Faith Curriculum Library: Tapestry of Faith: Heeding the Call: A Program on Justicemaking for Junior High School Youth

Activity 2: Defining What We Mean

Activity time: 20 minutes

Materials for Activity

  • Newsprint and markers

Preparation for Activity

  • Print these questions on newsprint: Do you feel you have enough material wealth in your life? How do you define material wealth? How do you define enough? Do you think people in different circumstances would define these in different ways? In what areas in your life do you think you have abundance? Scarcity? How do you show appreciation for abundance in your life? Is abundance always positive and scarcity always negative?

Description of Activity

Youth explore the meaning of "abundance" and "scarcity."

Invite participants to share their ideas about what "abundance" means and what "scarcity" means. Write key words on newsprint.

Then divide participants into groups of three and give each group newsprint and a marker. Invite them to discuss the questions you have written on newsprint. Ask each group to choose a recorder to capture responses to questions. Tell them each group will have two minutes to share. Sound a chime or announce every two minutes. After six minutes, reconvene the large group. Invite them to share responses with the entire group. Discuss any similarities and differences.