Exploring Citizenship: Doing Something about the Mess We're In

7/29/2019 Exploring Citizenship: Doing Something about the Mess We're In

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PRINCIPAL WRITERS:

Robert Gardner, Social Studies Department Head, McNallyHigh School

Wayne Lavold, Social Studies and History Teacher, HarryAinlay High School

PROJECT COORDINATORS:

Carrie Malloy, Education Programs Coordinator, JohnHumphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights

Renee Vaugeois, Executive Director, John HumphreyCentre for Peace and Human Rights

THE JOHN HUMPHREY

CENTRE FOR PEACE AND

HUMAN RIGHTS WOULD LIKE

TO THANK THE FOLLOWING

SPONSORS FOR MAKING

THIS RESOURCE A REALITY:


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Canada is like a necklace with hundreds of beads. With over 190 nationalities,hundreds of cultures and languages, and dozens of religions, the challenge is tpromote those values which unite us and unite humanity.

Citizenship is a legal term identifying persons in relation to a country however;responsible citizenship connects to the values, rights and responsibilities. InCanada, these values are preserved in our Constitution and Charter of Rights aFreedoms. The vision and challenge in Canada in the 21st century is for us tocreate a civil society with common values and responsible citizenship.

Gurcharan Singh Bhatia, CMFormer Judge, Court of Canadian Citizenship EdmontonBoard Member and Founder of the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and HumRights

When the Canadian Human RightsEducation Foundation closed itsWestern Canadian office in 1999after over twenty years, the threeWestern Directors, Gurcharan SinghBhatia, Jack ONeill and Gerald L.Gall, established the Human RightsEducation Foundation in Edmonton,

April 1999. One of the mostambitious and challenging goals ofthe Foundation was the creation of aCentre for Peace and Human Rights.This goal became a reality in June2000 with the establishment of the

John Humphrey Centre for Peace andHuman Rights, named in honour of theCanadian-born principal writer of theUnited Nations Universal Declarationof Human Rights.

The Centre envisions a world thatmanifests a culture of peace andhuman rights in which the dignity ofevery person is respected, valuedand celebrated. The Centre primarilyworks to advance a culture of peaceand human rights through educationalprograms and activities, communitycollaboration and relationship buildingguided by the principles enshrined inthe Universal Declaration of HumanRights. The underlying belief is that

many social problems such as poverty,

We are citizens of theworld. The tragedy of

our times is that we donot know this.

-- Woodrow Wilson

conflict, bullying, racism, civil strife other ills may be relieved through acommitment to human rights.

IgniteChange

Now: global youtassembly, july-august 200In the summer of 2009 youngdelegates from around the worldgathered in Edmonton, Canada atthe Global Youth Assembly to discuworld issues, echange ideas on hobest to address global problems anchallenges, and to begin to develoindividual and collective action plathat represented concrete measuresfor improving individual lives andcommunities.

A key purpose of the Assembly wasenable youth to build networks andgenerate creative ideas for developsafe and vibrant communities andnetworks in the service of socialaction basically, promoting a mopeaceful world. Numerous workshwere presented by youth leaders fro

Canada, Africa, and South Asia.


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The purpose and possibleuses for this resourcehe objective of this resource is two-fold: to emulate aspects of the Global Youth

Assembly to encourage students to take positive action in a world that needsouth engagement, and to provide teachers with classroom activities that will aidn achieving some of the objectives of Related Issue IV from the Grade Ten Socialtudies Program of Studies.

Many young people understand a basic need for making positive change in theworld but are frequently unsure how to get involved in the process of changeor how to take action. Some students lose interest or give up hope sensing thathe problems are too large for individuals to make a difference. This series ofctivities is intended to let students eplore the meaning of global citizenship and

o consider their own ideas for change.

hrough this five-activity unit studentswill eplore ideas of global citizenship,onduct research and apply it toeal-life social issues and develop concrete action plan that directlyddresses Related Issue IV from the

Grade Ten Social Studies curriculum.he purpose and objective of thenit plan is to have students choosen area of personal interest that they

etermine needs action. Teachers willuide the project to assist studentsn organizing information, solvingesearch problems, and maintainingocus, however it is largely studentriven. The intent of this particularesource is to give students a sparkan impetus to get started - and to

provide some possible tools to aidtudents in moving to their net level ofitizenship.

he activities contained here will aidn achieving several outcomes fromhe Program of Studies and alsossist students in developing multipleteracies in working toward a genuine

project to improve the world.

eachers may do some or all of thectivities here; all five activities wouldequire at least si class periods toomplete. Choosing only some of theve, or integrating these activities with

other teacher-developed activities will

not detract in any way from the intentof the resource.

Note: The tetbook referred toperiodically in this resource is ExploringGlobalization (McGraw-Hill Ryerson),which is used by the majority of SocialStudies 10 classes in Alberta. If anothertetbook is used, simply disregard thatportion of the lesson plan.

social studies skillobjectives

This resource enables teachers toaddress all of the Skills and Processesidentified in the Senior High Programof Studies.

S.1: develop skills of critical thinkingand creative thinking. Students

are identifying a problem,proposing a creative solution insuch a way as to attract outsideinterest and involvement.

S.2: develop skills of historicalthinking. Students will researchthe historical background totheir issue including cause andeffect relationships, and will usethis information to develop areasoned position.

S.3: develop skills of geographicthinking. Students will connec

geopolitical realities to their isin the search for viable solutio

S.4: demonstrate skills of decisionmaking and problem solving.Within a group contet, studewill collaborate to determinetheir issue, research backgroudevelop solutions and createtheir project.

How to use this resource


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.5: demonstrate skills of cooperation,conflict resolution and consensusbuilding. Within a group contet,students will utilize these skills toboth determine and create theirproject.

.6: develop age-appropriatebehavior for social involvementas responsible citizens

contributing to their community.The purpose of the Social

Action Project will be to developa means to better the worldthrough responsible citizenship.

.7: apply the research process.Students will be requiredto develop fluency in thebackground, current statusand potential solutions for their

chosen issue. This will requirethe formation of an informedposition based on research froma wide variety of valid sources,both digital and otherwise.

S.8: demonstrate skills of oral, writtenand visual literacy. Studentswill utilize the capabilities ofWeb 2.0 technology to presentand develop perspectives andsolutions related to their issue.

S.9: develop skills of media literacy.The research process will requirestudents to assess and evaluate

their sources.

sPecific outcomes

Despite the wide diversity of issuesstudents will choose to focus on, allwill relate in some way to all three ofthe Values and Attitudes outcomes. Theissues involve quality of life and humanrights and how globalization eithercontributes to problems or provides

potential solutions (most likely both).The project itself is a reflection of anunderstanding that global citizens havea responsibility to try to make the worlda better place.

The project acts as a culminatingassessment of students understandingsof all five Knowledge andUnderstanding outcomes, with allprojects containing elements of SO4.4 (eplore various understandings

of quality of life), SO 4.7 (evaluaterelationships between globalizationand democratization and humanrights) and SO 4.8 (analyze howglobalization affects individuals andcommunities), and may, depending onthe issue, deal with SO 4.5 (childrenand youth) and/or SO 4.6 (genderissues).

21st century skills andliteracies

This project enables students todemonstrate competencies in areasbeyond conventional paper and pencil,reading and writing skills. While thereare numerous lists and descriptionsof skills deemed to be required byyoung people today, this resourcedraws upon the enGauge 21stCentury Skills document developedby the Metiri Group in an effort to

identify some of the skills that studewill need to take into their futureworkplace, educational institutionsand citizenship activities.i Many othese skills are identified in AlbertaEducations Inspiring Education andInspiring Action documents releasedin June, 2010. The resource aims tmeet current curricular outcomes aalso anticipate some future curricu

changes as indicated by the Ministeof Education. The list of 21st CentuSkills is lengthy, but the followingrepresents a focus on a few that arecentral to this resource.

Visual Literacy: Understandof basic elements of visualdesign, technique and media

Awareness of emotional,psychological, and cognitive

influences in perceptionsof visuals; Knowledgeabledesigners, composers, andproducers of visual informatio

In developing PowerPointpresentations students need tocreate easy-to-read slides thacontain concise and relevantinformation that can be readiunderstood by audiencemembers. Students need to se

images that convey a powerfumessage and that illustratesymbolically, yet clearly, theconcept or idea that is to beremembered by the audience

Collaboration: Ability to takon different roles and taskswithin the group to accomplisshared ends; Share personalunderstandings and resourceswith other group members.

Although the projects areindividual, students have anopportunity to engage in smagroup discussions for the purpof sharing ideas and informaand for strengthening theirindividual work. The small growork is purposeful, has specifgoals, and is individual andcollaborative at the same tim


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Technological literacy: Use technology to access, evaluate, process andsynthesize information from a variety of sources; Use technology tools ineffective ways to increase creative productivity; Use technology to identifyand solve comple problems in real world contets.

In conducting on-line research in preparation for presentations, studentsneed to discriminate between relevant and non-relevant information, reliableand unreliable sources.

Creativity and inventive thinking: Become immersed in challenging

learning for intrinsic reasons; Identify essential elements in a problem aswell as the interaction between those elements; Think about problems frommultiple perspectives and understand that they can be solved using differentstrategies involving more than one solution.

As students choose their own topics for investigation rather than somethingthat is imposed they can be motivated by their own curiosity and developmore comple understandings of the problem instead of revert to aconventional teacher-approved response.

What is citizenship?or many people, understandings of citizenship is limited to the rights andesponsibilities that accompany being a citizen of a state, however the grade 10urriculum in Alberta suggests a definition that goes far beyond. It argues thatitizenship entails a much more active involvement for the good of the local,egional, national and global community. A citizen is somebody who plays anctive role in civil society - identifying and working to solve problems due to aense of personal responsibility to the world around them. Active citizens identifyhemselves as members of a global community and thus feel connected to allpeople, everywhere, not simply members of their own nation.

Citizenship is fundamentally tied to human rights. Citizenship requires full access

o human rights and a responsible citizen recognizes this and understands theirghts. Human rights create the space in which we as citizens can have debate

on critical issues and work to affect change. They also provide a fundamentalramework in which we can assess issues in our community. Yet, human rightsre not beyond debate themselves and are something that should be in constantiscussion in society. People have to make the case for them, discuss them, andssess them. The marketplace of ideas and areas in which we want to affecthange and take action are fundamentally tied up in advancing our debate andealization of human rights.

TheActivitiesThe activities in this resource movestudents through a series of stepsbeginning with a general consideraof citizenship, then making a persoconnection to issues or problems

that need action, and finally towardplanning and carrying out real actithat will result in students making aeffort to improve some community,national or global problem. Studenbrainstorm issues and possible actishare their ideas with classmatesin the form of a short PowerPointpresentation, and then develop anindividual or group project to makedifference in the world. As an adjuto this process, students will develo

an understanding of and facility witdigital activism through the creatioan advocacy blog.

This unit follows a sequence wherestudents move from identifying aproblem or concern to taking realaction. The steps are as follows:

Consider the nature of citizenIdentify an issue or concern

Investigate and develop

understandingRaise questions as to the natuof the problemShare findings with other studand generate ideas for actionConsider implications for selfand others. How could/shoullife change?Draw conclusions about whashould be done to change thsituation

Act by taking action or bysharing conclusions in a pubway.

The classroom teacher will haveseveral opportunities to assessstudents investigation.

The most important thing aninstitution does is not to prepare a

student for a career but for a lifeas a citizen.

-- Frank Newman


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Activity 1Reflecting oncitizenship

Never doubt that a small group ofthoughtful, committed citizens canchange the world; indeed, its theonly thing that ever has.

-- Margaret Mead

PurPose: The intention of this initial activity is to engage students in thinking

bout possible actions that reflect good citizenship, and to think about whatssues or conditions eist in the community that need addressing. It is importantor students to choose their own area of interest and to initiate their own project.his lesson serves as a springboard to the presentation task and student-generatedesearch.

tudents are offered an opportunity to eplore a number of questions and ideasbout the nature of citizenship. Teachers may begin with a generalized discussion

of citizenship and then move to a formal survey which students can complete andhen analyze.

. Begin with some introductory questions about the nature and qualities ofcitizenship. The questions might be provocative or simply eploratory:

1) Define what is meant by a good citizen.2) If we have a sense of what good citizenship is, why do many people

engage in activities ofbad citizenship?3) Are there qualifications for good citizenship? Do good citizens engage

in certain types of activities?4) Why is it difficult for some people to become involved, to become

active community members?5) What are some possible obstacles to good citizenship?6) Complete the statements: Good citizens are aware of___________

Good citizens take action to __________7) Could lack of action or engagement be considered a crime?8) How does your own socio-economic status influence your citizenship?9) Why is it that many students will probably not vote in elections, even

when old enough to do so?

2. Now that students have begun to think about the qualities of citizenship,there is an opportunity to eamine more closely some of the issues faced byactive citizens. Ask students to complete the survey a scale responding toa series of statements. Afterward, have students work in pairs to analyze thenature of the issues identified in the survey in order to better comprehend theunderlying concerns associated with citizenship. The point here is for studentsto engage with larger questions about citizenship; this can lead to largegroup discussions about how society might progress. For eample, somepotential issues may be:

Should people care about the lives of others?Are we collectively or individually responsible for improving the lives ofothers?Should active citizenship be mandatory, or made an aspect of formaleducation?Should political leadership be chosen on the basis of commitment to

making Canada a better place?

This provides an opportunity forstudents to develop a profile of anactive citizen.

Hand out the STUDENT SURVEY fo

in the Appendi.


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Follow up activity group survey

urther insights about the interests andpriorities of students might be revealedhrough collecting group data on theompleted survey. This information

might inform individual students ideasbout what action project they wouldke to undertake or who they might

hoose to network with. This groupata might also reveal additionalhallenges of citizenship: what if theres disagreement over possible decisionso be made? Might some issues bemore realistic to address than others?What if my own interests are differentrom others?

After the class has individuallyompleted the survey, collect the resultsrom all participants on the tally sheet.

A simple show of hands will do (Foruestion number 6, how many peopleaid, 1, strongly agree? How manyaid, 2, somewhat agree?) Whilehe teacher is compiling these results,he students should also be doing theame on their own tally sheet. Thiseeps students focused on the tasknd may assist in gathering accurate

nformation from the cross section oftudent citizens.

After the group information isgathered, consider some questionsfor analysis. Are certain statementsmore widely accepted than others?

Are there any seeming contradictionswhere people broadly agreed with onestatement that seemed to be at oddswith another broadly agreed-uponstatement? Ask students if they wouldchange or modify any of their ideas

of citizenship from the initial classdiscussion.

Consider some implications of differingresponses. If this whole class werea citizen what diversity of interestswould there be? Students might reflecton their individual niche interestsand think about how networks aredeveloped; how might individualsconnect with others of like mind?

Students may discover that some ishave sufficient popularity to be readaddressed while others require creaa broader network of supporters. Tpossibilities should be considered lawhen students begin to develop theindividual action plans and advocablogs.

Hand out the STUDENT SURVEY TASHEET found in the Appendi.


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Activity 2

Citizen of the World collageand written responsePurPose: The intention of thisactivity is to have students identifyconnections between themselves andthe larger world in a creative wayby reflecting on the ways in whichthey are part of a global system. Thiscollage activity gets students thinkingabout the power of images, somethingthat they will want to consider whendeveloping their PowerPoint slideshows and advocacy blogs later on.It is important for students to feel thatthey are connected to other peopleand situations elsewhere by seeinghow their personal lives intersect withothers.

Collage. Students are to collect

images from magazines,newspapers or on-line sourcesthat illustrate some of the issuesor concerns that they identified in

Activity 1.

The collage is easily managed onan 11 17 sheet of paper butcould be any size; the importantthing is that it be colourful andvibrant and illustrate the studentschoice of issues or concerns in

the world.

The collage should includeimages that represent thestudents personal identity andinterests as well as images thatrepresent issues, problems andconcerns that are importantto them. Ask students to makeeplicit the connections betweenthemselves and the larger issues.

For eample, a student may be

a fan of Walt Disney characteyet also understand that theirT-shirt is produced in a foreigsweatshop; a student may havall of their needs met in a vibcommunity and understandthat some people in that samcommunity lack the basicnecessities of life; a student mbe a soccer fan and understathat he is connected to a globcommunity of soccer enthusiaa student may be an avid gamand also connected to a widegaming community on-line. Tcollage should be colourful avisually interesting but also mclear the relationship between

student and the world.

Written response. After thestudents have finished thecollage they are to write ashort eplanation of their visuwork. Why did they choose thparticular images that they diWhat is the connection betwethemselves and the issues orconditions portrayed by theimages? It is important to notonly eplain the students choof pictures but also to eplainhow they are citizens of the wworld.

Finished collages could be placedaround the classroom so that studemay engage in a gallery walk to what other classmates have done, ato perhaps spark further ideas aboupossible problems in the world that

need to be addressed.

SUGGESTION

Give students a copy of theCanadian Charter of Rightsand Freedoms or the Univer-

sal Declaration of HumanRights and ask them to makea connection between one of

the Sections/Articles and theirtopic.


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Activity 3Research and sharing:narrowing the topic

and preparing foraction

No one is born a goodcitizen; no nation is borna democracy. Rather,both are processes thatcontinue to evolve overa lifetime. Young peoplemust be included frombirth. A society that cutsoff from its youth severs

its lifeline.

-- Kofi Anna

Process: Some students may already have a well developed sense of socialssues and know what they want to accomplish in their community or world, butothers may not. They may have difficulty identifying a challenge that needs to beddressed, particularly if their store of prior knowledge is not particularly broad, or

f their conception of the world beyond their own immediate eperiences is limited. may be helpful to frame the task by asking students to respond to these queries:

What:

shocks you?concerns you?surprises you?worries you?frustrates you?inspires you?ecites you?

PurPose: The intention of this activity is to prepare students for the challengof doing something about the problem that they have identified. Students maychoose a topic or issue that concerns them, something of substance that wouldrelate to political, social, economic, environmental, human rights challenges inthe world today, then research that topic and share the findings with classmatethrough a PowerPoint presentation. Topics may be local, regional, national or

global in nature.

Alternatively, teachers and artistsoften use springboards such as shomystery, and humour to arouse intein students. Teachers might pull cur

events items from the news and askWere you aware that...? How dithis situation come about? Who d

you suppose was responsible for thbright idea?

Additionally, some subscribe to atheory of human interest. In the 18while working for William RandolphHearsts New York Journal, editorMorril Goddard compiled a list of universal elements of human intereThere is no consensus on the list, bthere is plenty to engage students:

lovevanityhateevildoingfearmoralityselfishnessimmorality

SUGGESTION

Having students look through theUniversal Declaration of HumanRights may help them to choosea topic that they are passionateabout.

universal declaration, article 21

Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.

superstitioncuriosityvenerationambitioncultureheroismscienceamusemen


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f these are the things that capture public (or student) interest and imagination, consider how these elements might be usedenerate student investigation on a topic of social justice or human rights. There are plenty of acts of selfless heroics to instudents; the world has numerous eamples of corruption and misdeeds to spark anger; it is not difficult to find case studie

where misguided science or political action has resulted in tragedy or disaster. A student might respond with indignation toome news story more readily than to identify an issue or concern out of their own imagination.

Remind students that issues may be local, regional, national or global in nature; in many cases, these may be inter-relatedlobal issue (poverty) may be effectively addressed through a project based around a local action.

Distribute the STUDENT PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS package found in the Appendi. While the project may be done

ndividually, there are advantages to having it done in groups of two or three. As a group project, this enables students toevelop such 21st Century skills as collaboration and cooperation. Done as group projects, the teachers task of supervisi

monitoring and assessing work is less comple.


No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shabe prohibited in all their forms.

task:

Once students have chosen a fewopics to investigate, narrow one of theopics by identifying areas or aspectsof the topic where an individual couldmake a concrete positive contribution.Most individuals can make some sortof meaningful difference even if it ismall by comparison to the magnitude

of the problem. A high schooltudent may not be able to prevent superpower from waging war,

but could join and support a peacemovement, or support an organizationo disarm child soldiers. A studentprobably could not cure AIDS butould raise money for a local health

organization to assist people living with

AIDS.

tudents should further narrow theiropic by eploring what the issue isn regard to their chosen problem.An issue is a dilemma, a problemor challenge about which there isignificant disagreement as to theolution. Crime or poverty or humanrafficking would be problems, butwhat to do about those things is thessue. It is important for students to

nderstand that there are no simpleolutions to the problems (Theovernment should donate money

o poor countries. Warring factionshould learn to get along.).

tudents need to consider whos implicated in the issue and inwhat ways. Is poverty a function ofovernment policies or of ideologies?

s child labour a function of the high

emand for clothing and toys that

we all buy on a regular basis? It iscritical for students to think of theroles played by different stakeholdersin the problem from government toindividual citizens to the private sector

and others in order to give them acomplete view of the issue and howthere are a variety of ways to approachit.

Students will then engage in on-line research, share findings withclassmates through presentation ofa formal PowerPoint slide show anddevelop an action plan to achievepositive change. To conclude, studentswill work towards the completion ofthat action plan helping to alleviatethe problem, soliciting aid or support,or drawing attention to the issueidentified.

The PowerPoint presentation is to beinformative and also persuasive, a toolfor building networks and solicitinghelp. A successful PowerPoint will beshown in class to small groups ofstudents but could also be shown tobusinesses or community leaders orinserted into an advocacy blog to raiseawareness of the issue. This might alsoprovide an opportunity for teachers toinstruct students how to produce an

effective PowerPoint presentation. See

the POWERPOINT CHECKLIST in tAppendi. Note that this can easily adapted to allow students to use otpresentation media such as Prezi orNotebook.

Some schools have class sets ofnetbooks or laptop computers forstudents to use. If this is the case,

groups of three or four students canshare a single laptop while viewingeach others presentations. This allstudents to have more time to preseand deal with peer questions andcomments with small groups workinsimultaneously.


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time line:

Carrying out the individual project should take no more than five class periodsrom initial work to presentation, although this may vary depending on class sizend actual student progress in computer labs.

Day 3One class period for small groupdiscussions. In groups of three tofive, students take turns eplainingtheir particular project to others inthe group. After each is finished othermembers of the group ask clarifyingquestions, make suggestions about

what to include in the PowerPoint,further sites for research, or perhapssimply share personal accounts thatrelated to someone elses project.Let students know that this activity isdesigned to inject an element of groupwork into an individual project; thepurpose is for everyone to assist eachother in building a better presentation.Students may view this class periodas an opportunity to run through theirPowerPoint presentation without the

actual slides.

Day 4Another class in the library or computerlab to construct the PowerPointshow. Encourage students to usedigital material to maimum effectby including powerful images and/orembedded video.

Day 5The presentations take place. Offerstudents suggestions about how topresent and speak to a large groupclear voice, look at an object atthe back of the room rather than atstudents, which may be distracting nerve-wracking - dont just read

slide show or hand held notes.

If the class has a lot of students, thetask may be broken into smaller piewith students working in small grouand taking turns presenting to eachother. The teacher may still observeportions of each student presentatioby simply walking amongst the groIt is not essential for the teacher tosee the entirety of each presentatioto make an effective assessment of

student work.

See the rubrics forSMALLGROUP DISCUSSIONS and forPRESENTATIONS found in the

Appendi.

Day 1Hand out the STUDENTNSTRUCTION PACKAGE from theAppendi. Provide students with workme in the library or computer labs toather information and ideas.

Day 2

A second period in library or computerab.

Note: the purpose of the researchme is not to rush into building theowerPoint slide show, but rathero gain insight and a degree ofpertise in their chosen topics.hese two class periods should

be dedicated mostly to reading,canning, searching for informationnd thinking. Many students like to

et the correct answer as soon aspossible, or complete the assignment,whatever that may be. Reflective times frequently a foreign concept totudents.


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Activity 4ndividual expression takingaction

Today, when the consequences o

our actions (and inaction!) reachfurther into time and space thanat any previous point in history,we more than ever need politi-cally engaged citizens.

-- Jakob von Uekull

PurPose: The intention here is to have students take some action on the issueor concern that they have identified. The final element in the Student Projectnstructions package calls for a personal expression or statement. Because notll students have the same capacity for effecting change, the expression could

ake any form; the objective is to have students do something beyond merelycknowledging that a problem eists and studying it in class.

task:

tudents are asked to build an actionplan designed to help achieve theoal(s) they identified in Activity

3. This will accomplish a numberof aims. Action plans raise self-wareness among students what is reasonable objective to shoot for?

How can I achieve this aim? What arehe challenges that I must overcome?As such, they demonstrate what isequired in order to achieve positivend effective change, both in local andlobal contets. Finally, action plans

provide a concrete connection between

principles and concepts learned inlass and real-life issues.

or some students, the action plan maynvolve a fund raising activity, writing letter (and getting a response),onducting some form of advertisingor a cause or raising public awarenessof an issue. Whatever the case, thection must be the students own inervice of the situation they identifiedn their research and presentation.

tudents may undertake actionsuch as displaying a series of postersround the school to draw attention

o the issue; hosting a bake sale toaise money to donate later; or even

meeting with a Municipal Councilor,Member of the Legislature, or Memberof Parliament.

tudents are epected to do as muchs they are genuinely comfortable with.

Distribute How to BUILD AN ACTIONPLAN found in the Appendi.Discuss with students the following

considerations as they work their waythrough the construction of their plan:

They need to begin by providingtheir overall goal with focusand record it in detail. Theirobjectives need to be specificand measurable.They should then brainstormdifferent methods to achieve theirgoal.

Each method needs to be

evaluated through an analysisof feasibility. Is it realistic forstudents to raise $100 000 tobuild a school in Sierra Leone?Is it achievable to bring in U2or the Black Eyed Peas to hold afund-raising concert?Students then decide whichof their list of plans they willundertake.The net step will be to determine

what resources will be required inorder to fulfill their plan. How willthese be obtained?Since they will be seeking toachieve positive change in theircommunity, they may often beable to seek help or support fromoutside groups or individuals thatmay be able to help organize orprovide funds for their project the net step is to consideroptions in this area. Again,

brainstorming and evaluationfeasibility will be required.Finally, students will need to

come up with a step-by-stepaction timeline that will guidethem through the process. Tohelp with this, an Action PlanTemplate has been attached ttheir handout.

Further support may be found inthe Tip Sheet forSUCCESSFULNETWORKING and the TIP SHEETFOR FUNDRAISING in the Append

assessment:

Two pieces of student work are key assessment of both process and resFirstly, the properly filled out andutilized Action Plan Template woulddemonstrate how students were abto produce a feasible plan to fulfillachievable goals.

Secondly, in order to determine

successful outcomes, students will brequired to present evidence of thecompletion of their task. Determinaof what would be consideredacceptable evidence of completionwill depend upon the nature of theplan, and should be developed inconsultation with the teacher. Insome cases, the evidence is obviou- posters around the school; in othecases a photograph or a letter frompolitical or community leader mighnecessary.


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Activity 5Building Communityand Social Activism

through Web 2.0PurPose: The intention of thisctivity is to enable young people totilize their own innate digital skillso formulate another way in whichhey can create positive change in theworld: digital activism through Web2.0. By this point in the unit, studentsave developed an understanding of

he nature of citizenship, chosen anssue of significance to them, preparednd organized an action plan designed

o help promote positive changeelated to that issue, and learned howo fundraise to sustain their plan.

Web 2.0 is a term that originatedn 2004. The basic idea was thathe digital world had evolved thenternet was no longer simply a placehat provided users with nothing more

than a passive eperience in whichthey could only view or downloadinformation provided for them bywebsite creators. Instead, the newWeb 2.0 sites encourage and facilitateparticipation by users. Webizens(citizens of the World Wide Web) areprovided the tools with which to share

information, collaborate and networkin ways that were never possiblebefore. In 2006 the Time Magazineperson of the year was... You! incelebration of the many millions ofcontributors to the Web 2.0 world andthe way that they have changed howinformation is shared and how peopleinteract. The Internet has developedinto a social eperience; a networkof shared ideas, brainstorms andinteractions. As applied to education,

Web 2.0 has come to be known asClassroom 2.0, and it is here that wanticipate integration of some 21stCentury Skills. One of the key elemis the fact that the Web is beginningto fragment due to the eistence oa wide variety of personal devicesthat allow access to the Web (or ar

in and of themselves, based uponWeb access. This presents numeroupossibilities for classroom use giventhe high level of technologicalsophistication of modern students. eample, cell phones, iPod TouchesMP3 players etc. have interactivityfunctions that may lend themselvesto pedagogical utility through theability to access the Internet, tet tothe teacher, or the development ofnetworks to meet an objective.

examPles of web 2.0 include:

web-based social networking communities including Facebook, Friendster, LinkedIn, MySpace, Nexopia and Twitter.

video or image sharing sites such as Flikr, YouTube, Hulu, Google Video, PhotoBucket, ReelTime, Vimeo and Vuze.

Wikis: collaborative websites producing online databases of information related to specific purposes that permit useradd, edit and remove information related to the topic. Eamples include Wikipedia, WikiQuote, Wikimedia Commonand Wikinews.

Folksonomies: also known as collaborative tagging or social bookmarking, this is a web-based means for web usersshare, organize, search and manage bookmarks or tags of web resources. Two eamples are Diigo and Del.icio.us

Blogs (Weblogs): websites maintained by individuals who provide commentary, descriptions, video links, graphics etcrelated to particular issues or their personal lives. Many bloggers use blog hosting services which help people designand submit their own blog pages some popular services include BlogSpot, BlogCatalog, Bloggerand WordPress.

Podcasting: not technically an element of Web 2.0 because it doesnt allow for interactivity, but it could be viewed assort of video and/or audio blog, and thus be included.


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hese technologies provide uniqueopportunities for students to becomenvolved in their world in ways thatould only have been imagined inears past. User-generated content canmpower children to become involvedn the fight to protect human rights,ncourage responsible citizenship,evelop environmental stewardship

n short, Web 2.0 gives students the

potential to find a local and/or globaludience for the issues that they find

mportant.

his activity will focus upon the use ofWeb logs orblogging as a wayo achieve positive social change.Blogs are quite simple to set up andpersonalize and are highly interactive.hey allow readers to comment onntries and thus develop an online

ommunity of users dedicated to cause. They also provide theopportunity to include multimediaontent such as video, podcastsnd photos, thus demonstratingreativity and encouraging studentso demonstrate their knowledge inifferent ways.

tudents will be asked to create anadvocacy blog defined by Global

Voices Advocacy as using a blog to

ght against an injustice... such aswrongful imprisonment, governmentorruption, environmental degradation,nd human rights abuse. iii

In Activities 2 and 3, students decidedon an issue that is of particular concernto them, researched backgroundinformation and then developed andpresented an action plan designedto find a solution to their issue. Theadvocacy blog that they now create willenable them to broaden their audienceand get feedback from the outsidecommunity. Teachers may choose to ask

students to seek input from the globalblogosphere or may decide to keepthe blogs internal seeking commentaryonly from within the class (fellowstudents and instructors).

There are two different forms ofadvocacy blogs:

Issue Blogs: These blogs addressongoing issues that have no clear,

quick or simple solutions. Theydeal with issues of compleity anddifficulty which demand long-termeffort and serious commitment.Issues surrounding theenvironment are good eamplesof this thegreenpages.ca focuseson environmental stewardship inCanada.

Crisis Blogs: Blogs of this sortdeal with current issues of a

short-term duration that canhopefully be solved quickly. Goalsare straightforward and simple,although usually not easy to

achieve. A recent eample of crisis blog involved attempts tconvince the Iranian governmto release an Iranian womansentenced to be stoned todeath after being convicted oadultery. In this case, thousanof blogs were set up to protesthe decision and raise awarenin order to put pressure on Ira

Even more recently, blogs (alowith other types of social medplayed an important role inorganizing and carrying out tmass protests in Egypt that ledthe resignation of the long-timdictator in that country.

Students, depending on the issuethat they have chosen, may decide create either form of blog. The teac

should choose a blog hosting serviBlogSpot and WordPress are goodchoices both are free, feature-rich(allowing for easy-to-use themes tobe applied), and permit the inclusioof an array of multimedia elements

Access controls allow the user todetermine who can read and write their blogs; the teacher can decidewhether the class should be the onlones able to access and commentor whether there should be a globa

reach. Students will be able to indutheir creativity and demonstrate theknowledge and ideas at the same t


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ach blog (whether issue or crisis) should contain the following elements:

Background information:Describe the cause being fought for and why it is worth achievingEplain who the victim(s) are and who the perpetrator(s) areIn a crisis blog, the details of the injustice need to be eplained thewhens and hows.Multimedia elements and links to outside articles are often very usefulin this contet.

Current updates:It is important that readers are able to stay up-to-date on the issue what are the most recent developments?

A mission statement:A clear and simple goal, in one sentence, describing what the blog isintended to achieve. Clarity and simplicity are vital because the missionstatement is intended to be easily communicated and motivational topotential supporters.

A plan of action:

Eplain the methods that the blogger feels will best help achieve

progress in solving the crisis or achieving the long-term goal(s). Thiswould be based upon the action plan that was created in Activities 2and 3.Provide a list of actions that supporters can do to get involved in thecause and help achieve progress towards solutions.

A place for comment posting in the creation of an online community ofdedicated activists:

Provide an opportunity for visitors to comment, make suggestions anddiscuss issues this may be limited or open access.

here are a number of ways in whicheachers can utilize this activity. As anongoing project, the blogs can besed to demonstrate the development

of an action-plan over time throughhe creation of a dedicated activistommunity. As such, assigning the

blogs would occur at the onset ofRelated Issue 4, and then integratednto the ongoing project of thisesource. As students develop their

background research and their action/

fundraising plans, they would includethese into their blogs.

The small group discussions describedfor Day 3 of Activity 3 could beconducted as an ongoing dialoguewithin the blogs. The PowerPointpresentations can be linked to theblogs as well. If desired, the blogscould be the basis for the presentationsthemselves. Otherwise, the blogscould be a stand-alone project

conducted after the completion of tpresentations, or as a replacementfor the presentation should insufficiclass time be available. Assessmenmay be by the teacher or peers ora combination of both. It shouldinclude assessment of the backgrouinformation and the action plan(assuming that these havent alreadbeen assessed in another form) as was of the creativity and effectivenesthe blog.


Everyone has the right to education Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality andto the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms


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Follow up activity self reflection

urther information on digital activism (blogging in particular) can be found online. Somecellent resources can be found at:

Blog for a Cause!: The Global Voices Guide to Blog Advocacy (Global Voices Advocacy),http://advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org/projects/guide-blog-for-a-cause/Citizen Media: An Introduction (Rising Voices), http://rising.globalvoicesonline.org/library/Introduction-to-Citizen-Media-EN.pdfIntroduction to Digital Activism (DigiActive), http://www.slideshare.net/MaryCJoyce/introduction-to-digital-activism (There are a variety of effective slideshows dealing withdigital activism at www.slideshare.net this is just one of them).

Hand out the INDIVIDUAL WEBLOG PROJECT STUDENT INSTRUCTIONS found in theAppendi.

tudents need an opportunity toeflect on their work, consider theirccomplishments, and contemplate

what they might do differently in future.eachers could ask students to fill outhe following reflection sheet and thense it as a completion task for a grade.

art of the intention is to enhance

ome metacognitive skill development,but also to encourage students to giveurther consideration about how andwhy they choose to make a differencen the world and how this impactedhem, if at all.

his activity may be done simply bylling out the form or as a teacher-tudent interview or done in the form

of a classroom discussion where

ndividuals share answers where theyre comfortable doing so.

Notes:

The Metiri Group. enGauge 21st Century Skills Literacy in the Digital Age. www.metiri.comMorril Goddard, What Interests People and Why (New York, Published Privately, 1935) Cited in The Uncrowned KingKenneth Whyte. Hippo Publishing Inc. Random House Canada 2008 p. 314

i Mary Joyce, Blog for a Cause!: The Global Voices Guide to Blog Advocacy (Global Voices Advocacy), http://advocaglobalvoicesonline.org/projects/guide-blog-for-a-cause/ accessed July 1, 2010

Hand out the STUDENT SELF-REFLECTION found in the Appendi.


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. All citizens should obey the law

2. All citizens should be aware of current events and news

3. Responsible citizens recycle and work to protect the environment

4. Active citizens conscientiously elect representatives to solve community andsocial problems

5. Wealthy people should pay higher taes than poor or middle class people

6. Everyone should donate to charities

7. Schools should promote patriotism and pride in the community

8. People should have the freedom to epress racist, seist or discriminatoryviews if they want

9. Citizens are responsible for securing a positive future for todays youth

0. People should protest against laws they believe to be unjust

1. Wealthy people should help the poor

2. Poor people should get subsidized housing

3. People who were not born in Canada but are residents now should have thesame rights as everyone else

4. All citizens should have to learn at least one other language in addition totheir mother tongue

5. Citizens should do volunteer work

6. All citizens should support troops

7. Everyone has a right to education

8. The Canadian government should work to fight poverty in other parts of theworld

9. Men and women should have equal opportunities for jobs, education, health

care, and prosperity

canadian charter, section 3

Every citizen of Canada has the right to vote in an election of members of the House of Commons or of the legislativeassembly and to be qualified for membership therein.

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STUDENT SURVEY

Read the statements below. Circle your level of agreement for each of the statements where 1 means that you stronglyisagree and 5 means that you strongly agree.


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20. Governments should provide a decent standard of living for those who havelost their jobs

21. The Canadian government should promote human rights in other countries

22. Citizens should speak out or contact the authorities when they see injusticeor criminal acts

23. It is not Canadas responsibility to aid people in other countries if they are indistress

24. Canada should support the UN in its efforts to create equality among theworlds people

25. Racial profiling or racial discrimination is acceptable in matters of nationalsecurity

26. Individuals should give up their culture or traditions if it will improve theirstandard of living

27. Poverty and violence in the world is unfortunate but its not our problem orresponsibility to do anything about it

28. Men and women should always be treated equally

29. Animals should have rights just like people do

30. Canadian citizens should try to help victims of war in other countries

31. It is sufficient for citizens to be aware of issues and do their best to live livesthat have the least negative impact on the world

32. Citizens should join groups dedicated to solving serious local and globalproblems

33. Citizens must be actively engaged in developing and implementing their own

solutions to major issues

canadian charter, section 15(1)

Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the lawwithout discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religionse, age or mental or physical disability.

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STUDENT SURVEY TALLY SHEETQuestion # 1 2 3 4 5

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STUDENT PROJECTNSTRUCTIONS

your task

You have chosen and narrowed a topic of interest or concern to you: an issue,problem or concern that relates to your community, nation or the world. Your jobs to investigate your chosen topic, share your findings with others, and comeo some conclusions about how your life and others lives should change inorder to effectively address the problem or issue. In other words, based on yournvestigation, what are the implications for real life? What sorts of real activities

nd serious decisions will help to alleviate the conditions you identified?

o complete your task you will follow a process of research, sharing your findingswith others in the form of small group discussions, then develop a formalowerPoint presentation to inform others about your issue. You will also make public statement or epression of your findings someplace outside of thelassroom.

You will produce a PowerPoint (PP) show and present it to a group ofclassmates. The PP will outline the problem/concern that you have identified,describe its causes and origins, eplain what has been done so far to

address the problem, and offer some suggestions about possible solutions.

Youll want to consider what specific content to include, and what images orvisuals are effective. Your PP is not the whole presentation, it is an aid. Donot simply read what is on the screen.

The purpose of Social Studies is to develop a quality of good citizenship.To this end, we are interested in how real people take real action to makethe world a better place. Your second task is to make some sort of publicepression outside of the classroom on your conclusions about your topic.This epression is up to you, but you need to share your personal opinion,your engagement, your passion and commitment with others.

You could make a public speech, put up some posters, conduct a fundraiser,join an organization, start a foundation, write a letter to a political orcommunity leader (and get a response).


Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and epression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without inter-ference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

The job of a citizen is to keep hismouth open.

-- Gunter Grass

your timeline

You will have five class periods to wthrough this assignment. This includtwo library periods to conduct reseainto your topic, and one additionalperiod to assemble your PowerPoinpreparation for you presentation. In

between the periods of research anthe period to prepare your PP therebe one class period devoted to smagroup discussions where you will shyour initial findings with others, ansquestions and consider suggestionsfrom other classmates about how toaddress the problem or concern thayou have identified. After research,sharing and preparing the PP you whave a final period to present your

work to classmates.

your objective

Develop knowledge and understanof an issue that is important to youand then actually do something abit. Lots of people despair or complaabout problems in the world but donot do much; here is an opportunittake real action.

your Process

RESEARCH

Apply the skills youve been develoin the previous research activities.What is the origin and nature of theproblem? What has been done sofar, and how successful have been efforts to address the problem? Whare the opportunities for action? Ware the ways a person can help?


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When conducting on-line research, beure that the source is reliable. If you

are going to gather information abouta controversial topic you need to beconfident of your sources.

SMALL GROUPDISCUSSIONS

The purpose of a small

group discussion is tohare ideas and insights

and collectively deepenunderstanding abouta topic. Although theesearch and the chosenopics are individual,here is a collectiveoutcome from these discussions:mutual assistance. Members interact,offer thoughts and opinions to others,

and consider others ideas. In a wellunctioning group each memberakes a turn at describing their projectand eplaining what they know soar (you are not epected to be anepert or have all the answers; gettingnew ideas is one of the outcomes).Other group members ask clarifyingquestions and then offer ideas anduggestions that are intended to help

make a better presentation and helpdentify possible actions to address

he problem/concern identified in theopic. Consider these guidelines:

Did everyone contribute?Did everyone in the group comeaway with a better understandingof a topic/concern/problem/issue?Did everyone get someadditional ideas regardingpossible solutions to theproblem/concern?

n order to make maimumcontribution to the group discussion,ee the section on asking Powerful

Questions in the Prologue of youretbook. Deeper questions dare toask what is hard to answer. Whydoes the problem persist? Why dopeople choose to be irrational abouthis problem? Who decides whatrrational is?

PERSPECTIVES

Somewhere in your PowerPoint slide show you should include differingperspectives from others about the nature and causes and possible solutions tothe problem. Real issues in the real world do not have simple answers and the

is usually disagreement about what should be done.While conducting research, find three or four differeneditorials or blogs or political statements, preferably disagree with each other, about what should be doneto solve the problem or what the cause is. Include so

statements in your PowerPoint and in your presentatioeplain to the group what your own conclusion is in tface of conflicting views of others.

POWERPOINT

Many people use PowerPoints in their presentations tohelp get their message across, to promote an idea o

project, or to illustrate a concept or identify a problem. However, PowerPoints anot like an essay complete in themselves. The presenter is the one who has tinformation and detail, and it is the presenter who eplains the topic using the

only as a support.

Think about the elements of good or poor PowerPoints. How easy or difficult isit to read the script on the screen? Are the images, videos or pictures purposefand compelling, or are they just thrown into the PP to fill up space? What shouyour audience take away from your PP - what should they remember?

PERSONAL ExPRESSION OR STATEMENT

If you have an idea about how to make the world abetter place, how will anyone know? Your concludingactivity is to make some sort of public epression of

your ideas or plan. Having gone through the processof investigating a real world concern, this is youropportunity to take real world action. It may be that youpromote your cause to others, advertise, recruit helpers,or anything that serves to address the topic you chose.

Power Point checklist

When assembling your PowerPoint slide show consider the following:

Is the content interesting and engaging?

Is the information clear and meaningful; can others learn from it?

Is the information reliable, verifiable and factual?Is the slide show organized in a logical way, is it coherent?

Are the most important points highlighted and clearly stated?Is there a conclusion, a final idea or statement that people willremember?Do the pictures or graphics strengthen the presentation, reinforce themain points?

Are the pictures or graphics placed in the slide show in a creative wayAre the fonts used an appropriate size and easily visible from adistance?

Are the slides free of spelling or grammatical errors?

If we could only get enough en-gaged human beings walking theplanet, if we could fill the streets

with people living lives based onresponsibility and compassion,...then a lot of the problems thatplague our society would starttaking care of themselves.

-- Bill Strickland

I am a citizen,not of Athens or

Greece, but ofthe world.

-- Socrate


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SCORING GUIDE FOR SMALLGROUP DISCUSSIONS

(Interaction with others)

5 Ecellent The student is open-minded, focused and attentive, sensitive to the ideas ofothers, the dynamic of the group, and the objective of the task. The studentis comfortable in sharing ideas, asking clarifying questions, and building onthe ideas of other group members. The student is an effective participant orleader within the group.

4 Proficient The student is attentive, frequently responds to the ideas of others, isconscious of the objective of the task. The student is willing to share ideas,

ask questions, but may not follow the thread of conversation established bythe group. The student is inconsistent in switching roles between leader andparticipant.

3 Satisfactory The student is courteous and able to participate, but may not be able tocontribute to an outcome or conclusion of the group. Is willing to shareideas with others, but tends to rely on others to develop the thread ofconversation. The student tends to be a participant more often than a leaderof the group.

2 Limited The student is easily distracted, and is unable or unwilling to share ideas.

The student is cautious and insecure in participating, choosing to be glib,off topic, or irrelevant. The student may use inappropriate language, tone ornonverbal behavior. The student cannot lead the group discussion.

1 Poor The student is uninvolved in the task and does not contribute to theconstructive outcome of the task. The student is unwilling to eplore ideasverbally, is counterproductive, distracts others and leads the group awayfrom the task.


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SCORING GUIDE FOR SMALLGROUP DISCUSSIONS

(Developing comprehension)5 Ecellent The student shows perception and insight while developing new

understanding of the concepts and ideas under discussion. The studentengages with information presented by others, revises interpretations andideas and contributes new information that moves the group discussionfurther along toward an outcome. The student is able to synthesize.

4 Proficient The students discussion is thoughtful and methodical, usually linear.The student listens attentively to others, asks clarifying questions and

demonstrates new understanding by making connections to, and buildingon, previously discussed ideas and information. The student sustains themain ideas and objectives of the groups task.

3 Satisfactory The student demonstrates a developing understanding of the ideas andconcepts under discussion. The student incorporates others ideas intoown understanding, and absorbs rather than constructs new meaning. Thestudent offers support of reaching a conclusion of the groups task.

2 Limited The student offers sporadic contribution to the ideas under discussion, mayask for clarification or repetition of others statements, but demonstrateslittle development of own comprehension. The student may have a limitedunderstanding of the task, the objective or the concepts being discussed. Thestudent is unable to contribute new ideas.

1 Poor The student does not develop an understanding of the themes, ideas orconcepts under discussion. The student may passively accept others ideasand rely on someone else to provide the correct answer. The studentsinability to engage with ideas detracts from the task instead of moving itforward.


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SCORING GUIDE FOR MAKING

PRESENTATIONS

5 Ecellent The speaker is sensitive to, and controls, audience reaction to achieve thecommunication purpose. Eye contact and gestures engage the audience.The speakers presentation is confident, clear, and effective. Diction, stress,volume, and inflection are effectively controlled to convey the speakersintentions.

4 Proficient The speaker is conscious of the audience and adjusts the presentation inresponse to cues from the audience. Eye contact and gestures hold theinterest of the audience. The speakers presentation is confident and clear.Diction, stress, volume, and inflection are adjusted appropriately to conveythe speakers intentions.

3 Satisfactory The speaker is aware of the audience but makes little overt effort to includethem. Eye contact and gestures do not vary to involve the audience. Thespeakers presentation is clear. Diction, stress, volume, and inflection areacceptable for conveying the speakers intention.

2 Limited The speakers attention to the audience is sporadic. Eye contact isminimal and gestures may be inappropriate and distracting. The speakerspresentation is faltering. Faltering control of diction, stress, volume, andinflection may interfere with understanding.

1 Poor The speaker ecludes the audience. Eye contact and gestures areinappropriate or lacking. The speakers presentation preventscommunication. Lack of control of diction, stress, volume, and inflectionresults in confusion.


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Action Plan Template

Goal:_________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Steps TowardsCompleting

Plan

Actions to beCarried Out

Challenges tobe Overcome

ResourcesRequired

Measuresof

Success

Action Date

steP 1

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steP 5

steP 6

steP 7

Measures of Success: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


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Building an Action Plan

1. Record your goal. What are your objectives? Write them down specifically and in detail. Make sure that theyare focused and measurable (i.e. there is a way to determine if your objectives have been met).

2. Brainstorm different methods that your goal can be achieved. Make a list.3. Evaluate each potential plan. Is it feasible? Can students of your age and with your resources achieve your

goals in the time frame that you have?

4. Make a decision which of your possible plans will you undertake?

5. What resources will be needed in order to fulfill your plan. Make a list. How and where might you findthem?

6. You may often be able to seek help or support from outside groups or individuals that may be able to helporganize or provide funds for your project, after all, you are doing good in your community. Brainstorm thepossibilities and, again, evaluate how achievable they are. Incorporate this element into your plan.

7. Finally, decide in detail how you will carry out your plan. Use the attached Action Plan Template to developa step-by-step process that you will follow as you work to achieve your goals. Use the template to recordyour plans and progress. Do a good job of this as you will be turning this in as part of your teachersassessment of the work that you do.

assessment:

You will be turning in your completed Action Plan Template. Make sure it is complete, well-considered andfeasible.

In consultation with your teacher, decide what evidence would best demonstrate the successful achievementof your action plan. This evidence will be part of your assessment as well.


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Tip sheet Successfulnetworking

(From GYA 2009 Program Booklet)

1. Networking is about being genuine and authentic, building trust and relationships, and seeing how you canhelp others. Dont be afraid to approach anyone!

2. Ask yourself what your goals are so that when you are networking you are clear. Maybe you just want tomeet new people who might be able to assist you in some way down the road.

3. Ask open-ended questions in networking conversations. This means questions that ask who, what, where,when and how as opposed to those that can be answered with a simple yes or no. This form of questioning

opens up the discussion and shows listeners that you are interested in them.

4. Be able to articulate what you are looking for and how others may help you.

5. Follow through quickly and efficiently on commitments you have made to others to provide a contact orinformation.

6. Challenge yourself to make a few new contacts each day.

7. Follow up with new contacts within at least one month of a meeting, even if you just send them an e-mailto say that it was great to meet them. This will ensure continued communication and will epress yourcommitment to their projects, interests and endeavors.

8. Dont just hand your business card over to someone and epect that they will remember you. Take the timeto get to know people so that they remember who you are. Otherwise your card will sit unused and yourface will not be remembered.

9. Write a reminder on the back of others cards so that you know why you are going to follow up. Foreample, if you were talking about partnering on an ethical fashion show just write ethical fashion showon the back of the card.

10. Offer to meet your new contact outside of office hours at a place of their convenience; lots of goodcooperative ventures begin in the comfort of a coffee shop.


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Tip Sheet Fundraising insupport of the individual projectuggestions for a successful fundraising project (From theApathy is Boring session at GYA 2009)

he task of successful fundraising can be challenging. Lots of students feel that a fundraiser is a great way toontribute to a good cause or support a worthy project. It can be, but it can also be a great deal of work.

Consider the trade-offs in effort vs. reward

Grants from governments or foundations can secure a lot of money, but require a lot of work as well as ecellentwriting skills required to produce a formal letter and proposal.Money could be generated from doing a presentation for a fee, or selling some product or service, but it may behard to convince a group to pay for a presentation.Fundraising is a common and successful way of generating money, but there tends to be a lot of work involvedwithout yielding a large amount of cash.Sponsorship or paid advertising can generate a lot of funding, but also requires some ecellent interpersonal andorganizational skills to work with a potential sponsor.

Soliciting individual donors or corporations to contribute to a good cause can result in significant income, butusually requires a significant reciprocal commitment (what does the donor want in return?).

Approach the fundraising task strategically by developing a plan of action.

Define what you need. Be veryspecific about what goods,services, cash, help and peopleyou need for what purpose.Consider goods or services in-kind: instead of just a financialcontribution, could the potentialsponsor offer a product, ora service or some form ofadvertising.Define what you can offer,something of value to the personor group that you are seekinggoods or services from. Fewindividuals or organizations willgive you something for nothing.Be prepared to answer thequestion, Whats in it for me?

You can offer advertising at yourevent, promotion, prominentthank-you notices, brand namevisibility, or you might volunteeryour time in return for supportfrom someone else. Your eventmight be used to stage a regularmedia broadcast. For eample, atelevision or radio station mightbroadcast their daily show fromyour event, thereby drawingattention to themselves and to

you at the same time.

Know what your request is worth.Consider a general 5 to 1 rule.For every one dollar a sponsorgives you, you should be able torespond with five dollars worth ofvalue in the form of advertisingand promotion or thank younotices.Decide how much to ask for.Break down your project costsby element so that a potentialsponsor can choose the bestway to support you with aspecific contribution rather thansomething vague. Asking foreither too much or too little is nothelpful; know your own project.Develop a sponsorship package,

a brochure that eplains why youare doing this project. Tell a briefstory about why your project isunique or worthy of support. Beclear and honest about what youwant to accomplish and how asponsor can help.Make a list of who you willask for support. Who do youalready know? What are thelocal organizations that youshould approach? Who do your

friends know; the connection

between you and an unknownorganization is frequently onlya single person a friend of afriend will do.

Asking. Showing up in personmakes it difficult for a potentisponsor to say no. Dont bedesperate, focus on what youdo for the organization or peyou are appealing to. Start byasking for services or goods ikind before asking for moneysure to follow up after your inmeeting.Do what you promise.Fundraising is about buildingtrust and building relationshipWhatever you promised to do

be your number one priority iyour project.Say thank you. Write a nice leand add a photo or a descripof your event. Eplain why thesponsors contribution wasessential to the success of youproject.


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NDIVIDUAL WEBLOG PROJECTSTUDENT INSTRUCTIONS

Now that you have researched animportant issue, problem or concernand developed an action plan totry to achieve progress towards realsolutions, it is time to spread your greatideas to the rest of the world.

Many of you are already fluent users

of Web 2.0 the use of the Internetto create online communities throughthe active sharing of information andideas, collaboration and networking instead of simply passively readingand downloading information (Web1.0). You participate in the informationsuperhighway actively, as a socialeperience. You belong to virtualcommunities on Facebook, MySpaceorTwitter; you share video and imageson Flikr, YouTube orPhotoBucket; you

contribute to Wikis like Wikipedia,Wikimedia commons orWikinews.

This project utilizes another majorcomponent of Web 2.0 Weblogs orblogs. Some of you may have blogsalready personal web pages thatallow you to describe your life orcomment on issues through writing,

pictures, videos, music or any otherform of communication you wish. Formany, a blog is a way of keeping apersonal online diary, but for others,it is a way to be an engaged globalcitizen. You will be building a blog ofthis type.

Blogging is a great way to build acommunity of people who can helpyou achieve positive social change.Blogs are simple to create and arehighly interactive. They provideopportunities for networking andcommunication through multimediacontent that can inform, inspire andmotivate.

You will be creating an advocacy blogbased upon your issue. Depending

upon the issue you have chosen, youwill be creating either an Issue Blog(blogs dealing with issues withoutclear, quick or simple solutions thatdemand long-term effort and seriouscommitment) or a Crisis Blog (blogsdealing with a current issue of a short-term duration that can hopefully besolved quickly).

advocacy blog: [A blog used] to fight against an injustice... such aswrongful imprisonment, government corruption, environmental degradation,and human rights abuse.

-- Mary Joyce, Global Voices Advocacy


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Using a blog hosting service such as BlogSpot orWordPress, create a blog relatedo your issue. Each blog (whether issue or crisis) must contain the followinglements. Use this checklist to ensure that your blog is complete:

Background information:

Describe the cause being fought for and why it is worth achieving.

Eplain who the victim(s) are and who the perpetrator(s) are.

In a crisis blog, the details of the injustice need to be eplained thewhens and hows.

Multimedia elements and links to outside articles are often very usefulhere.

Current updates:

It is important that readers are able to stay up-to-date on the issue

what are the most recent developments? Again, multimedia may be ofuse here.

A mission statement:

A clear and simple goal, in one sentence, describing what the blog isintended to achieve. Clarity and simplicity are vital because the missionstatement is intended to be easily communicated and motivational topotential supporters.

A plan of action:

Eplain the methods that you feel will best help achieve progress insolving the crisis or achieving the long-term goal(s). This would bebased upon the action plan that you have already created.

Provide a list of actions that supporters can do to get involved in thecause and help achieve progress towards solutions.

A place for comment posting:

Provide an opportunity for visitors to comment, make suggestions anddiscuss issues this is where you create a community of dedicatedactivists seeking to support your cause.

BE AS CREATIVE AS POSSIBLE...

...include multimedia content thathelps to inspire and motivate peopto become dedicated to your cause

The more interesting, informative afun your blog is, the more likely peoare to become active in it. Go onlinand eamine blog pages on issues are interested in. What works? Whadoesnt? Make sure that you learn ftheir successes and failures as youproduce your own blog.

At various times, you will be askedto view and comment on the blogs

created by the other groups in yourclass. This is where you discuss theiissues and their action plans, makinsuggestions and providing input.Remember to always be constructivyour commentary in short, treat thefforts as you would like them to treyours.


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Rubric for Advocacy Blog

4excellent

3Proficient

2adeQuate

1limited

insufficienblank

Blog is clearly

and purposefullyconnected to theadvocacy topicthrough creativeuse of writtenwork, imagesand multimediacontent. Student(s)have beeninnovative andefficient in theirblog design

Blog is clearly and

logically connectedto the advocacytopic throughuse of writtenwork, imagesand multimediacontent. Student(s)have been effectiveand practical intheir blog design.

Blog lacks

consistent clarityand is methodicalin its connectionto the advocacytopic throughuse of writtenwork, imagesand multimediacontent. Student(s)have beenfunctional in theirblog design.

Blog is frequently

unclear. Itsconnection tothe advocacytopic throughuse of writtenwork, images andmultimedia contentlacks focus. Blogdesign has beenhaphazard anddisorganized

Blog lacks focus

on an advocacytopic. It containsminimal contentof any sort. Noeffort has beenput into creatingfunctional blog.

Descriptions andeplanations arecomprehensivelyand accuratelydeveloped.

Descriptions andeplanationsare thoroughlydeveloped andmostly accurate.

Developmentof descriptionsand eplanationsis cursory.Information islargely accurate.

Descriptions andeplanationsare superficiallydeveloped andonly partiallyaccurate.

There is very littlattempt to provibackgroundinformation.What eists isof questionableusefulness andveracity.

The missionstatement is

presented ina simple, butcompellingfashion. Goalsare clear andachievable.


presented ina simple, buteffective fashion.Goals are clearand mostlyachievable.


presented in away that is eitheroverly simplistic orcomple. Goalsmay be unclear orinappropriate insome ways.


ineffective andmay be unrelatedto the goals. Goalsare unclear andinappropriate.

There are nomission stateme

or goals present

The blog ispresented in arichly developedand entertaining

way. Utilization ofmultimedia andimages is pertinentand skillful. Criticalthought has clearlygone into choicesmade.

The blog isspecificallydevelopedand is mostly

entertaining.Utilization ofmultimedia andimages is relevantand practiced.Some criticalthought has goneinto choices made.

The blog issimplisticallydeveloped andcontains some

entertainingelements.Utilization ofmultimediaand imagesis sometimesinsufficient orinappropriate.Little criticalthought has goneinto choices made.

The blog isundevelopedcreatively,containing few

entertainingelements.Utilization ofmultimediaand images isinsufficient orinappropriate. Nocritical thought hasgone into choicesmade.

Very little orno attempt toincorporatecreative elemen

such as multimeand images.

blogdesign&

construction

(x2)

communication

ofbackground

information

(x2)

missionstatem

ent

andadvocacy

(x2)

creativity,multime

dia

andimages

(x2)


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Action planis insightful,persuasive andcomprehensively

developed. Listsof actions forsupporters arepurposeful andeffective.

Action plan ismeaningful,credible andthoroughly

developed. Listsof actions forsupporters arefocused andfeasible.

Action plan issimplistic andonly partiallydeveloped. Lists

of actions forsupporters maybe predictable,incomplete andonly somewhatfeasible.

Action plan isunconvincing andundeveloped.Lists of actions

for supportersare brief andinfeasible.

No action planor list of actionsis presented, orthe action plan

unrelated to theadvocacy projec

The blog providesinnovative meansof interaction inorder to create anonline communityof activists in

support of itsgoals.

The blog provideseffective means ofinteraction in orderto create an onlinecommunity ofactivists in support

of its goals.

The blog providesreasonable meansof interaction inorder to create anonline communityof activists in


The blog providesinsufficient orineffective meansof interaction inorder to create anonline community

of activists insupport of itsgoals.

The blog providlittle or noopportunity forthe creation of aonline communof activists in


All sources(information,images andmultimedia)are accuratelydocumented in thedesired format.

All sources(information,images andmultimedia) aredocumented, but,in some instances,inaccurately ornot in the desired

format.

Most sources(information,images andmultimedia) aredocumented,but sometimesinaccurately ornot in the desired

format.

Only some sources(information,images andmultimedia) aredocumented, ofteninaccurately ornot in the desiredformat.

No attempt hasbeen made todocument sourc

Grammar, spellingand style areclear, conciseand easy tounderstand. Ideas,information andanalysis are clearand coherentlycommunicated.

Grammar,spelling andstyle are usuallyclear, succinctand usually easyto understand.Ideas, informationand analysis areusually clearand coherently

communicated.

Grammar, spellingand style areoften unclearand numerouserrors contributeto difficultieswith readercomprehension.Ideas, informationand analysis are

often incoherent.

Repeated errorsin grammar,spelling and stylegreatly interferewith readercomprehensionand detract greatlyfrom the efficacy ofthe blog.

Numerous andegregious errorsgrammar, spelliand style result ian ineffective anoften unusableblog.

action

Plan

(x2

)

co

mmunity

(x1)

attributions

(x1)

Qualityofwriting

&communication

(x1)

4excellent

3Proficient

2adeQuate

1limited

insufficienblank


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STUDENT SELF-REFLECTION Name:

) Why did you choose the particular topic you did? What was behind your choice?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2) What was the strongest point of your presentation? Why do you think it was good?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3) What things would you change about your presentation? Why?_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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