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If we’re going to change the world, we’ve got to start in our own communities. Changing attitudes. Changing priorities. Changing the way we think about our world.

curriculum to support educators.

We believe that education is the key to change, and that change begins in our very own classrooms. Without caring educators like you, Free The Children’s youth programs would not be possible. Our support for educators helps you build compassion and global understanding in your students.

In partnership with several school boards and other education based organizations, we create tangible curriculum-based resource guides, lesson plans and other classroom-ready materials to help educators engage their students in:

  • Global citizenship
  • Active learning
  • Social and global justice issues
  • Character education
  • Leadership

To date, Free The Children has collaborated with educational leaders at the Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, Peel District School Board, the Catholic Curriculum Corporation and many more.

Our collection includes resources and lesson plans on:

  • Poverty
  • Education
  • Water
  • Sustainable Development
  • Best Practices for Teaching Social Issues
  • Millennium Development Goals
  • Suggested Children’s Books
  • Curriculum Connection Charts
  • Additional Resources

Visit the Educator page in the Get Involved section to access these materials now.

get involved!

Want to bring Free The Children into your school? Follow these steps:
1 Contact our youth team about bringing FTC into your classroom. 2 Tell your teacher about our educator resources and lesson plans.
Follow these steps to bring Free The Children programs into your classroom.
1 Check out our many downloadable educator resources. 2 Contact our youth team for ongoing, one-on-one support and to hear about what’s available.
You can help bring Free The Children’s programs into your children’s classroom. Here’s how:
1 Contact our youth team to see what’s available in your region’s school district. 2 Forward our educator resources page to your children’s teachers.
Want to help educate North American youth to take action? Here’s how your office can help:
1 Donate to our North American programs and educational initiatives. 2 Contact us to discover how your staff can help.

social justice curriculum transforms at-risk students’ behaviour

Changing attitudes and behaviour

Educator and mentor Erica Reeves felt that the Free The Children program would give students at Milburn Academy a chance to take their education one step further. She encouraged a small group of sophomores—kids who had never taken part in an extra-curricular activity before—to get involved and right away the program had a significant impact on them.

In the small, rural town of Midland, Texas, Milburn Academy is home to a few hundred at-risk youth who struggled in traditional public schools with broken homes, crime, and teen pregnancy, to name a few. At Milburn, these kids get a second chance thanks to an alternative curriculum and teaching approach. The secrets to the school’s success are smaller class sizes, catering to individual learning styles, and accommodating class schedules.

Erica noted that she sees a direct correlation between the rise in attendance and decline in problematic behaviour of these students as a result of being involved in the Free The Children curriculum.

Perhaps it is because of Erica’s unique approach to the program that her students have been so empowered to change the world. For example, while studying Bolivia, they looked extensively at how child labour impacts a child’s chances of getting an education. The subject resonated with the students, many of whom have worked to support themselves and their families for years.

Erica describes club meetings as “mini-UN meetings” because her students come from such diverse backgrounds. One student named Alyssia is from Mexico and often travels back and forth to visit family members. Erica noticed that Alyssia has found new leadership skills through sharing her experiences with the rest of the club.

Another student named Megan works full time at Subway so that she can help her family financially. She has to plan her class schedule around work and make up some time by doing extra credit online at home. Despite all of this, Megan has been inspired to take action to help others around the world. At work she leaves a small donation can for her customers to drop spare change in and then brings the can to school to add to the club’s fundraising total.

As they continue to move from country to country through Latin America in their social justice curriculum, there is no doubt that these students are changing the lives of others, as well as their own.

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Together We Can Change the World.