Session 1: Introduction to the Miriam’s Vision B&E project

Starter

• Show Miriam's Story videos 1 to 4 of 4 (unless you have preceded the Business & Enterprise module with any of the other Miriam’s Vision modules, in which case just play Miriam's Story video 4 of 4 to remind students about the Miriam Hyman Children’s Eye Care Centre as the focus of your fundraising). MV Resource 0 Info for Students.pdf is a single page summary of Miriam's Vision and its aims. Print and distribute a copy to each student.
• Highlight that without the support of the Miriam Hyman Children’s Eye Care Centre, children from the region of Odisha and beyond would not have access to eye care services and many would go blind (for more information see http://www.miriam-hyman.com/mhcecc-partnership.html).
• Compare the situation of the children in India to that of your students, who have free access to the vision services offered by the UK National Health Service should they need them.
• Now show MV B&E Resource 1.1 Role of the MHMT PowerPoint and introduce the role of the MHMT as a charity and the benefactor of your Business & Enterprise venture.

Activity 1

• Groups:  Students consider different human needs, such as food, shelter, safety, health care, education, friendship or transportation and group them according to "material needs" and "emotional needs".  Do any belong in both groups? (You could discuss the dual role of, for example food.  It is a material need but not having enough of it has emotional consequences.  You could discuss the material role of shelter and the emotional consequences of being without it.)

• Feedback and collate responses as a class.  You could create a separate column in the list to distinguish “needs” from “wants”.
• How do you define a “charity”? Share this definition: “Non-Government Organisations (or NGO’s), otherwise called charities, are organisations and businesses that reinvest all their profits supporting those in need”. Brainstorm a list of charities and their respective causes.
• How do you define “altruism”?  Share this definition: “Altruism is giving something for the benefit of someone else”.  Brainstorm what can be given for the benefit of someone else.  (Resources available, for example, time, money, goods, networking on behalf of someone else, etc.)  Brainstorm a list of examples e.g. harvest festival, looking after someone who needs help, doing a job for free (volunteering), getting sponsors for a friend, telling people about a project you’re involved in, donating to a charity, etc.

Activity 2

• Student groups research and record how the needs they identified in Activity 1 are met within either their local community or society as a whole.
• Students suggest altruistic activities that could help the members of society for whom these needs are not met e.g. shelters for the homeless, food banks and soup kitchens for the hungry etc.

Plenary

• Feedback group work and introduce how the Business & Enterprise sessions will be used to experience altruism in action; to plan and organise a fundraising fair in aid of the Outreach Programme at the Miriam Hyman Children’s Eye Care Centre to help Make a Difference to the children requiring eye care services in and around Odisha.
• Discuss the qualities of altruism; empathy, generosity and cooperation.  What are their advantages and disadvantages?  Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

Homework