Give
By Emily Ashby,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Philanthropic reality series inspires with touching tales.
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What's the Story?
GIVE is a reality series produced by Blair Underwood that's focused on philanthropy and spotlighting the work done by small charitable organizations around the country. In each episode, a celebrity host visits two programs making a difference in a local community, under the guise of doing research for a project. They interact with staff, volunteers, and participants to better understand how the programs serve community members and to assess their needs for the future. Then they return the next day to surprise the organization with a financial grant to help fund their continued work.
Is It Any Good?
As reality TV goes, it's hard to beat a series that not only recognizes the efforts of hardworking charity leaders but also rewards them with funding for further outreach. Celebrity hosts -- including Derek Hough, Bethany Mota, Jillian Rose Reed, and Jenna Bush Hager -- seem genuinely affected by their experiences at each location, and many of the stories really are quite inspiring.
Give might be a hard sell for kids, since it's more of an emotional watch than it is an action-packed one. But if you can get yours to tune in, this feel-good show is an excellent segue into talking with them about kindness, generosity, and compassion and perhaps an impetus to getting involved in outreach projects in your own community.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about character strengths such as compassion and philanthropy in Give. How are communities strengthened by organizations such as the ones in this episode? How can kids learn to develop character strengths and life skills?
How does it feel to help someone else out of a tough spot? Kids: To whom do you turn when you need a hand?
Families can use this series to inspire their own involvement in charitable work. What area programs could benefit from your time, funds, or expertise? Is there a need you see that's not being filled?
TV Details
- Premiere date: October 1, 2016
- Cast: Derek Hough, Blair Underwood, Jenna Bush Hager
- Network: NBC
- Genre: Reality TV
- Topics: Great Boy Role Models, Great Girl Role Models
- Character Strengths: Compassion
- TV rating: TV-G
- Last updated: February 26, 2022
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