Understanding God’ Heart for Justice: A Devotional for Young People
Editorial Director: Milana McLead
World Vision, 2010, 40 pp., $10.00
A Hungry World: Understanding Global Food Insecurity
Editorial Director: Milana McLead
World Vision, 2009, 72 pp., $20.00
Activities for Global Citizens
Editorial Director: Milana McLead
World Vision, 2008, 110 pp., $22
This amazing trio of resources belongs in the hands of every youth worker in America. World Vision understands the complexities of injustice, poverty and hunger and has been confronting them with proven, innovative ideas for almost 60 years. This is what makes the organization uniquely qualified to help your students become responsible global citizens who are concerned about the things that break the heart of God. Understanding God’s Heart for Justice is a short, but powerful devotional that encourages students to explore what the Bible says about justice and how they can become advocates for those suffering injustice around the world. Each lesson follows a clear format that prompts students to Reflect on injustice, Read pertinent Scripture verses, React to thought-provoking questions and Respond through prayer. Be sure to go through each lesson on your own before you take your students through this, because it asks some tough questions such as, “Why do we continue to see injustice and oppression when God says He protects and upholds the cause of those who are oppressed (pg. 9)?”
Did you know the demand for alternative energy sources means that growing crops for fuel is often more profitable than growing crops for food, which exacerbates global food insecurity? Neither did I before I read A Hungry World: Understanding Global Food Insecurity. This is just one example of the depth of this resource. This lesson guide for leaders begins with hard-to-read statistics about hunger and then drops a bomb—now that you know this, you can no longer claim ignorance. This lays the groundwork for creative 5- to 10-minute lesson openers, 30- to 120-minute lessons that explore the complex causes of global food insecurity, prayer resources and unique action ideas. One of my favorite action ideas is a challenge to students to go without certain things or to tax themselves on luxury items and donate what they would have spent or their “tax” to help alleviate hunger (pg. 72).
Activities for Global Citizens is a series of 20- to 60-minute exercises (half for grades 6-8, and half for grades 9-12) that expose students to specific issues that confront the world’s most vulnerable children, such as lack of education, scarcity of water, HIV/AIDS and war. Its premise is to teach young people where the needs are the greatest and how to give in a way that retains the dignity of others. These activities will help your students understand that alleviating poverty is about not only giving aid, but also addressing the structures that keep people poor. This resource also will challenge them to put themselves in the shoes of others with activities such as “In the Face of Disaster,” in which students are asked how they would respond if they experienced a natural disaster, and “Landmine Trust Walk,” in which students have to try to avoid paper landmines while blindfolded.
You will be pressed to find a finer set of resources that will expose your students to the way the rest of the world lives, encourage them to evaluate their lifestyle and to think about what they can do to put their faith into action and help alleviate injustice, poverty and hunger.
