Study Guide for The Same Heart by Media Voices for Children

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The Same Heart STUDY GUIDE

Contributors

Study Guide WRITTEN BY

Abby Remer L AY O U T B Y

Melissa Knowles PHOTOGRAPHY BY

Umberto Roberto Romano ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY BY

Melissa Knowles F O O TA G E B Y

Galen Films

I. "The Same Heart"

The Same Heart

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“What if we had the same heart for all children, not just our own?”

Introduction This study guide based on the moving documentary “The Same Heart” is a jumping off place for exploring the imperative nature of the crisis of some 1 billion children around the world suffering in poverty, and what can be done about it. At its essence, “The Same Heart” argues that in a world where 80 percent of the population and half of the world’s children are suffering from the impact of financial, health, and food inequality, it is important for the people who control the global wealth to pay their fair share. And the most progressive way of doing this is the Financial Transaction Tax. The guide is set up as a journey in which you can stop and dive into the issues at a rate that works for you. No matter the pace at which you move through the guide, begin by first watching the documentary “The Same Heart,” as it sets the stage for the exploration below that will broaden your understanding of the key points and steer you to resources where you can take action on the issue... and contribute to making a difference to children struck by poverty here and around the globe.

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"What if we had the same heart for all children, not just our own?" 1 Begin by watching the “The Same Heart,” first reading the summary below. While poverty impacts all ages, the documentary looks at children, as it falls most heavily on this population who are supposed to be our hope for the future. “The Same Heart” looks at the impact of poverty on children around the world and argues how year after year, official development assistance funding for poor countries dribbles in too little and too late. But what if the United Nations did not have to pass the hat for official development aid and beg nations to make good on their pledges? What if the world community saw a dignified life with adequate shelter, nourishment, education, and health care as something to which every human being has a right? What if a small tax on financial transactions could create a consistent pool of money to provide a baseline level of dignified existence for the one billion people living in extreme poverty? Suggesting a sustainable approach, “The Same Heart” follows a dynamic Kenyan community organizer who devotes his life to making programs work from the bottom up. In Geoffrey’s words, "It's an approach for lasting change, if we all come at it, from the First World to the Third, with the same heart." As you watch the film identify what it presents about the causes of poverty, which include illness, profiteering, child marriage and teen pregnancy , climate change leading to crop failure, war, pandemics... and human prejudice. Afterwards, take each issue and with a group or partner research how each one contributes to the problem. Discover too whether these issues exist in the United States. Afterward, discuss what may have surprised you about your findings. Jot your revelations down to use in the activities in the final section.

III. What Can Be Done? One third of all children are hungry and malnourished One child in three lacks shelter. Only one in 5 has access to clean water. One child in 7 has access to any medical care. 2.2 million children die each year for lack of immunization. I. Our Moral and Ethical Obligation: What kind of world fo you want to live in? Play the very beginning of The Same Heart” and listen to ethicist Peter Singer’s question about whether you would wade into the pond to save a child from drowning even at the expense of ruining your shoes. Discuss with another viewer what argument he is making. Is it convincing? Why or why not if you were playing devil’s advocate? Look up the exact definition for “moral” and “ethical.” Do you agree that everyone has a moral and ethical obligation to help make a difference? Develop your own metaphor and share it with others.

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Imagine if we had a global fund of predictable aid that regenerates every year One percent of the population own almost half the world’s wealth. The richest 20% of the population consume 80% of its resources. This is a far cry from fair. How can we combat human greed and ignorance? A great deal of the money is generated from the financial sector, which covers everything from banks, to stock exchanges, to brokerage firms, to the local ATM machines in your neighborhood, and more. What if we had a tax that mandated that just one half of one percent of every transaction be earmarked to be distributed to aid in the fight against poverty. Even at the smallest level the tax would make a contribution say if a portion was taken from the amount the bank charges you withdraw your money when using an ATM. Currently, virtually all the profit from financial transactions goes back to the financial institutions. But we have enough resources to ensure that children live with dignity and decency. What is it? How Does it Work? The financial sector is hugely undertaxed in the United States and Europe. The Financial Transaction Tax is sometimes called the Robin Hood Tax. It is an excellent tool for generating money and taking money to address inequality. It has been endorsed by hundreds of economists and organizations. The “Robin Hood Tax” The Robin Hood Tax is a tiny financial transaction tax on Wall Street (less than one half of 1%) that could generate $300 billion annually. It will kickstart the economy by funding college for all, creating jobs, and strengthening public services like healthcare, education, and infrastructure at home — while tackling AIDS, global health, poverty, and climate challenges around the world. Complete the following Authentic Reflection I think the Financial Transaction Tax is sometimes referred to as the Robin Hood Tax because... Another name I might come up with for it would be... Because...

Why We Need the Robin Hood Tax The financial crisis and the recession have left a massive hole in the US’s public finances. Jobs and the community services we rely on are at risk in the US while many other developed and developing countries face a similar struggle. But there is another way. Robin Hood supporters believe that banks, hedge funds and the rest of the financial sector should pay their fair share to clear up the mess they helped create. Overview of the Financial Transaction Tax This small tax of 0.5% on Wall Street transactions would generate hundreds of billions of dollars each year in the US alone. A report by economist Dean Baker found the following to be true: • A financial transaction tax could likely raise over $105 billion annually based on 2015 trading volume. This estimate is roughly in the middle of recent estimates that ranged from as high as $580 billion to as low as $30 billion. • The full amount of this tax would be borne by the financial industry, and not individual holders of stock or pension funds and other institutional investors. • The industry would be no less effective in serving its productive use after the tax is in place. This means that one of primary effects of the tax would be to reduce waste in the financial sector. Reining in Wall Street to Benfit All Americans - The Case for a Financial Transaction Tax The Century Foundation website provides the following information on the Financial Transaction Tax: A Financial Transaction Tax can be a way to both raise a large amount of revenue and also rein in the financial sector. This report examines the evidence on the potential for raising revenue through a Financial Transaction Tax, its impact on the economy, and also the possibility of using the revenue to defray in particular the cost of higher education. Financial transactions taxes—levies on a nation’s monetary transactions, such as securities trading—can be an effective way to raise large amounts of revenue. And they can do so without harming the workings of financial markets. Since the 2008 financial crisis, in the United States and abroad, there has been growing interest in Financial Transaction Taxes, both as a source of revenue and as a tool for reining in P HOTOG RA PHY EAG L E

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II. So, What’s the Problem? All is not right in the world. Some 385 million people live in extreme poverty, according to Unicef. Across the world, about 1 billion children are multidimensionally poor, meaning they lack necessities as basic as nutrition or clean water. Some 150 million additional children

have been plunged into multidimensional poverty due to COVID-19. How could it be when so many children live denied of the basic rights to health, safety, housing, and education. In 2019 an estimated 5.2 million children under 5 years died mostly from preventable and treatable causes. (World Health Organization). Desmond Tutu says, “In the African concept there's something called Ubuntu, Ubuntu the essence of being human and that says that a person is a person through other persons and that I need you to become all you can become for me to become what I can become. We are bound up in what the Bible calls the bundle of life.” Yes, we as a society, a community, all have a moral and ethical imperative to do something to make a difference... and there is a solution... and not a hard one at that.

IV. What Can You Do? Although the Financial Transaction Tax relates to seemingly anonymous financial institutions, you can make a difference yourself by getting the word out. The activities below are opportunities for you to contribute to the effort to bring the tax to the forefront of people’s mind as a way to make your own difference in helping to ensure that everybody, including all the world’s children live in dignity and decency, thereby setting the stage for a healthy future generation.

Pinpoint the arguments the various speakers throughout “The Same Heart” use to convey the depth of the problem children face around the globe. Which ones are the most persuasive and why? If you could invite a group of these spokespersons to sit down with you for dinner, which ones would you choose and what questions would you ask? Work together with one or two other people and create a script for a lively dinner conversation about the imperative nature of issue. Perhaps record it and share it on social media as a means of raising awareness to the issue.

Youth Activists The 100 Million Campaign The 100 Million campaign is a call to action for a world where all young people are free, safe and educated. We support young people to mobilize to end violence against children, eradicate child labor, and ensure education, breaking the cycles of illiteracy, poverty and violence for good.

I. Why Don't Handouts Work? Why Charity Alone isn't Enough Our response to humanitarian aid is broken. The problem centers around the issue of the crisis du jour. Whether here or abroad, nations tend to jump in to help when there is an immediate crisis to such things as natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes. They make pledges of aid, but once the crisis passes or goes on for a long time, the organizations coordinating the relief efforts are left having to run after the money that was pledged. Meanwhile yet another crisis hits and the hat is passed around again to the same nations asking once more for aid... and the cycle repeats.

Select one of the Youth Action Guides to develop your own campaign to get the message out: https://100million.org/index.php/resources. Use the three activities below as part of your campaign. The Power of Education: "Education is Enlightenment" For nearly 70 million children worldwide, education is still beyond reach.

Futhermore, less than 1% of the federal budget goes to development aid and only a fraction reaches the poor. Most philanthropy in the United States is given domestically and not necessarily to fight poverty.

Poet laureate and activist Kailash Satyarthi fervently believes that young people are a force in society. One of the key elements of his beliefs is the imperative need for every child to be educated as a means of empowering them out of the many challenges brought about by poverty. View the following video in which he makes a persuasive argument for the need for educating youth and the power of the Financial Transaction Tax to help make a significant difference.

Survey at least 8 to 10 people and ask what percentage of the federal budget they believe goes to development aid from the federal budget. Typically, people’s answers fall between 10-25%. Share that it is, in fact, far less than 1 percent, and only a fraction actually reaches the poor.

Watch the video Kailash Satyarthi: Financial Transaction Tax... Alternative way of generating resources to rehabilitate every single child and make a list of the important statistics he gives. Some include:

• 59 million never been to school, education is power • 22 billion required to bring children to school in primary classes, 39 billion if add secondary • Less than 5 days of global military expenditure, if whole world not going to spend money on wars can bring all our children to school • 1.8 billion everyday advertising all goods, less than 20 days could ensure education for all children in primary and secondary classes Research where the United States is in terms of these global statistics on education and the major challenges in this country to making sure every child goes through kindergarten through 12th grade. Children and the COVID 19 Crisis Kailash is heading Laureates and Leaders for Children, a growing movement of visionary leaders across diverse fields of expertise and influence, committed to working together to inspire the international community to globalize compassion for the world’s most vulnerable children. Laureates and Leaders for Children released a joint statement in May 2020, demanding that 20% of relief funds to fight the pandemic should be specifically allocated to the world’s 20% most marginalized. If, for once, our world gave the most marginalized and vulnerable children and their families their fair share, the results would be transformative. One trillion dollars would fund all outstanding UN and charity COVID-19 appeals, cancel two years of all debt repayments from low-income countries, support two years of the financing gap for the SDGs on education and clean water and sanitation, and fund a whole decade of the health SDG financing gap. There would still be enough left to fund social protection safety nets which are crucial in the fight against child labor. Millions of lives would be saved; a positive response by humanity to the tragedy inflicted by COVID-19. The joint statement was signed by 88 Nobel Laureates and world leaders and it complements the demand made by global youth for a fair share of COVID-19 relief funds. They raised this demand from both donor governments and domestic budgets in 100 Million’s Justice for Every Child campaign. 1. Two Ways to Take Action: • Use the joint statement to create a resource packet that you can share with others that will get the word out. • Examine what Unicef is doing to fight COVID-19 at https://www.unicef.org/coronavirus/ covid-19#how-UNICEF-helping. Then visit the Unicef site for taking action regarding COVID-19 for ideas on how to make your own voice heard.

Nothing New Under the Sun... Build on the Past Before reading the pending legislation in the United States, read below about how far back the idea of a Financial Transaction Tax goes and then incorporate this in your arguments to support the bills. Economist Dean Baker in his report “Reining in Wall Street to Benefit All Americans” shares that the idea of Financial Transaction Tax is not new but rather stretches back to the 17th century. 1 It goes on to say: “Financial transactions taxes are hardly new to the world, or even the United States. Most countries with stock markets have imposed Financial Transaction Taxes for most of their existence. The United Kingdom began imposing a stamp tax on stock trades in 1694. Traders paid to get the stamp from the government, which was necessary to have a legal transaction. This stamp tax continues to the present, with a rate of 0.5 percent per trade. The tax raises an amount of revenue that averages more than 0.2 percent of the U.K.’s GDP (the equivalent of $36 billion annually in the United States in 2016)... The United States also has experience with Financial Transaction Taxes. Until 1966, it imposed a stamp tax of 0.04 percent on stock trades and 0.1 percent on newly issued shares of stock. Although this tax was removed, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) continues to be funded by a tax of 0.0042 percent on stock trades. This tax raises roughly $500 million annually. Given this history, proposals to use Financial Transaction Taxes to raise larger amounts of revenue should not seem radical.” Read the current Financial Transaction bills below: HR 4191: Let Wall Street Pay for the Restoration of Main Street HR 1579: A New Bill to Tax Wall Street HR-6411: Real Revenue for Critical National, International Needs Complete the final Authentic Reflection to digest your journey through “The Same Heart”: What I think the title of the documentary “The Same Heart” means is... Because... The tag line I would use to illuminate its meaning is... Further Resources Dean Baker's full report: Reining in Wall Street to Benefit All Americans The Stolen Childhoods Collection’s award- winning documentaries that examine the causes of child slavery, child labor and the impacts of extreme poverty on children around the world at https://learnchildrights.org/ For streaming rights for institutions, or for a password to screen the film, please contact: Media Voices for Children 110 Daggett Avenue • Vineyard Haven, MA 02568

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