Understanding Terms

• Using various online dictionaries, write a definition of hunger.
• Is hunger the same as food insecurity?
• Find a definition for food insecurity.

Make Cluster Diagram

• Write down all the words that come to mind when you think of poverty and food insecurity.
• Create a written or web-based cluster diagram to define terms, causes, and effects.

Brainstorm

• Make a list of all the ways hunger can affect both individuals and society.
• What are some of the causes of hunger, both globally and in Hong Kong?
• Think about possible actions to take to help solve the problem of hunger.

1. Create an Infographic

• Watch the video about world hunger in the Resources section.
• Using the information in the video, design and create an infographic that you can use to raise awareness about global food insecurity.

2. Write a Comparative Report

• What are the main forces behind hunger and food insecurity worldwide?
• What do you think are the reasons for food insecurity in Hong Kong?
• Write a comparative report on food insecurity in Hong Kong and other countries in the world. You can choose which countries you want to compare but choose at least 2 other than Hong Kong.
• You can include visual aids such as graphs and charts in your report.

3. HK$30 Meal Challenge 

• Imagine you only have $30 per person, per day to live on.
• What sort of food do you think you would eat?
• Would you be able to eat regular healthy meals?
• Using the Feeding Hong Kong virtual shopping list in the Resources, create a 1-day meal plan for a family of 4. You will only have a rice cooker and a single hob to cook your meals with.
• You have $30 per person, you can decide whether to spread that over 2 meals or 3.
• Use the food pyramid in the Resources to try to create a balanced diet 

4. Create An Instructional Video 

• Discuss the importance of having a healthy and balanced diet.
• How does food affect how we behave and perform?
• You are going to try to create one healthy, low budget meal for two people using no more than HK$30 on ingredients.
• You can divide the cost of the ingredients for the meal. For example, if you buy 6 eggs that cost HK$30 but only use 1 egg in your recipe, then the cost is HK$5.
• The meal should be healthy and nutritious.
• Research where you can buy ingredients at a low cost.
• Make a video of you cooking the dish.
• In the video commentary, talk about:
  • • what your dish is and its ingredients.
    • why you chose that particular meal.
    • detailed instructions on the cooking method.
    • how easy/difficult it was to get the ingredients and stick to the costs.
    • what it would be like to live on a budget of HK$30 per day for food.

5.  Create a K-W-L Chart 

• Think about the words hunger, food insecurity and food security.
• Fill in the K-W-L (what I Know, what I Want to know, what I’ve Learnt) chart in the Resources.
• Research information on the topic. What are the differences between hunger and food insecurity?
• Visualise hunger. What does it look like? What does it feel like? Have you ever experienced severe hunger? What do people who are often hungry because they lack food look like?
• Think about what misconceptions or stereotypes you might have had, have they changed during your research?

 6.  Write a Story 

• Think about the reasons people might face food insecurity and hunger. 
• What might have happened in their lives to put them there?
• Has something changed in their circumstances or has it always been like this?
• Using the videos in the Resources as inspiration, write a short story about someone facing poverty, how they struggle and how they cope.
• Your story can be about a child or an adult.
• Think about what type of story you will write. What will your theme be, will it be a positive story or a sad one?
• Decide on your narrative point of view, e.g. will you tell the story in the first person or as a narrator.
• The stories should address the following topics:

1. 1. What problems do they face?
   2. What can they do?
   3. How and where can they find help?

7.  Debate

• Think about the following statements and decide how you feel about them. Discuss the statements with your classmates and be prepared to explain and justify your views.

The world today produces enough food to feed everyone.

Food is a basic human right.

Population control is the best way to deal with the problem of poverty and food insecurity.

It is possible to eat healthy, nutritious meals on a budget of $30 per day.

8.  Write a Letter to the Editor

• Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, expressing your thoughts on poverty in Hong Kong, with a specific focus on food. Think about some of the following questions:
  • • What are the causes and effects of food insecurity?
    • Are you aware of areas or populations in Hong Kong that experience a higher degree of poverty and food insecurity?
    • What have you learned about food insecurity that others might not know? What are some ways you can influence attitudes or behaviours?
    • What resources in your community address poverty and hunger, such as a food bank or a community garden? How do these resources help the community?

Extension: Publish your letter in your school newspaper and/or send your letter to a local newspaper. 

9.  Create a Video Presentation

• In groups, you are going to create a video presentation on the subject of poverty and food insecurity in Hong Kong.
• The information from this page and the Feeding Hong Kong infographic in the Resources should give you all the facts you need.
• What will be the focus of your presentation?
• How will you approach the topic?
• Think of ways you can make the presentation interesting and what visuals you might be able to use.
• You will need to organise your group so that everyone has a role. Who will write the script, be the videographer, the presenter, researcher, etc?
• Present your video to your class for feedback.

10.  Picture Box

• Using the pictures in the Resources section, think about what inspires people to help others. 
• Create a story based on the images, you can use just one picture or a selection.
• What point of view will you use, how will this affect the story?

11. Write a Poem 

• Write a poem in response to the crisis of food insecurity.
• Choose a perspective to write from. Will it be in 1st person, 3rd person, etc?
• How do you feel – inspired, angry, hopeful?
• Will it be a thoughtful poem, a protest, a ballad, a portrait poem?
• Think about different types of poems (Rhyming Couplets, Haiku, Free Verse etc.) and what structure you want to use.

12. Class Project – Helping People in Need

•  As a class, come up with an activity that will help people in need in the community.
• Think of something that will be ongoing rather than a one-time event.
• Decide on the time frame of the action – a month, a term, etc.
• Give your project a name.
• Write an action plan for the project. You can use the Feeding Hong Kong Action Plan template in the Resources, or create your own.
• Assign leadership roles. These can be alternated around the class.
• You can use the Feeding Hong Kong Charity Network to find information on charities that you may be able to help.

NOTE: You will need to contact the charities to see if there are any opportunities, or if they are rules and regulations you need to be aware of. For example, charities DO NOT accept home-cooked food, including cakes and other baked goods. However, you can hold a bake sale and donate the proceeds to a charity.