h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

So, the kid came home from school with a sheet of paper yesterday. It seems that once again the class is participating in 'Operation Christmas Child'. Apparently they're going to each bring in a toy or school supplies or something and fill up a shoe box to be sent to 'a needy child in a war torn country.'

Okay, I'm on board so far. Sounds like a nice way to help them connect personally to foreign aid.

But then the interweb intervened:

http://www.samaritanspurse.ca/occ/

and

'When culturally appropriate, children that receive gift-filled shoe boxes are also offered a colorful booklet that is printed in their own language, titled The Greatest Gift of All, which explains the Good News of Jesus Christ.'

http://www.samaritanspurse.ca/occ/journey.aspx

I don't think it is *ever* 'culturally appropriate' to proselytize to children.

I have a very real problem with supporting an outfit that uses foreign aid as a trojan horse for proselytizing *to children*. And in this case they're using peer pressure at the donor end: the kids are filling the boxes together, so, anyone not contributing will stand out like a sore thumb.

My initial thought was that we'd just donate to CARE Canada http://www.care.ca/main/index.php?en&_home and mention that fact to the teacher, but I'm not sure what to do. I also thought that if I could find a nice Charles Darwin colouring book it would be good to include. And then the snarky side of me thought about finding a Muslim or Hindu colouring book.

I find the whole situation soooo distasteful. I'm not sure whether it's something to dig my heels in on or not. I'll certainly say something about it, and I'll try to find something particularly scientific and rational as the gift if we go ahead and contribute. But I find it very disappointing that the organization wasn't more carefully vetted considering the varied family backgrounds of the children involved.

We have until the ninth of November.

If it was me, my first thought would be, 'What is in the best interests of my child?' And my own answer would be..to let my child join in with everyone else, as you say to pull them out of the group thing would make them stick out like sore thumb..if I was kid in that situation I think I'd hate it.

You as an adult of course can see all the 'politics' of the thing in terms of the indirect religious prosletising. Yeah just think of a fun gift that will mean the kid on the receiving end, might learn something real about the world. But don't make it too weird eg a mass spectrometer cos the other kids at school might laugh at that..

And I'd speak to the teacher about it as you suggest.adult to adult about not doing it next year and your reasons. Obviously ultimately you send your kid to this school because overall you approve of it, so take a bit of rough with smooth for your kid's sake.

My

Yes, Effers, I don't think it'll be a case of pulling out. But I'm very annoyed about this.

Perhaps I'll try to find a dinosaur colouring book (it's for ages 5-9, BTW). At the Museum Gift Shop today I say an 'Evolution for Kids' book, with activities, but I don't know if the thing is going to a place where the kids will understand English.




Or perhaps I'll contact the local Muslim community.


One of the teachers at the last school left to teach in Kuwait. As a going away present I gave her a copy of the Koran.

dinosaur sticker books and colouring books

some sort of 'horror' toy, like a vampire or wolfman or frankenstein monster

No, they say nothing scary.

So crucifixes and Bible Stories are out.

richard dawkins colouring books

Somehow, I don't think such things exist.

fun with science

fun with magic

trollz

>richard dawkins colouring books<

that sounds pretty nightmarish to me.

Something simple like some sort of construction toy or a plastic microscope..ie something for a kid to find out stuff for themselves..not be oh so worthily 'educated'.

Or even a decent magnifying glass. With that they could explore the world and light the family cooking fire!


You've got me thinking on a good, positive track, Effers. Thank you!


I do wish they were contributing something to that one that lets you buy a chicken or a goat for a family.

a 'boys own' survival kit

magnifying glass, compass, pen knife, first aid kit, etc.

lashings of ginger beer

I think they'd be upset by the knife.


Speaking of knives, maybe I should send them the toy I picked up for myself today:

http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=61517&cat=2,40725,45454,61517


(for you, Taff, since I assume you're at work, the description of the product from the above page: 'This tool combines a folding knife and a Swedish FireSteel®, two important pieces of any adventurer's kit.

The sharp 3" drop-point stainless-steel blade has serrations toward the handle for versatility, so it can be used for anything from cleaning fish to cutting tinder or rope. It secures with a liner lock and can be opened with one hand using your thumb against the through-hole.

The magnesium alloy firesteel stores in the handle and is good for about 3000 strikes. Striking it with the notched spine of the blade produces an intense shower of sparks (about 2500°F), even when wet. The tough, nylon composite handle has a built-in emergency whistle, belt-clip and lanyard hole. ')

only if it has the blade for taking scales off fish and a tool for getting stones out of horses hooves

I went today to the gift shop at the Telus World of Science http://www.edmontonscience.com/pages/home/default.aspx and got a wee bug examination container with two attached magnifiers. Perhaps (insallah) the youngster will rise above her/his childhood hardship and become a famous entomologist.

And hopefully I'll give a rip enough to say something to the teacher tomorrow.

Sounds like a great toy to me

And presumably your own child will be intrigued to know why you think this is a good choice?

I don't agree that the Operation Christmas Child (OCC) project is proselytizing. Receiving a book is a way of offering support for children in those areas. Many of the places that OCC visit are already Christian communities, where further teaching and information can be invaluable in helping them in their present and future situations.

I was fortunate to be able to go to Russia with OCC a number of years ago and give my shoebox in person to a young boy in an orphanage. These books had not started being used then, but I was able to provide him with the contents of my box (items that will be very precious to him): notepad, hat, scarf, small toy, and I was able to tell him that he was loved - by my family, who send the box, and by Jesus.

As a Christian, I feel Jesus' love is a deep comfort to me, and that's what I was passing on to Siroga. The shoebox wasn't just material things, to Siroga it was joy in his troubled life. Anhaga, I'm not trying to proselytize. It's just a different method of providing happiness to those that don't have as much as we might.

This, however, was specifically a situation in which children with intellectual disabilities, children who came from families with a number of different religious backgrounds, and the families of those children, were put in a position of either contributing to this charity quietly or not contributing and feeling like outsiders. There are enough good, non-religious charities around that could be used to provide these children with a lesson about giving without the baggage, particularly in such a multi-cultural setting as the one I'm describing.

'I don't agree that the Operation Christmas Child (OCC) project is proselytizing. . . Many of the places that OCC visit are already Christian communities, where further teaching and information can be invaluable in helping them in their present and future situations.'


That's proselytizing in my book.

And, as I mentioned, it's being done at both ends.

Yeah, precisely what connection is there between giving a gift to someone..and then suddenly start talking about 'Jesus'.?.other than something quite unpleasant when someone is feeling happy and open-hearted to get a present - especially a child, because they are more psychologically vulnerable. It sets up in a child's mind that the completely normal and lovely side of being human, the desire to give is tied in with this other thing, that has no connection with it.

It's as unpleasant as an atheist doing something like that..and then adding 'There are probably no gods..so get on and enjoy yourself'

Both are examples of nasty prosletysing, taking adavantage of kids' open-heartedness.