Who helps who?

Before you begin

• The person leading the activity should use paper, a marker pen and sticky tack to make signs to hang around the playing area. These should have ‘True’, ‘False’ or ‘Unsure’ written on them.
• Check that the link redcross.org.uk/get-involved/scouts works on your computer. Check that the video animation on the website works. If it doesn’t, never mind – there is still loads of useful information at www.redcross.org.uk/get-help.

Run the activity

1. The person leading the activity should explain to the group that they’ll be learning about charities and the services they provide. Show them the signs around the playing area. Tell them that you’ll be reading out some kind acts and that the group should decide whether each statement is true, false or if they are unsure.
   
   
2. Read out the kind acts the Red Cross might provide one by one, asking young people to stand by the ‘True’, ‘False’ or ‘Unsure’ as to whether they think it is a service they provide. You might like to discuss whether the service is provided in their community, around the world or other charities that provide that service. Read all the kind acts (‘a’ to ‘k’) leaving some time for everyone to make their decision. When everyone has chosen, read out the correct answer. Don’t worry too much about keeping track of who gets the most – all that matters is that everyone finds out something new.
   
   
3. When all of the kind acts have been read out, everyone should get into small groups. The person leading the activity should give out paper, sticky tack, maps and pictures of local places. Each group should look on their map for someone who performs kind acts in the community. This could be any place where someone helps people who are unwell or collects money for the poor.
4. Everyone should stick their pictures to their paper to create a map of local ‘kind’ places. Use the local map to check where each place is. The person leading the activity should give out pens or pencils for each group to write beside each picture. Each group should come up with three kind acts for each place.
   
   
5. Everyone should share their maps. Elect one person from each group to read out the kind acts they thought of. Everyone should then think of ways that they could help these places in the community, or things they could do to make life easier for people who work for them.

This activity helps contribute towards some of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Find out more about the SDGs, and how Scouts across the world are getting involved.