Lesson One: Shelter Seekers and Levels of Civic Engagement
Homeless shelters often do not have enough beds for demand so they must have some system in place to determine who can stay. On some nights, especially during the winter months, it is not uncommon for shelters to have to turn clients away. This lesson introduces students to the many faces of homelessness via a list of hypothetical clients seeking shelter. Students need to develop criteria for admitting people into their shelter. In the process, they will begin to identify causes of oppression against the the homeless and recognize what steps they can take as citizens living in a democracy to affect change.
Shelter Seeks Cooperative Activty
Levels of Civic Engagement: What kind of citizens do we need to end poverty & homelessness in Lake County?
In their book titled The Service Learning Companion, Dawn Duncan and Joan Kopperud assert that "At different stages of your life and with regard to various issues, you may practice different levels of engaged citizenship. You may act as a personally responsible citizen, a participatory citizen, or a transforming citizen." Throughout this unit you will be provided with multiple opportunities to practice engaged citizenship at each of three levels. Refer to the chart (adapted from Westheimer and Kahne) below and begin to think about which action(s) you will take in response to the issues of poverty and homelessness.
educating_the_good_citizen.pdf |
Personally Responsible Citizen
Citizenship involves being a good, responsible, law-abiding member of the community. Sample actions:
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Participatory Citizen
Citizenship involves active participation and leadership in the community to help improve the quality of life for all. Sample actions:
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Justice Oriented Citizen
Citizenship involves a responsibility to question and change the system when it is unjust or ineffective. Sample actions:
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