Children cannot eat rhetoric, and they cannot be sheltered by commissions. I don't want to see another commission that studies the needs of kids. We need to help them. — Marion Wright Edelman in Brian Lanker, I Dream A World

Each of us, at any age, can serve as well as inspire others to act in service. This session prepares children to find their own point of entry into service and leadership. They hear the story of Craig Keilburger, who began working to make a difference at age 12. To help child laborers in Pakistan he founded Free the Children, a service organization which now involves thousands of child and youth activists around the world.

The children explore the nature of leadership in a game related to Follow the Leader. They incorporate the "tied together" theme of the program by making canvas rugs with fringed edges in the style of rugs child laborers knot in Pakistan and other countries.

Goals

This session will:

• Explore the power of each individual to make a difference in the world through service
• Consider the nature of leadership and how our actions can encourage others to act for good
• Empower participants to think of themselves as leaders who can make a difference
• Promote empathy with child laborers and others around the world whose lives our service could change.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

• Share examples of how they do or could embody UU faith through acts of service
• Learn about Craig Keilburger, a youth who founded an international service organization of young people helping other young people
• Practice leading, following, and identifying leaders in a game and reflect on their own experiences leading and following
• Develop empathy with child rug-makers and embody the "tied together" theme of the program by making their own knotted rug.