Current event: Global Awareness

Poverty, gender issues, social, justice, and equality for all peoples are issues that have been prevalent in the world we live in for ages. As a whole, we have grown and changed immensely; however, people all over the world still live below the poverty line, are unable to go to school, are stuck in menial jobs, and are oppressed. It is important that our students are aware of these issues in the classroom, and that they do not give these issues just a passing glance. We must integrate global awareness in our teaching and have students participate in critical thinking about the way our world functions.
The Manitoba Council for International Cooperation (MCIC) is an organization, headquartered in Winnipeg, MB that is dedicated to the awareness and development of global issues. They offer many great resources for purchase, and coordinate workshops every year for students to participate in fun activities.  Two of their learning activites struck me as valuable to implement in the classroom because they illustrate their message so clearly. The first activity was entitled: Slicing the Banana, in which students are given $1.00 to distribute among all the parties invloved in the harvest and distribution of bananas. Assuming the price of one banana is $1.00, students must decide how much money will go to pickers, land owners, shippers, importers, wholesalers, processors, distirbutors, and the retailer. After students have made their choices, the real figures are revelaed. Students will learn that roughly 10% of the price of bananas remain in the country they are harvested from, with the rest is invested in the USA or Canada. Students will learn about how fair trade does not always occur, and why the system disadvantages the producers of these commodoties.
Secondly, a game entitled Penies for Wealth symbolizes the advantages and disadvatnages in terms of wealth. Students are given  a rule before picking up as many pennies as possible off the the floor. Some students may pick up as many as they want, others may have to give every third one away, others may have to close their eyes, and others may have to only use one hand. Students will view that some people are stuck in a a vicious circle of poverty, others are able to just get by, and some are born into wealth.
By utilizing these hands on games, I believe that the message will resonate with students and it makes such a serious and sensitive issue lighter to teach. I plan to use these resources in my classroom if I were to teach grade 4 or higher. These games are great teaching tools and I believe that MCIC is doing an excellent job spreading their knowledge and awareness to the young minds of today.