The holiday season, as busy as it can be, is also a very teachable time. When kids are making their wish lists, visiting Santa, and participating in school plays that make them shine, it’s important to show children how to be charitable and remind them how blessed they are, but also how they can take their good fortune and pay it forward.
This year, as part of Unicef’s Survival Gifts, you can give your family a first-person look at what life is like in the countries Unicef helps. Through virtual-reality (that really blew my mind) you can witness first-hand what life is like for some of the world’s most vulnerable children. Don’t worry, it’s nothing scary for children but it’s certainly a wonderful way to show them what life is like, and why the work Unicef does is so important.
In the first film “Clouds Over Sidra” by Gabo Arora and Chris Milk you’ll walk in the shoes of a 12-year old Syrian girl named Sidra, currently living in the Za’atari refugee camp after fleeing conflict. My kids were interested in seeing how her classroom looked and how Sidra and her friends play.
- Purchase a qualifying Survival Gift and receive a free virtual-reality viewer or add a $12 viewer to your order when you purchase any Survival Gift.
- Download the free app from unicef360.com
- Using your android or iphone walk in the shoes of 12 year-old Sidra, currently living in the Za’atari refugee camp after fleeing conflict in Syria.
I actually think this would be a great idea for classrooms – they can donate as a group and then experience Unicef 360 together. There are many Survival Gifts listed here that will qualify for a free UNICEF 360º Viewer, including these:
Perfect for group-fundraising in classrooms or at work, or if you want to donate as a family you can always purchase a viewer for $12 with your Survival Gift. Carrying on that classroom theme, here are some inexpensive ways you can help:
While going to those Christmas concerts, writing cards, buying gifts and getting together with friends, remember the gift of giving (ironic but it’s true!) that this season gives us.
Visit shop.unicef.ca for more ideas and information, and to order your own UNICEF 360º viewer to help give everyone in your family a better understanding of what it means to give this holiday season, and how fortunate we really are.
Thanks for posting – this is a fantastic XMAS gift idea. The virtual reality viewer looks super neat – it would be very educational for my kids to check this out.
thank you for directing me to this. i hadn’t heard of it.
This is such a unique premise… I would love to have the chance to try it out with my young sons.
I have never seen this either, I can remember collecting donations for UNICEF while I was trick or treating 25 years ago.
Wow! This is great!
This is a really neat idea. We really don’t realize how good we all have it here in Canada.
Thanks for sharing!
I hadn’t heard of it.thanks for sharing this post
Than,s for sharing great post
This is amazing!
I really like the idea of the virtual-reality viewer. I think this will help educate and bring it into a more of a reality to whoever watches it. Purchasing a survival gift is a great way of giving back.
Thanks for the article. I remember collecting money for Unicef as a child.
This is one different way to show the kids how it is over there, all I remember from unicef is the boxes at Halloween
Wow that would be one emotional journey. Looking through the looking glass.
This would be a big eye opener!
Thanks for posting 🙂
This is wonderful, and it’s incredible to think how how far a little money goes there, and what we can do.
This is great! I remember wearing the little unicef box at Halloween when I was a kid.
I remember collecting for UNICEF as a child. Great program.
i hadn’t heard of it before this post,thanks for sharing
I remember collecting for unicef at Halloween ,but now I never here of it.
how fabulous! what a great thing to do
Great info! I was not aware of this
This is fantastic! I think it is very important for our children to see how unfortunate other families living in other countries are. We need to appreciate all that we have and remember those that don’t have all the luxuries that we do. I am tired of buying for the sake of buying because it is Christmas. My kids do not need anything and honestly it is Christmas every day! This year we have decided to give to less fortunate and they are totally on board with that.
Thank you for adding to my list of charities I want to give to this season!
UNICEF has always been out there. Happy to see they are doing a new strategy to raise funds.
That is a good idea for classrooms! I’ll definitely share this with my sister who is a teacher.
such a great idea!
That virtual reality viewer is really neat. They should make something like that for adults, showing what life is like in some of the countries we accept refugees from, to breed compassion.
wonderful! great idea!
Love this idea for a gift. True giving – it helps regain perspective on what is really important during this time of year when we often get lost in consumerism!
Wonderful! My kids grew up collecting for Unicef; a great organization!
WTG Unicef
I think that I will purchase this for my little guys kindergarten class.’