

impact people’s lives.2. Girls will work to reduce the stigma of poverty through continuous learning and dialogue.3. Girls will build their understanding and respect for the life circumstances of those living in poverty.

SERVICE OUTCOME: • Girls will take action to reduce the effects of poverty for those living in their community.

Look for the OUTDOOR icon throughout this instant meeting. This icon identifies activities that can easily be done outdoors with little or no modifications.

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BEGIN the instant meeting with this Starter Activity.

STARTER ACTIVITY: WHAT IS POVERTY?This starter activity will give girls an opportunity to begin to think about what poverty is and will help them to realize/recognize their own assumptions and biases about what it means to live in poverty.

Using images, words, drawings, etc, girls will be make collages that reflect their interpretation of what poverty is.

MATERIALS REQUIRED:

• Poster paper for each girl• Various magazines and flyers for cutting out images• Scissors• Glue• Markers, pencil crayons, crayons, pencils, pens

Have a brief discussion with girls to get them thinking about the words poverty, homelessness, hunger, and what other words and images the terms bring to mind. Have girls create collages reflecting their interpretation of these words, or based on what was discussed. Girls can cut out images from the materials provided and paste them onto their posters, as well as draw and write words and images on their paper.

When girls are finished, hang the collages around the room and have a short gallery walk. Bring girls together and have a discussion about what they might have noticed about the collages, how they decided what to include in their own collage, and their feelings completing the activity. If needed, the following questions can be used to help with the discussion:

• What do you notice about the collages?• How is poverty, homelessness and hunger depicted?• What was difficult or easy about creating your collage?• What main ideas did you want to communicate about someone

who is homeless or struggling with poverty?• What thoughts/feelings did you have during this activity?• Did your thoughts/feelings change from the beginning of the

meeting?

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CONTINUE your meeting by selecting two or three of the activities below.

1. TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT?(Modified based on ‘What would you take?’ from Homelessness: A Teacher’s Guide from the Greater Vancouver Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness, http://stophomelessness.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/teachers-guidelr_10.pdf )

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• Backpacks or bags – one per group• Various items for each group to choose from to pack – see ideas below

Example of possessions that might be included (adapt the list as needed for ages and needs of the girls in the unit):

• Clothing items: shoes, socks, boots, hats, mittens, shirts, pants, sweaters, coats, underwear, scarves, dresses, skirts, tights

• School books and supplies• Personal hygiene items: toothbrush, toothpaste, brush, comb, shampoo,

conditioner, deodorant, soap, mouthwash, dental floss, feminine care products, nail file

• Food items: canned food, boxed food, fresh food items• Household items: cups, plates, silverware, small kitchen items, water bottle,

various empty containers, small tools• Personal possessions: photos, jewelry, books, toys, stuffed animals, blanket, pillow, iPod, cell phone,

wallet, identification, money, various chargers for electronic devices

NOTE: other ways to facilitate this activity might include completing the activity as a large group, or using images of various items as opposed to the actual items.

Begin the activity by talking with girls about what possessions someone who is homeless might have or not have. Remind girls that there are different ways to be homeless such as living on the street, staying with various friends/family for short periods of time (“couch surfing”), or staying in a shelter. Point out to girls that sometimes people need to leave their homes very quickly, within minutes even, and need to decide what to take with them. Time pressure makes it even harder to decide what to take: Do you take what you need? What you want? A combination of both? How do you decide?

Break girls into small groups of three to four girls. Explain that they are going to act out a scenario. They have to imagine that their family has just been evicted from their home and they must leave quickly. In their group, they have to decide what they are going to take with them, based on what they think they will need and what they can fit into a single backpack/bag. Remind girls that these decisions are not easy ones to make and that there is no right or wrong answer. Groups should come to some agreement about what they are going to take, so that everyone feels comfortable with the decision. Give groups about 10 minutes to discuss their options, make their decisions and pack their bag.

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Once each group has packed their bag, bring the groups together to share with each other what they chose to pack and why. The following questions may be used to guide the discussion if needed:

• Why did you choose to take the items you packed?• What got left behind and why?• Describe how the activity made you feel.• What are some of the consequences of not having certain items you left behind?• Would you change any of the items in your backpack after seeing what others packed? Why?• Where would you get the thing you need but now don’t have?

2. THE DECK IS STACKED (Modified based on “Stack the Deck” from Poverty USA Bishops, http://www.povertyusa.org/assets/education/Stack-PPT.pdf )

MATERIALS:

• Deck of cards – one per girl º All decks should be organized in order from highest (Aces) to lowest (2s). Jokers should be

removed. • Set of situation cards – one per group (see page 20)

• NOTE: Other ways to facilitate this activity:• Complete the activity as a large group• Provide each girl with one suit of cards (e.g. hearts, diamonds) organized in the same way rather than a

full deck• Eliminate any situation cards girls in the unit won’t identify with or that apply to older girls

STEP 1 Have girls arrange themselves into groups of three. Girls should be seated together either in chairs or on the floor. Provide each girl with a deck of cards and each group with a set of situation cards (page 20). Have girls decide who will be Character One, Character Two and the Banker.

Explain to the unit that this activity will give them the opportunity to see how some life experiences impact a person’s income potential and life situations. Explain that the two characters have their own individual backgrounds, experiences, choices and opportunities in life. These experiences, choices and backgrounds will be represented by the cards in the deck. The Banker will help with the exchange of cards during the game.

STEP 2 Share with girls that Character One has been born into a low-income family and lives in a poor neighbourhood. In comparison, Character Two has been born into a wealthy family and lives in a suburban neighbourhood. Tell girls that in their groups they will now go through life with the two characters by reading through the situation cards one at a time and following the instructions.

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STEP 3 Allow time for girls to play the game.

• Girls will take turns reading out the situation cards in their group and following the instructions on them related to the cards they are holding.

STEP 4 When groups have worked through all of the situation cards, ask girls to look at the cards they are left with. How do their two decks now compare? Do they each have a lot of high or low cards? Tell girls that you are all now going to see the effect each of the Character’s background, experiences and opportunities had on their earning potential. STEP 5 Have the Characters in the groups shuffle their decks and then take the top four cards from their decks. Girls will add their four cards together as follows:

• Aces count as 25 • Kings count as 20 • Queens count as 15

• Jacks count as 10 • All others are worth face value When their four cards are added together, and add three 0s to the total. (If girls are using a single suit of cards, add four 0s to the total.) This makes up their Character’s earning potential. For example, if their four cards added up to 10, then their earning potential would be 10,000. Have a few groups share with the unit their earning potentials. STEP 6 Share with girls that Canadian statistics show that someone without post-secondary education earns on average 68-75¢ for every dollar earned by someone with a post-secondary education. On average someone starting out with only a high school diploma earns just over $20,000/year. Someone with a certificate or degree from post-secondary education can earn on average $35,000 - $65,000/year.

Have a discussion with girls including some of the following questions:

• What other individual factors and choices can still affect a person’s income potential that haven’t been reflected in the cards?

• How is the deck ‘stacked’ against Character One?• How is the deck ‘stacked’ in favour of Character Two?• What types of jobs might Character One and Two have based on their experiences and incomes?• How will their incomes either set them up for a better chance of success, or make them more

susceptible to homelessness and poverty?• What sorts of financial challenges might Character One face based on their monthly income? How

would this change if they had a family to support?

NOTE: that Character One’s four cards should add up to between $8,000 and $36,000 while Character Two’s four cards should add up to between $36,000 and $100,000.

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3. FACTORS LEADING TO POVERTYModified based on “Take A Step” from Poverty USA. (http://www.povertyusa.org/assets/education/Take-a-Step.pdf )

In this activity, girls will experience a visual representation of how different factors can make someone more vulnerable to poverty, homelessness and hunger.

MATERIALS

• Tape that can be used on the floor• Three different colours of index cards (e.g., yellow, blue, red)

º Each girl will need to receive a card, however approximately 70% of the cards should be one colour (yellow), 20% a second colour (red) and 10% a third colour (blue). If you use colours other than these, please ensure to maintain the same ratio of colours as described.

• Scenarios (page 22) Guiders will put a piece of tape along the floor down the center of the room before the activity begins. The tape should be long enough so that all girls can stand along the tape line. Randomly provide each girl with a coloured card and have them stand along the line so that everyone faces one direction.

Explain to girls that you will be reading out various scenarios (page 22). They need to listen to each scenario, and then follow the instructions that apply to them based on the colour of card they are holding.

NOTES TO GUIDERS:

• Not all colours will move in each scenario. If a colour is not indicated, those girls stay where they are.• Use as many or as few of the scenarios as you have time for and/or select the scenarios that work best

for the age, interests and abilities for your girls. After all the scenarios have been read, allow a few moments for girls to look around to see where everyone is standing in relation to where they originally started. One at a time, ask girls to hold up their cards by colour so they can see how each card provided different advantages or disadvantages. Bring the unit back together for a short discussion of the activity, which can include some of the following questions:

• Share some of your thoughts and reactions to the activity. What surprised you?• What did you think/feel when you were moving one way and others were moving in the opposite

direction?• Were there any “step backwards” statements that you remember most? Why?• How might some of the “step backwards” experiences lead to, or were be caused by poverty,

homelessness or hunger?• If you were someone that mostly stepped forward, how did you feel when you saw others having to

step backwards?• If you were someone that kept stepping backwards, how did you feel when you saw others keep

moving forward?

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• From what you experienced in the activity, what do you think some of the causes or effects of poverty are? Are there any that weren’t in the activity?

• What are some things that we can do to help those people who always seem to be ‘stepping back’ in life? (Think about the situations that were in the different instructions – homelessness, clothing, hunger, being cold, access to things like internet, books, etc.)

4. ONE IN FIVE(Modified based on “One in Five” from Poverty USA, http://www.povertyusa.org/poverty-resources/education-center/grades-k-5/)

MATERIALS:

• Index cards labeled 1 through 5; enough for one card per girl• Safety pins or tape that will hold index cards on clothing• Four bowls

º One large bowl labelled ‘Needed for Daily Life’ and filled with Cheerios º One medium bowl labelled ‘Nice to Have’ and filled with a healthier snack

item (raisins, dried cranberries, pretzels, popcorn, etc.) º Two small bowls labelled ‘Treats’ and each filled with a different treat item

(Smarties, Skittles, small hard candies, etc.)• Small Dixie cups

Depending on the size of the unit, Guiders may choose to have more than one bowl of certain food items or more than one food table. Guiders should select items that they know will appeal to the girls in their unit and are in keeping with all food allergies and restrictions within the unit.

Bring all girls together. Ask girls to guess how many children in Canada live in poverty as a number of one in X. After taking several guesses or the correct guess is made, Guiders can share that according to a 2015 report called Let’s Do This (Campaign 2000), one in five children in Canada live in poverty. Have girls look around and calculate how many girls that might equal in their unit. Explain that this activity is going to allow them to see and experience for a moment what that one in five number means.

Tell girls that they will have an opportunity to select some food items and treats during the activity, but it’s important that they not eat any of them until the end when they are told they can do so. Explain that there are four food items on the table. Cheerios which represent the food they need to eat each day to survive. There is also a healthy snack which represents food that it is nice to have, and two bowls of treats which represent the special treats they sometimes enjoy.

Have girls form a line and hand out the numbered cards. Have girls tape or pin the cards to the middle of their shirt where everyone can see it. Provide each girl with a small Dixie cup and have them sit in a circle.

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Invite the girls with the numbers one through four to the food table. Let them know they can fill their cup with whatever food items they like and they can fill their cup to the top. When they are finished, have them return to the circle and remind them they are not to eat any of their food yet.

Invite girls with the number five on their cards to the food table. These girls represent the one in five children in Canada who live in poverty. Let them know that even if there are other items still available, they are only allowed to choose Cheerios and they can only fill their cup halfway. When they are finished, have them return to the circle and remind them they are not to eat any of their food yet.

Have girls look around the circle at the food cups sitting in front of everyone. Have a short discussion that might include some of the following questions:

• How did you feel when you were invited to the food table?• Why do you think that girls with the number 5 were only allowed

to take Cheerios?• If you were invited to the table first:

º What did you think when you saw the options available? How did you feel?

º What did you think when you heard the second group didn’t have the same opportunity you did? How did you feel?

• If you were invited to the table second: º What did you think when you saw the food the first group was

able to get? How did you feel? º What did you think when you didn’t have the same options?

How did you feel?• How did it feel to have a number 5 on your card and represent

the children in Canada who live in poverty?• How do you think this activity is similar from what children who

live each day in poverty experience? How is it different?

Allow girls to enjoy their food items and let them know they can share with others in the group who may not have as much, or the same items. Allow girls who initially weren’t allowed all food items to come back and select from the items they may have missed out on. As girls share their food and enjoy their snacks, have them brainstorm some ways they can apply what they learned from this activity in their everyday life.

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5. GUEST SPEAKER • Invite an employee or volunteer from a local shelter or food bank to speak to the unit. Alternatively,

you may invite someone who was formerly homeless/living in poverty (if you feel this is appropriate for your unit).

• Ask your guest speaker to spend about 10 minutes telling the unit about herself/himself.• Encourage the unit to ask your guest speaker some questions. These may include:

º What inspired you to work/volunteer for the organization? / How did the organization help you when you were living in poverty?

º What are some daily difficulties/barriers that you witness/experience? º What are the most common misconceptions about homelessness/poverty/hunger? º What do girls need to understand most about poverty in Canada?

6. FOOD MATTERS Food prices in northern communities are extremely high and driven by costs such as transportation and utility bills, which are much higher in the North (Toward Food Security in Canada’s North, Canada’s Public Policy Forum). As a result, many northern families go hungry and/or eat less nutritious but cheaper foods (getting fresh fruits and vegetables is much harder when it is expensive).

MATERIALS AND PREP:

• Prepare a grocery list with 15+ common grocery items (e.g. potatoes, oranges, pasta, apples, cereal, milk, cheese, bread, pasta, carrots, celery, lettuce, salad dressing, pasta sauce).

• Estimate the price for those items in your community or note them down the next time you go grocery shopping.

• Try to look for the price of the item from northern communities. You may use End the Price Hike’s website or Instagram account as a resource.

• If you are not able to find the prices from northern communities, you can double or triple the cost of food items in your community price to illustrate the high prices in the North. In some cases, food staples sell for as much as 10 times the Canadian average (http://endthepricehike.ca/).

• Print out two sets images of each item you have on your “grocery list.”• On one set of images, write the local price of the grocery item. On the second set, write the estimated

price for that item in a northern community. • Using the images, set up two “grocery stores” on either sides of your meeting space, one will

represent a local store while the other will represent a store in a northern community. • Provide fake money (this can be play money from a monopoly game, fake bills that you create on

paper etc.). Each group should be given an amount that is enough to shop for a family of four. This is approximately $140 per week in an urban setting. This figure will differ depending on the area you live in and the types of groceries you buy. Please adjust accordingly.

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ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS:

• Ask girls to get into groups of three or four.• Tell them that they are going to go “grocery shopping” and will have to pick up

items that they feel could feed a family of four for a week.• Provide each group with fake bills. • Send some of the groups to the grocery store in your community and the other

groups to the grocery store in the northern community to go shopping.• Girls should go to the store assigned and write a list of the things they choose to

buy. Remind them that they can only spend the amount of money they have.• Come together as a unit and discuss what groceries each group purchased.• Discuss the following:

º How did the two groups compare? Consider amount, nutrition, quality etc. º Would the second group have enough nutritious foods to feed their family? º What did you eliminate from your shopping list and why? º How liberated or limited did you feel in your decision-making power? º What are some reasons why northern prices are so much higher?

7. HARD CHOICES

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• Six hula hoops or enough rope/yarn to make six circles on the ground• Label each circle with a piece of paper (Note: make sure girls can see/read the labels or have someone

read out the labels to the girls)1. Skip a meal/go hungry2. Sleep in an unfamiliar place3. Feel cold outside4. Wear shoes that are too small or worn out5. Go a week without a shower6. Feel ignored/invisible

• Write the following acts of service on multiple sticky notes. Depending on the size of your unit, you will need to repeat the sticky notes various times. There will need to be one sticky note for each girl in the unit, with a few extra of each.1. Donate food2. Volunteer at a women’s shelter3. Donate winter clothes4. Donate clothing5. Donate toiletries (shampoo, soap, etc.)6. Give a stranger a hot drink/a smile/a scarf

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ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS:

• Explain that sometimes when a person is living in poverty, they have to make very difficult choices. For example, if they only have so much money for the month they may have to choose between paying rent, feeding themselves, going to the dentist or buying a much needed winter jacket. There are consequences for each: possibly being forced to leave your home because you can’t pay the rent, going hungry some days, being in pain and risking further illness or being cold in the winter.

• Lay out the hula hoops (or rope/yarn circles) on the floor and ask girls to step into one of the circles. Note: You may need large rope/yarn circles to accommodate your group size, or split your unit into smaller groups and provide multiple playing areas.

• Ask them why they picked the circle they did (e.g.: Why did they choose to skip a meal rather than wear shoes that are too small?) How does it feel to have to choose between the options given?

• Then ask the girls to step into the following circle based on the first letter of their first name

1. A-D 2. E-H

3. I-L 4. M-P

5. Q-T 6. U-Z

• Now ask the girls how they felt when they were forced to go into a specific circle.

• Pick one girl to volunteer as a “Girl Making a Difference.”• Ask the girl to pick up a sticky note and guess which circle it

corresponds with. When she has figured out the corresponding circle, she can help one girl come out of the circle by giving her the sticky note. For example, if she picked a “donate food” sticky note, she can hand it to a girl in the “skip a meal/go hungry” circle.

• The girl who just left the circle can then pick up another sticky note and repeat the process. This will continue until every girl has been helped out of her circle.

• Explain to the girls that while it is very difficult to live in poverty, we can all do things to help. These acts of service are simple things that we can do to help someone else in need. Can your unit think of other simple actions to take?

8. EMPATHY BEAD BRACELETS

MATERIALS REQUIRED:

• Lacing materials such as pipe cleaners or cord• Variety of plastic beads in multiple colours• Poster paper• Markers• Tape (to hang poster paper on wall)

Tell girls that in this activity they are going to be focused on empathy. Ask girls what they think empathy means. Guiders can explain that empathy is the ability to understand someone else’s feelings from their perspective.

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Explain to girls that often people living in poverty may be homeless or dealing with hunger issues, feel on the outside of society. Some of this comes from others not having empathy for their situation. Remind girls that while we can’t always completely understand a person’s situation and circumstances, we build understanding and compassion for their situation and feelings when we try to see things from their perspective. This begins with open and non-judgemental listening.

Ask girls to list some of the feelings someone living in poverty might feel (e.g.: sad, frustrated, lonely, scared, etc.), and how it might help if others had more empathy for their situation. Guiders can list these on a piece of chart paper. Have girls match one bead colour with as many of the feelings/ways empathy helps listed as there are beads for.

Allow girls to use the beads and lacing material to create an empathy bracelet that reflects the discussion. When girls wear their bracelets, they can be reminded how they can help and build positive feelings in those dealing with poverty through empathy.

9. WHAT YOU DON’T SEE

MATERIALS REQUIRED:

• Large coloured circles: red, yellow, green or large signs with the words red, yellow, green written on them

• Tape for posting circle or signs on wall

Before the activity begins, Guiders should hang the coloured circles (or signs) in different locations around the room.

Have a brief discussion with girls about the fact that it’s not always possible to tell who is living in poverty and/or who is homeless. Ask girls if they have ever thought about all the different and small ways their lives would be impacted if they were living in or close to poverty or were homeless.

Explain that in this activity they will need to think about how different situations would impact them if they were living in or near poverty and/or were homeless. Break girls into four groups, with each group being assigned to one of the following four income levels:

• Group 1 – Well-to do• Group 2 – Average • Group 3 – At poverty level• Group 4 – Below poverty level

Tell girls that you will read out a situation and then they will need to move individually to a location in the room based on how they think someone in their income group would feel about what you read.

How Do You Feel?

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• Green – I’d feel ok and it wouldn’t bother me at all.• Yellow – I’d feel kind of bad and confused about what to do.• Red – I’d feel very sad, angry, isolated and really unsure what to do.

Explain that girls should listen to the full scenario before moving to their colour choice. After each scenario ask for feedback from a couple of girls as to why they chose the colour they did. Ask girls to also comment on how the situation could be made more inclusive for everyone or how they could help make the situation better for those living in/at poverty or who are homeless.

NOTE:

• With younger girls, it may be helpful to have a Guider work with each group to have them think through the situation from their given perspective before girls move.

• Guiders can use as many or as few of the situations as they have time for.

SITUATIONS

• Your teacher tells everyone that they need to bring a current fashion or home magazine for class.

• The first day of school you are asked to write about how you spent your summer vacation away from home.

• You see a sign outside the library that says, INDOOR SHOES ONLY IN THE LIBRARY!

• Parents/guardians are asked to complete the following information on the student registration or field trip form: name, address, home phone number.

• On the first day of school you are given a list of required school supplies that include: pencils, note books, pencil crayons, glue, scissors, and ruler. It also includes one supply item that is for the teacher to use in teaching the class such as white board markers.

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Include the following scenarios for older girls or to play a longer game

• You see a sign in the hallway that says, Be sure to buy your student activity card today! Don’t be a loser – don’t miss out!

• A letter is sent home that says, All students are expected to participate in the fundraising efforts by selling chocolate from November 20-January 8.

• You see a sign in the school hallway advertising: Prom Tickets on Sale Now! $120/person.

• Every team and club (even the ones that are free to join) at your school has their own T-shirt or hoodie that all members are encouraged to buy to show school spirit. These cost between $15-$45 each.

• There is an announcement: Don’t forget that we’ll be supporting the local food bank this Thanksgiving. Don’t forget to bring in your food items. The class with the most items wins a pizza party!

10. “IN” THE GROUP (Modified based on “What About Me?” from Flex Your Head, Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada)

MATERIALS REQUIRED:

• Multi-coloured stickers – each girl will require several º For round 1 and 2: two to four different colours º For round 3: three colours – 70% colour 1, 20% colour 2, 10% colour 3 º For round 4: four colours – majority colour 1, one each colour 2, colour 3 and colour 4

Have a brief discussion with girls about what they think it means to live in poverty, be homeless or not have enough food to eat. Guiders can include one or all of these ideas into the discussion as well as:

• What they think someone dealing with these issues might think and feel on an average day when they interact with others.

• How they think someone dealing with these issues experiences inclusion or exclusion (feelings, thoughts, experiences they have).

Remind girls that they should try and keep these ideas in mind when they complete this activity.

Have girls form a circle (facing out) or a line with their eyes closed. Place a sticker on each girl’s forehead (see stickers for various rounds info below). While this is being done, explain that everyone is getting a sticker on their forehead and that when you tell the girls to open their eyes they will need to put themselves into groups of everyone with the same colour sticker – without talking. Remind girls they will need to work together to ensure that everyone is in the correct group as they will be able to see each other’s sticker colour, but not their own.

When girls have formed their groups, have girls start round two. Explain to girls that this time they need to make groups that have one person representing each colour of sticker in their groups.

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When girls have formed their groups, begin round three. This time, you will need to bring girls back to their circle/line for a new sticker (see above). When girls all have their stickers, have them form groups again with those who have the same colour sticker. When girls have formed their groups, have them look at the group sizes. Ask girls what they notice, and how they feel being part of the large, medium or small sized group.

Bring girls back to their circle/line for a new sticker one last time – this is round four. When girls all have their stickers, have them form groups again with those who have the same colour sticker. This time, not all girls will have a group. Watch for reactions of all girls to this realization.

Have girls remove their stickers and come together for a short talk about the activity. Guiders can use the following questions to prompt girls in discussing the experience.

• How did you feel when you found a group that you could join?• How did you feel when you couldn’t find a group to join right away? Was anyone afraid there might not

be a group for them?• What did you think in the last round when some girls didn’t have a group? (Be sure to hear from girls

that were in the group and girls who were on their own.)• Think back to the feelings and emotions we talked about before the activity that someone living in

poverty/who is homeless/who doesn’t have enough to eat might think and feel. How are they excluded from “the group”?

• What are some of the things we can do to help them feel more included “in the group” and to better understand what they are experiencing?

Sticker Colours for Various Rounds

ROUND 1 – Two to four colours of stickers evenly distributed among all girls

ROUND 2 – Girls will keep their stickers from round 1

ROUND 3 – Three colours in the following quantities: 70% of colour 1, 20% of colour 2, 10% of colour 3; stickers are handed out randomly

ROUND 4 – Four colours in the following quantities: all but three girls will receive colour 1, each of the remaining three girls will receive a unique colour; stickers are handed out randomly

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CONCLUDE your instant meeting with the following Closing Activity.

CLOSING ACTIVITY – SERVICE ACTIVITYTake 10-15 minutes to discuss with your unit the service activity(ies) you want to work on this year. Review the service options on the NSP website beforehand and present them to your unit. Keep the following things in mind during your discussion:

• What do you think the needs are in your particular community?• What local organizations could benefit from your service project (e.g. a shelter)?• What is most feasible? • What is your unit interested in?

Once your unit comes to a consensus of the service they are going to undertake, you can begin some initial planning and idea building.

Before you carry out any of the service activities, make sure you contact a local organization to find out their needs. Understanding the needs you are addressing is of the upmost importance for you and your unit. .

Don’t forget to log your actions on the NSP website once your activity has been completed

to demonstrate GGC’s collective impact.

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Appendix

The Deck is Stacked: Situation Cards .......................................................................................................... 20Factors Leading to Poverty: Scenarios ....................................................................................................... 22

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The Deck is Stacked: Situation Cards

Environment

Character One – Your neighbourhood has a lot of gang violence and your parents are worried about letting you and your siblings go outside to play so you don’t get a lot of exercise and develop some risk factors for poor health. Give the Banker all of your Aces and get back four 7s.

Character Two – You live in a safe environment with clean air and safe playgrounds close by. You play outside lots and your parents enrol you and your siblings in organized sports. Give the Banker all of your 2s and get back four 9s.

Education

Character One – You live in a poor urban area where the schools are not considered to be very good and your parents weren’t able to send you to preschool before you started kindergarten. Give the Banker all of your Kings and get back four 6s.

Character Two – You started preschool when you were three. Your parents practiced lots of learning skills with you at home. You start kindergarten “one step ahead.” The schools in your neighbourhood are considered to be good. Give the Banker all of your 3s and get back four 10s.

Nutrition

Character One – Your family has trouble on a minimum wage income making sure there is enough money for everything you need. Your parents often visit a local food bank for support, but the food doesn’t always last, and sometimes you are hungry. Give the Banker all of your Queens and get back four 5s.

Character Two – You always have three meals a day, with nutritious snacks when you need or want them. You always know there will be food available for the next meal. Give the Banker all of your 4s and get back four Jacks.

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Parenting

Character One – Your parents separated. Your Dad isn’t in your life for a while and money is tight. Women typically earn less than men, adding to the reasons why single mothers are at greater risk of poverty and homelessness. Give the Banker all of your Jacks, and get back four 4s.

Character Two – You live in a family with two working parents. Even if your parents were to separate, there isn’t a questions about having enough money. Give the Banker all of your 5s and get back four Queens.

Post-Secondary Education (for older girls)

Character One – You want to attend post-secondary education and there is some financial aid available for low-income students you can access. Even with that help, post-secondary studies are very expensive. You decide to stay at the job where you’ve been working all through high school and delay your post-secondary studies for now. Give the Banker all of your 10s and get back four 3s.

Character Two – It’s always been assumed that you would attend post-secondary school. You apply to both your top choices as well some backups. You visit many of these schools with your family. Give the Banker all of your 6s and get back four Kings.

Discrimination (for older girls)

Some minority groups are twice as likely to live in poverty as the national average. Part of the reason for this is that poverty is a cycle and is passed down from one generation to the next. Segregation, discrimination and other racial injustices also play a part in not only maintaining poverty, but contributing to situations that lead to poverty.

Character One –You are a person of colour. There was a promotion at your job that you applied for but didn’t get. You suspect that your race was a factor in the decision. You’ve overheard some of the managers make racist remarks. Give the Banker all of your 9s and get back four 3s

Character Two – You are Caucasian . You can’t argue with the fact that your race has allowed you many opportunities and privileges in your life. Give the Banker all of your 7s and get back four Aces.

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Factors Leading to Poverty Scenarios

• If you are holding a blue card, your first language is English. Take two steps forward.• If you are holding a yellow card, you learned English as a second language. Take one step forward.• If you have a red card, your English is very weak. Take one step backwards.

• If you have a blue card, your family owns two or more cars. Take two steps forward.• If you are holding a yellow card, your family owns one car. Take one step forward.• If you have a red card, your family doesn’t own a car and you rely on public transportation or rides from

others. Take one step backwards.

• If you have a blue or yellow card, you never have to worry about food. There is always enough to eat. Take a step forward.

• If you have a red card, sometimes you have to skip meals because there isn’t enough food at home or enough money to buy more food. Take one step backwards.

• If you have a blue or yellow card, you make regular visits to the public library with your family. You are also lucky to have books bought for you that you can read at home. Take one step forward.

• If you have a red card, you have to rely on school books and newspapers to read. Take one step back.

• If you have a blue card, you have lots of clothes and can buy the latest styles, trends and labels. In fact, you have more than enough clothes at all times. Take two steps forward.

• If you have a yellow card you have the clothes you need from a combination of new clothes and hand-me-downs. Take one step forward.

• If you have a red card, you don’t often get new clothes and shoes. You make do with hand-me-downs or used clothes your parents buy at thrift stores. Take one step back.

• If you have a red card, there are times when you are homeless or between homes. Sometimes you stay with relatives or friends of your parents. You may even stay at a shelter from time to time. Take two steps backwards.

• If you have a blue card you never have to worry about safety in your neighbourhood. Take a step forward.• If you have a red card, your neighbourhood isn’t very safe. Your parents worry about you and your siblings

playing outside and you worry about your safety on most days. Take one step backwards.

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Include the following scenarios for older girls or to play a longer game

• If you have a blue or yellow card, your home is always warm enough during the winter. Take a step forward.

• If you are holding a red card, you don’t always have heat in your home so it is often cold in the winter. Take a step backwards.

• If you have a blue or yellow card, you have your own bed and don’t have to share with siblings or your parents. Take a step forward.

• If you have a blue or yellow card, you have access to a computer, the internet, a phone and television in your home. Take a step forward.

• If you have a red card your family doesn’t have access to television or the internet in your home. Take one step backwards.

• If you have a blue card, you will be able to afford to attend college or university when you finish high school. Take two steps forward.

• If you have a yellow card, you will able to afford to attend college, technical school or begin an apprenticeship. Take one step forward.

• If you have a red card, you won’t have many opportunities for post-secondary school because of the costs. Take a step backwards.

• If you have a blue card, your parents opened a bank account for you and taught you about the importance of saving for your future. Take two steps forward.

• If you have a yellow card, your family has saved some money to help you with schooling after you finished high school. Take one step forward.

• If you have a red card, your family has a hard time saving money each month. Take a step backwards.