Bowling Alone

Did you know that most Americans don't know their neighbors by name? And surveys reveal that today most Americans don't even trust one another. As life has become more isolated, rushed, and competitive, the institutions that once united us have failed, and our society has become disunited.

This free unit of creative lessons surveys, readings, and interactive project will help your students build social capital while they explore and engage in their community.

Here's some questions they'll encounter

·      Do people in your neighborhood interact?

·      In what ways is your life better because of connections to other people?

·      Imagine life in your community without cars.

·      How many times a week do you eat with your family?

·      Is technology driving a wedge between our individual and collective interests?

·      Does technology separate us or bring us together?

·      Have you ever gotten a job without knowing someone involved in the job?

·      Are virtual Connections as valuable as face to face?

·      Is the pace of life in the US too fast, slow, or just right?

·      “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main” Is John Donne correct? Can a person be an island?

Take a few days or a few weeks to use these lessons to explore our society and your community with your students. When you're done, they'll have news lenses to view their lives and those around them.

Use the button below to download the form for your Commonweal Proposal for building social capital right in your community!

When your done, submit your proposal to us at commonweallab@gmail.com

We'll evaluate your proposal and post the best ones on the Commonweal site.