Penny Harvest - New York City, USA
Founded in 1991, Common Cents' Penny Harvest programme is designed to help New York City, USA youth contribute to their communities by training them in philanthropy. This penny recycling programme involves efforts on the part of youth to collect pennies and then work to translate them into funds to benefit their communities, with the support of teachers who create service-learning community projects. The purpose of the programme is to motivate kids, and provide them the skills needed, to become active contributors to their neighbourhoods.
Communication Strategies
In general, encouraging children and young people to communicate and connect with their communities is a central strategy. The goal is to encourage students to talk to their neighbours, classmates, and those who work at their school about what they see in their neighborhoods. They collect funds that will be donated to causes that they identify as important; this activity is designed to help them understand that their pennies, when gathered with others, can make a difference in others' lives.
Specifically, for one month every autumn students collect pennies. To motivate these efforts, Common Cents provides tools to help teachers integrate the Harvest into their curricula. These tools include the Penny Harvest Handbook (PDF), the Penny Harvest Curriculum Guide, video, and a poster. Family how-to information is also provided on the Common Cents website. The campaign concludes with the annual Tonathon, a day-long celebration of games and service. Teams of students, teachers, parents, and volunteers from participating Penny Harvest schools around the city gather to create a penny-sorting factory for a day.
After students harvest and sort the pennies, they decide how to invest them. Any New York school that contributes 25 sacks of pennies during the Penny Harvest convenes a Common Cents Philanthropy Roundtable (which is supported by a grant of US$1000). The purpose of the Roundtable is to help students develop the skills to use their grant monies effectively. A Service Learning Staff Development Conference facilitates this process. Staff and teachers train new teacher volunteers to facilitate Roundtables, which are held over the course of 12 to 16 months. Participants include student leaders in kindergarden through 12th grade who gather in teams to cooperatively assess their communities' needs, pay site visits to neighborhood organisations, review proposals, and award grants.
Upon completion of the Roundtable process, students use the funds they gathered to serve their own or others' communities. That is, they either fund their own service-learning projects in their own neighbourhoods or distribute Roundtable funds to other student groups. Student service projects range widely, varying from mentoring programmes for younger or disadvantaged students to planting community gardens.
Students may also gain support for their community-based efforts by entering an art and essay contest. Entrants are encouraged to respond to or develop themes including creating positive change, helping others, building community, and "making the penny count". Prizes include a 5-sack credit for the winner's school toward the next year's Penny Harvest, as well as a gift card to buy books.
Specifically, for one month every autumn students collect pennies. To motivate these efforts, Common Cents provides tools to help teachers integrate the Harvest into their curricula. These tools include the Penny Harvest Handbook (PDF), the Penny Harvest Curriculum Guide, video, and a poster. Family how-to information is also provided on the Common Cents website. The campaign concludes with the annual Tonathon, a day-long celebration of games and service. Teams of students, teachers, parents, and volunteers from participating Penny Harvest schools around the city gather to create a penny-sorting factory for a day.
After students harvest and sort the pennies, they decide how to invest them. Any New York school that contributes 25 sacks of pennies during the Penny Harvest convenes a Common Cents Philanthropy Roundtable (which is supported by a grant of US$1000). The purpose of the Roundtable is to help students develop the skills to use their grant monies effectively. A Service Learning Staff Development Conference facilitates this process. Staff and teachers train new teacher volunteers to facilitate Roundtables, which are held over the course of 12 to 16 months. Participants include student leaders in kindergarden through 12th grade who gather in teams to cooperatively assess their communities' needs, pay site visits to neighborhood organisations, review proposals, and award grants.
Upon completion of the Roundtable process, students use the funds they gathered to serve their own or others' communities. That is, they either fund their own service-learning projects in their own neighbourhoods or distribute Roundtable funds to other student groups. Student service projects range widely, varying from mentoring programmes for younger or disadvantaged students to planting community gardens.
Students may also gain support for their community-based efforts by entering an art and essay contest. Entrants are encouraged to respond to or develop themes including creating positive change, helping others, building community, and "making the penny count". Prizes include a 5-sack credit for the winner's school toward the next year's Penny Harvest, as well as a gift card to buy books.
Development Issues
Philanthropy, Youth, Children.
Key Points
During Penny Harvest 2001, students from 940 schools across the 5 boroughs of New York City collected more than 45 million pennies and other coins for a grand total of over US$721,000. Even more notable is that these same students allocated every penny collected to people and communities in need. Organisers claim that, as a result, these young people "began to learn that situations can change, and that they can have a hand in making those changes."
Common Cents New York is a public charity.
Common Cents New York is a public charity.
Sources
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