To help educators celebrate the March 31 Cesar Chavez holiday, the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation, a nonprofit charitable organization, has developed a model curriculum based on the life and work of the great Latino labor leader and a collection of service learning resource guides designed to be integrated into school curriculum.
The free guides are available on the foundation's website [http://www.cesarechavezfoundation.org/]. They idea is to show young people and community members how to work together to address local needs. The activities promote personal and social growth, as well as civic and academic engagement. They also empower students to become advocates and agents of change.
The model curriculum is available on the California Department of Education website [http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/index1.aspx].
The foundation, which was formed in 1993 by Chavez's family and friends to educate people about the life and work of the civil rights leaders and inspire people to carry on his values and vision, is also offering workshops for teachers and community leaders on how to implement the guides.
Service learning is an effective way to help students understand themselves and their relationship to the community and ultimately the world, says program director Shaun Hirschl. The foundation wants to help people realize their potential to make a difference in their own lives, in their communities and in the world as a whole.
The following projects are outlined in the guides:
Fluff and Fold Project (grades 3-5) engages students in letter-writing as a means of advocacy. Students write letters to local public schools, soliciting unclaimed lost-and-found clothing. Students arrange to pick up the clothing, launder it and distribute it to local homeless shelters. The goal is for students to see the value of organizing and utilizing available community resources.
Educating the Heart (grade 4) allows students to take part in the gleaning of an organic agricultural field to feed the hungry. Students study Chavez's life, the migrant workers and California's history. The goal is that students will gain firsthand knowledge of the working conditions of farm workers and what it means to have a sense of civic responsibility.
Service Fair of Values (grades 5-8) has students organize a service fair to provide service opportunities for their peers. Students identify community needs and the community resources available to meet them. The goal is to help students realize their own value and learn useful strategies to solve problems.
Where Are Today's Heroes? (middle school) has students study the life of Chavez and the qualities that made him heroic. Students brainstorm the defining qualities of a hero, interview community members as to whom they consider a hero, and plan a recognition ceremony for everyday heroes in their community. The goal is for students to gain intergenerational respect and learn the value of community.
Health Issues of Migrant Workers (high school biology) has students examine typical medical problems associated with migrant labor, study the issues surrounding access to adequate health care and address local needs by hosting a health fair. The goal is for students to learn to be critical thinkers and generate solutions to social, economic and political problems.
Can't We All Get Along? (middle school) is a peer mediation and awareness campaign project that includes creating a youth group centered around conflict resolution. The project addresses school issues surrounding gang violence and bullying. The goal is for students to learn to solve conflict through means of nonviolence while being culturally sensitive and accepting of all people.
The resource guides are the product of collaboration between the foundation, the Governor's Office on Service and Volunteerism (GO SERV), the Volunteer Center of Orange County, and the Research Management Corporation (RMC).
The foundation also offers Educating the Heart workshops to assist with implementation of the resource guides. Workshops are tailored to meet the needs of each audience.
