Overview of the Leaders Guide

The millennium is a thousand-year marker in human history -- a special kind of privilege and a particular kind of responsibility. We will be charting the direction of a whole new era, a whole new age.

Stone Soup for the World: Life-Changing Stories of Kindness & Courageous Acts of Service is a book with a mission and vision. Called a "handbook for humanitarians," this book shows us what's working in the world and what it takes to build a healthier tomorrow. It is a call to action, challenging people to think about how we want the world to be and what each one of us can do to make it a better place for us all.

Since its historic launch --with the World's Largest Booksigning during National Volunteer Week, 1998 -- this book has inspired people across the country to catch the "Stone Soup spirit" and get involved in their communities. It has been featured by several Book of the Month Clubs, on regional bestseller lists and offered by Scholastic at book fairs and in their catalogue. Educators are using the book to inspire their middle and high school students. Starbucks Coffee chose it as their spiritual renewal book for 1999.

The Stone Soup for the World Leader's Guide is designed to prepare our nation's youth to become leaders for the new millennium. The Leader's Guide is a timely offering for people who want to improve young people's reading and higher-order thinking skills; teach them values, character-building and citizenship lessons; and inspire them to take action in their schools and communities.

The Leader's Guide is a powerful educational resource offering people 100 heartwarming, action-oriented stories -- one a week for two years -- to share with young people. This self-paced, flexible Guide provides step-by-step instructions for how to integrate each of these stories into language arts and social studies academic programs and community service projects. It is easy-to-use, versatile and adaptable to a wide variety of ages and settings.

• After-school programs looking for coordinated curricula and activities;
• Tutors in reading improvement programs seeking inspirational educational materials;
• Community-based organizations training new volunteers;
• Schools meeting community service mandates required of students prior to graduation;
• Community colleges and universities building public-private partnerships;
• People who care about kids: parents, counselors, religious educators and librarians.
• Service-learning coordinators who are promoting life-long community involvement.
• Companies involved with America's Promise whose employees are mentors in 1 on 1 or group programs.

The Leader's Guide was pilot-tested with YMCA's service learning coordinators in eight states who used it as a reflection tool and action resource with young people in their after-school programs. Mentors at Big Brothers, Big Sisters of New York City are using it as a handbook to teach young people values, character, business and citizenship lessons.

The Stone Soup Foundation, a 501c3, non-profit education foundation, provides tools that engage average Americans in giving, serving and rebuilding their communities and empowers young people to help build a better world.