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Curriculum

Empowering Urban Youth is an approach to learning that involves building an awareness of the impact that each individual has on the world around him/her.  The focus is on compassion, and adjusting our decisions and actions to live a more humane life.  The curriculum is interdisciplinary, ties to all content areas, and builds upon what each core content teacher is covering.  Empowering Urban Youth can be implemented as a stand-alone class such as an elective/encore course, or the Empowering Urban Youth curriculum can be integrated into core content areas such as Language Arts/English, Social Studies, Science, and/or Math.  This program is an awareness plus action approach to examining an individual’s impact on the world.  The formula is awareness + action = change.

Units Include:

• Circle of Compassion Unit:  This unit establishes the context for the curriculum. The final product is a persuasive writing piece.
• Social Justice Unit: This unit focuses on topics such as child labor, migrant workers, child soldiers, bullying, and power.  The final product is a newspaper article. (Lesson Plan suggestions and assistance for this unit provided by HEART, humane educators in New York City).
• Animal Welfare Unit:  This unit focuses on the implications of food choices, product choices, entertainment choices, and choices related to companion animals.  The final product is a diary entry.
• Environmental Ethics Unit:  This unit focuses on the implications of water/energy usage, transportation choices, food choices, and choices related to trash/recycling. The final product is an advertisement/flyer.

For the final two weeks, the students select a specific topic that was covered during the lessons, and create a final product.  Choices include a website, video, skit/play, song, visual presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint, t-shirt and advertisement, or brochure.  To see examples of student projects click here.

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The curriculum of Empowering Urban Youth is supported by Humane Education Laws in multiple states: