This class is the first of your two work periods for YPI. You must make your presentation on Wednesday, March 3, so you must make the best use of this period and the next.
You should work in your groups throughout this period. Refer to the previous posting if you are unsure of who is in your group.
Ms. Ennis will distribute a package of handouts to you d you are to work through these handouts on Thursday.
The handout consists of the following sheets:
- Diamond 9 Activity
- Shortlist of Three Charities
- YPI Grant Criteria
- Decision-Making
Diamond 9 Activity
To complete this sheet do the following:
- Review the postings on the Google document we have constructed together. Based on the summaries of articles provided by your classmates use the diamond 9 chart to rank how important the following social issues are to you:
- homelessness
- hunger
- child abuse
- physical and sexual abuse
- issues related to senior (poverty, abuse, neglect)
- mental illness related issues (treatment, housing, care)
- issues related to immigration (settlement, job seeking, training)
- youth at risk (bullying, drug use, gangs, etc.)
- People living with AIDS
The way you fill out the chart is by putting the issue you are most concerned about in the top diamond. You have to rank the remaining issues, but you can feel equally strong or not so strong about some of them by placing them in diamonds near the top or closer to the bottom.
When you have done that compare with your group members in order to settle on a social issue to focus on when selecting a charity.
Shortlist of Three Charities
Fill out this sheet by researching three different charities in the social issue area you have selected. The best way to find a charity is by using a web site called 211Toronto.ca. When you click on the link, you will see a list of categories (“Find a Topic”) that roughly matches the topics you used to fill out the diamond 9 chart. Click through the categories (for example click “food” then “food banks” to get to a list of Toronto food banks) and you will find link to specific social agencies and charities. You can go to the web sites of specific charities to complete the shortlist sheet.
What is a mission statement?
It is a statement that usually explains, in broad terms, what the purpose of the charity is. It is not as specific as the list of services the charity actually provides.
Fill out this sheet for three different charities. They should all be from one category.
YPI Grant Criteria
Use this sheet to find the charitable number of your charity if it is not visible on the charity web site. Another site to verify this information is Canadahelps.org. You can easily search up your charity here. A charitable number looks like this:
119050516RR0001 It should always be long and should have some letters like the RR in this example.
Decision Making
Using the research you have done you will make a decision about what charity to support. You have to think about the pros and cons of each charity and fill out the sheet. When doing this, do not just think about the good and bad things about this charity, but think about how easy or difficult it will be for you to visit it and to advocate for it. Is it far away? Is it not open to the public?
By the end of class you should have a charity selected. SELECT ONE MEMBER OF THE GROUP TO EMAIL ME THE FULL NAME OF THE CHARITY. Use any class time left to further research using the web, making contact with the charity (email or ask Ms. Ennis if you can phone) for a quick visit or drop in, and preparing the presentation.
