3.3.1

Topic outline

• Responsible (for) living

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  Responsible (for) living

  Introduction

  Confusing money with value produces an economic model that potentially destroys true wealth, such as fulfillment and well-being.

  The desire for less regulation, privatization, and less government control is paralleled in the world by the realization that wealth can also be found in community, in equality and civility rather than in growing consumption. Social responsibility is partly a conscious value that can shape our actions as consumers and producers in the economic system.
  

  • Roadmap
  • Target
  • Learning outcomes
  • Necessities
  • Evaluation

  Discuss the following statement with the whole group: “Consumers desiring faster and cheaper food have changed the way chickens are raised.”

  1. Can you think of similar situations where consumers wanted certain products or experiences, to which the industry responded to meet the demand?” Examples: We want cheap clothes, so companies have them produced in low-wage countries. As people became increasingly concerned about air pollution from vehicles, companies created hybrid cars.
     
     
  2. If animals were to have certain rights, do you think those rights would also apply to animals we raise for food, such as chickens or pigs? Are there rights that these farm animals should have? If so, what are they? Are there rights that all animals should have?
     
     
  3. Below you can see some of the different people involved in raising chickens for food. Draw lines between individuals who are directly connected.
     
     
  4. Put an A next to the individual who is most valued in our society and an E next to the one who is least valued. Which individual do you think has the most rights? (Place a 1 next to that individual.) Which one is the least? (Put a 5 next to that individual.) How would you rank the other individuals?
     
     
  5. Take a sheet of A3 paper and on it, in a beautiful artistic sketch, show the habitat and the rights that the chicken deserves in your eyes.

  Understand what is meant by social responsibility within our lifestyle and work environment.

  Being able to recognize responsible consumption and work ethic.

  Flipchart, A3 Paper, pencils, markers, chalk
  

  Ask each student to further explain his/her drawing. Have them name the parts of the habitat and the rights they showed in their drawing. Collect on the flip chart all these amenities for a fine chicken life.
  

  

   

• Happiconomy

  Happiconomy

  Introduction

  What do we need for a fulfilling life?

  This activity can take many forms: brainstorming or prioritizing and sorting needs versus wants. This question leads to the next question, “How do we get what we need?” In a conventional paradigm, the discussion might be limited to material products and the roles of consumers, producers, markets, and money; the facilitator might ask participants to provide examples of concepts in their own lives.

  A quote from Ghandi: “Our world has enough for each person’s need, but not for each person’s greed.” could be an interesting debate about need versus greed.What do we all really need and at what point does a person become greedy? Some fascinating and thought-provoking points arise when we analyze the quote in relation to sustainability. Young people recognize that our needs are not only economic, but also how society functions. They also see the importance of people’s health and how we treat each other.
  

  • Roadmap
  • Target
  • Learning outcomes
  • Necessities
  • Evaluation

  1. Show the film The Economics of Happiness.
  2. Research the needs in the group by asking everyone personally what their needs are.
  3. Follow up with a conversation about what the group sees as the causes in our society that impede the fulfillment of needs. Make connections between the problems and the opportunities of consumption, creation, exchange, sharing, etc. Bring forward the concepts of local economy and entrepreneurship, encouraging the exchange of products, services and “knowledge.”

  Gain some insight into the connection between our needs and effective ways to meet those needs.
  

  Participants learn how to meet their needs without succumbing to consumerism.

  Flipchart, computer with DVD player, DVD “The Economics of happiness”, beamer
  

  Ask the youth how they view wants and needs now. What do they see as the difference between a want and a need? Also ask which parts of the film especially stuck out to them.