doing something about the mess were in

PRINCIPAL WRITERS: Robert Gardner, Social Studies Department Head, McNally High School Wayne Lavold, Social Studies and History Teacher, Harry Ainlay High School PROJECT COORDINATORS: Carrie Malloy, Education Programs Coordinator, John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights Renee Vaugeois, Executive Director, John Humphrey Centre 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: 3

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 to promote 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. In Canada, these values are preserved in our Constitution and Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The vision and challenge in Canada in the 21st century is for us to create a civil society with common values and responsible citizenship. Gurcharan Singh Bhatia, CM Former Judge, Court of Canadian Citizenship Edmonton Board Member and Founder of the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights

We are citizens of the world. The tragedy of our times is that we do not know this. -- Woodrow Wilson

When the Canadian Human Rights Education Foundation closed its Western Canadian office in 1999 after over twenty years, the three Western Directors, Gurcharan Singh Bhatia, Jack ONeill and Gerald L. Gall, established the Human Rights Education Foundation in Edmonton, April 1999. One of the most ambitious and challenging goals of the Foundation was the creation of a Centre for Peace and Human Rights. This goal became a reality in June 2000 with the establishment of the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, named in honour of the Canadian-born principal writer of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Centre envisions a world that manifests a culture of peace and human rights in which the dignity of every person is respected, valued and celebrated. The Centre primarily works to advance a culture of peace and human rights through educational programs and activities, community collaboration and relationship building guided by the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The underlying belief is that many social problems such as poverty, 4

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

Ignite Change Now: Global Youth

Assembly, July-August 2009 In the summer of 2009 young delegates from around the world gathered in Edmonton, Canada at the Global Youth Assembly to discuss world issues, exchange ideas on how best to address global problems and challenges, and to begin to develop individual and collective action plans that represented concrete measures for improving individual lives and communities. A key purpose of the Assembly was to enable youth to build networks and generate creative ideas for developing safe and vibrant communities and networks in the service of social action basically, promoting a more peaceful world. Numerous workshops were presented by youth leaders from Canada, Africa, and South Asia.

The purpose and possible uses for this resource

The 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 needs youth engagement, and to provide teachers with classroom activities that will aid in achieving some of the objectives of Related Issue IV from the Grade Ten Social Studies Program of Studies. Many young people understand a basic need for making positive change in the world but are frequently unsure how to get involved in the process of change or how to take action. Some students lose interest or give up hope sensing that the problems are too large for individuals to make a difference. This series of activities is intended to let students explore the meaning of global citizenship and to consider their own ideas for change.

How to use this resource

Through this five-activity unit students will explore ideas of global citizenship, conduct research and apply it to real-life social issues and develop a concrete action plan that directly addresses Related Issue IV from the Grade Ten Social Studies curriculum. The purpose and objective of the unit plan is to have students choose an area of personal interest that they determine needs action. Teachers will guide the project to assist students in organizing information, solving research problems, and maintaining focus, however it is largely student driven. The intent of this particular resource is to give students a spark - an impetus to get started - and to provide some possible tools to aid students in moving to their next level of citizenship. The activities contained here will aid in achieving several outcomes from the Program of Studies and also assist students in developing multiple literacies in working toward a genuine project to improve the world. Teachers may do some or all of the activities here; all five activities would require at least six class periods to complete. Choosing only some of the five, or integrating these activities with other teacher-developed activities will not detract in any way from the intent of the resource. Note: The textbook referred to periodically in this resource is Exploring Globalization (McGraw-Hill Ryerson), which is used by the majority of Social Studies 10 classes in Alberta. If another textbook is used, simply disregard that portion of the lesson plan. Social Studies Skill Objectives This resource enables teachers to address all of the Skills and Processes identified in the Senior High Program of Studies. S.1: develop skills of critical thinking and creative thinking. Students are identifying a problem, proposing a creative solution in such a way as to attract outside interest and involvement. S.2: develop skills of historical thinking. Students will research the historical background to their issue including cause and effect relationships, and will use this information to develop a reasoned position. 5 S.3: develop skills of geographic thinking. Students will connect geopolitical realities to their issue in the search for viable solutions. S.4: demonstrate skills of decision making and problem solving. Within a group context, students will collaborate to determine their issue, research background, develop solutions and create their project.

S.5: demonstrate skills of cooperation, conflict resolution and consensus building. Within a group context, students will utilize these skills to both determine and create their project. S.6: develop age-appropriate behavior for social involvement as responsible citizens contributing to their community. The purpose of the Social Action Project will be to develop a means to better the world through responsible citizenship. S.7: apply the research process. Students will be required to develop fluency in the background, current status and potential solutions for their chosen issue. This will require the formation of an informed position based on research from a wide variety of valid sources, both digital and otherwise.

S.8: demonstrate skills of oral, written and visual literacy. Students will utilize the capabilities of Web 2.0 technology to present and develop perspectives and solutions related to their issue. S.9: develop skills of media literacy. The research process will require students to assess and evaluate their sources. Specific Outcomes Despite the wide diversity of issues students will choose to focus on, all will relate in some way to all three of the Values and Attitudes outcomes. The issues involve quality of life and human rights and how globalization either contributes to problems or provides potential solutions (most likely both). The project itself is a reflection of an understanding that global citizens have a responsibility to try to make the world a better place. The project acts as a culminating assessment of students understandings of all five Knowledge and Understanding outcomes, with all projects containing elements of SO 4.4 (explore various understandings of quality of life), SO 4.7 (evaluate relationships between globalization and democratization and human rights) and SO 4.8 (analyze how globalization affects individuals and communities), and may, depending on the issue, deal with SO 4.5 (children and youth) and/or SO 4.6 (gender issues). 21st Century Skills and Literacies This project enables students to demonstrate competencies in areas beyond conventional paper and pencil, reading and writing skills. While there are numerous lists and descriptions of skills deemed to be required by young people today, this resource draws upon the enGauge 21st Century Skills document developed by the Metiri Group in an effort to 6

identify some of the skills that students will need to take into their future workplace, educational institutions and citizenship activities.i Many of these skills are identified in Alberta Educations Inspiring Education and Inspiring Action documents released in June, 2010. The resource aims to meet current curricular outcomes and also anticipate some future curricular changes as indicated by the Minister of Education. The list of 21st Century Skills is lengthy, but the following represents a focus on a few that are central to this resource. Visual Literacy: Understanding of basic elements of visual design, technique and media; Awareness of emotional, psychological, and cognitive influences in perceptions of visuals; Knowledgeable designers, composers, and producers of visual information. In developing PowerPoint presentations students need to create easy-to-read slides that contain concise and relevant information that can be readily understood by audience members. Students need to select images that convey a powerful message and that illustrate symbolically, yet clearly, the concept or idea that is to be remembered by the audience. Collaboration: Ability to take on different roles and tasks within the group to accomplish shared ends; Share personal understandings and resources with other group members. Although the projects are individual, students have an opportunity to engage in small group discussions for the purpose of sharing ideas and information and for strengthening their individual work. The small group work is purposeful, has specific goals, and is individual and collaborative at the same time.

Technological literacy: Use technology to access, evaluate, process and synthesize information from a variety of sources; Use technology tools in effective ways to increase creative productivity; Use technology to identify and solve complex problems in real world contexts. In conducting on-line research in preparation for presentations, students need to discriminate between relevant and non-relevant information, reliable and unreliable sources.

The Activities
The activities in this resource move students through a series of steps beginning with a general consideration of citizenship, then making a personal connection to issues or problems that need action, and finally toward planning and carrying out real action that will result in students making an effort to improve some community, national or global problem. Students brainstorm issues and possible actions, share their ideas with classmates in the form of a short PowerPoint presentation, and then develop an individual or group project to make a difference in the world. As an adjunct to this process, students will develop an understanding of and facility with digital activism through the creation of an advocacy blog. This unit follows a sequence where students move from identifying a problem or concern to taking real action. The steps are as follows: Consider the nature of citizenship Identify an issue or concern Investigate and develop understanding Raise questions as to the nature of the problem Share findings with other students and generate ideas for action Consider implications for self and others. How could/should life change? Draw conclusions about what should be done to change the situation Act by taking action or by sharing conclusions in a public way.

Creativity and inventive thinking: Become immersed in challenging learning for intrinsic reasons; Identify essential elements in a problem as well as the interaction between those elements; Think about problems from multiple perspectives and understand that they can be solved using different strategies involving more than one solution. As students choose their own topics for investigation rather than something that is imposed they can be motivated by their own curiosity and develop more complex understandings of the problem instead of revert to a conventional teacher-approved response.

The most important thing an institution does is not to prepare a student for a career but for a life as a citizen. -- Frank Newman

What is citizenship?
For many people, understandings of citizenship is limited to the rights and responsibilities that accompany being a citizen of a state, however the grade 10 curriculum in Alberta suggests a definition that goes far beyond. It argues that citizenship entails a much more active involvement for the good of the local, regional, national and global community. A citizen is somebody who plays an active role in civil society - identifying and working to solve problems due to a sense of personal responsibility to the world around them. Active citizens identify themselves as members of a global community and thus feel connected to all people, everywhere, not simply members of their own nation. Citizenship is fundamentally tied to human rights. Citizenship requires full access to human rights and a responsible citizen recognizes this and understands their rights. 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 fundamental framework in which we can assess issues in our community. Yet, human rights are not beyond debate themselves and are something that should be in constant discussion in society. People have to make the case for them, discuss them, and assess them. The marketplace of ideas and areas in which we want to affect change and take action are fundamentally tied up in advancing our debate and realization of human rights.

The classroom teacher will have several opportunities to assess students investigation.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, its the only thing that ever has. -- Margaret Mead

Activity 1 Reflecting on citizenship

Purpose: The intention of this initial activity is to engage students in thinking about possible actions that reflect good citizenship, and to think about what issues or conditions exist in the community that need addressing. It is important for students to choose their own area of interest and to initiate their own project. This lesson serves as a springboard to the presentation task and student-generated research. Students are offered an opportunity to explore a number of questions and ideas about the nature of citizenship. Teachers may begin with a generalized discussion of citizenship and then move to a formal survey which students can complete and then analyze. 1. Begin with some introductory questions about the nature and qualities of citizenship. The questions might be provocative or simply exploratory: 1) 2) Define what is meant by a good citizen. If we have a sense of what good citizenship is, why do many people engage in activities of bad 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? Now that students have begun to think about the qualities of citizenship, there is an opportunity to examine more closely some of the issues faced by active citizens. Ask students to complete the survey a scale responding to a series of statements. Afterward, have students work in pairs to analyze the nature of the issues identified in the survey in order to better comprehend the underlying concerns associated with citizenship. The point here is for students to engage with larger questions about citizenship; this can lead to large group discussions about how society might progress. For example, some potential issues may be: Should people care about the lives of others? Are we collectively or individually responsible for improving the lives of others? Should active citizenship be mandatory, or made an aspect of formal education? Should political leadership be chosen on the basis of commitment to making Canada a better place? 8 This provides an opportunity for students to develop a profile of an active citizen. Hand out the Student Survey found in the Appendix.

2.

Follow up activity group survey

Further insights about the interests and priorities of students might be revealed through collecting group data on the completed survey. This information might inform individual students ideas about what action project they would like to undertake or who they might choose to network with. This group data might also reveal additional challenges of citizenship: what if there is disagreement over possible decisions to be made? Might some issues be more realistic to address than others? What if my own interests are different from others? After the class has individually completed the survey, collect the results from all participants on the tally sheet. A simple show of hands will do (For question number 6, how many people said, 1, strongly agree? How many said, 2, somewhat agree?) While the teacher is compiling these results, the students should also be doing the same on their own tally sheet. This keeps students focused on the task and may assist in gathering accurate information from the cross section of student citizens.

After the group information is gathered, consider some questions for analysis. Are certain statements more widely accepted than others? Are there any seeming contradictions where people broadly agreed with one statement that seemed to be at odds with another broadly agreed-upon statement? Ask students if they would change or modify any of their ideas of citizenship from the initial class discussion. Consider some implications of differing responses. If this whole class were a citizen what diversity of interests would there be? Students might reflect on their individual niche interests and think about how networks are developed; how might individuals connect with others of like mind? 9

Students may discover that some issues have sufficient popularity to be readily addressed while others require creating a broader network of supporters. These possibilities should be considered later when students begin to develop their individual action plans and advocacy blogs.

Hand out the Student Survey Tally Sheet found in the Appendix.

Activity 2 Citizen of the World collage and written response

Purpose: The intention of this activity is to have students identify connections between themselves and the larger world in a creative way by reflecting on the ways in which they are part of a global system. This collage activity gets students thinking about the power of images, something that they will want to consider when developing their PowerPoint slide shows and advocacy blogs later on. It is important for students to feel that they are connected to other people and situations elsewhere by seeing how their personal lives intersect with others. Collage. Students are to collect images from magazines, newspapers or on-line sources that illustrate some of the issues or concerns that they identified in Activity 1. The collage is easily managed on an 11 x 17 sheet of paper but could be any size; the important thing is that it be colourful and vibrant and illustrate the students choice of issues or concerns in the world. The collage should include images that represent the students personal identity and interests as well as images that represent issues, problems and concerns that are important to them. Ask students to make explicit the connections between themselves and the larger issues. For example, a student may be 10 a fan of Walt Disney characters yet also understand that their T-shirt is produced in a foreign sweatshop; a student may have all of their needs met in a vibrant community and understand that some people in that same community lack the basic necessities of life; a student may be a soccer fan and understand that he is connected to a global community of soccer enthusiasts; a student may be an avid gamer and also connected to a wider gaming community on-line. The collage should be colourful and visually interesting but also make clear the relationship between the student and the world. Written response. After the students have finished the collage they are to write a short explanation of their visual work. Why did they choose the particular images that they did? What is the connection between themselves and the issues or conditions portrayed by the images? It is important to not only explain the students choice of pictures but also to explain how they are citizens of the whole world.

SUGGESTION Give students a copy of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms or the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and ask them to make a connection between one of the Sections/Articles and their topic.

Finished collages could be placed around the classroom so that students may engage in a gallery walk to see what other classmates have done, and to perhaps spark further ideas about possible problems in the world that need to be addressed.

Activity 3 Research and sharing: narrowing the topic and preparing for action

No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts off from its youth severs its lifeline. -- Kofi Annan

Purpose: The intention of this activity is to prepare students for the challenge of doing something about the problem that they have identified. Students may choose a topic or issue that concerns them, something of substance that would relate to political, social, economic, environmental, human rights challenges in the world today, then research that topic and share the findings with classmates through a PowerPoint presentation. Topics may be local, regional, national or global in nature. Universal Declaration, Article 21 Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. Process: Some students may already have a well developed sense of social issues and know what they want to accomplish in their community or world, but others may not. They may have difficulty identifying a challenge that needs to be addressed, particularly if their store of prior knowledge is not particularly broad, or if their conception of the world beyond their own immediate experiences is limited. It 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? excites you? Alternatively, teachers and artists often use springboards such as shock, mystery, and humour to arouse interest in students. Teachers might pull current events items from the news and ask, Were you aware that...? How did this situation come about? Who do you suppose was responsible for this bright idea? Additionally, some subscribe to a theory of human interest. In the 1890s while working for William Randolph Hearsts New York Journal, editor Morril Goddard compiled a list of 16 universal elements of human interest. There is no consensus on the list, but there is plenty to engage students: Suggestion Having students look through the Universal Declaration of Human Rights may help them to choose a topic that they are passionate about. love superstition vanity curiosity hate veneration evildoing ambition fear culture morality heroism selfishness science immorality amusement

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If these are the things that capture public (or student) interest and imagination, consider how these elements might be used to generate student investigation on a topic of social justice or human rights. There are plenty of acts of selfless heroics to inspire students; the world has numerous examples of corruption and misdeeds to spark anger; it is not difficult to find case studies where misguided science or political action has resulted in tragedy or disaster. A student might respond with indignation to some 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-related a global issue (poverty) may be effectively addressed through a project based around a local action. Distribute the Student Project Instructions package found in the Appendix. While the project may be done individually, there are advantages to having it done in groups of two or three. As a group project, this enables students to develop such 21st Century skills as collaboration and cooperation. Done as group projects, the teachers task of supervising, monitoring and assessing work is less complex. Task: Once students have chosen a few topics to investigate, narrow one of the topics by identifying areas or aspects of the topic where an individual could make a concrete positive contribution. Most individuals can make some sort of meaningful difference even if it is small by comparison to the magnitude of the problem. A high school student may not be able to prevent a superpower from waging war, but could join and support a peace movement, or support an organization to disarm child soldiers. A student probably could not cure AIDS but could raise money for a local health organization to assist people living with AIDS. Students should further narrow their topic by exploring what the issue is in regard to their chosen problem. An issue is a dilemma, a problem or challenge about which there is significant disagreement as to the solution. Crime or poverty or human trafficking would be problems, but what to do about those things is the issue. It is important for students to understand that there are no simple solutions to the problems (The government should donate money to poor countries. Warring factions should learn to get along.). Students need to consider who is implicated in the issue and in what ways. Is poverty a function of government policies or of ideologies? Is child labour a function of the high demand for clothing and toys that we all buy on a regular basis? It is critical for students to think of the roles played by different stakeholders in the problem from government to individual citizens to the private sector and others in order to give them a complete view of the issue and how there are a variety of ways to approach it. the PowerPoint Checklist in the Appendix. Note that this can easily be adapted to allow students to use other presentation media such as Prezi or Notebook. Some schools have class sets of netbooks or laptop computers for students to use. If this is the case,

Universal Declaration, Article 4 No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Students will then engage in online research, share findings with classmates through presentation of a formal PowerPoint slide show and develop an action plan to achieve positive change. To conclude, students will work towards the completion of that action plan helping to alleviate the problem, soliciting aid or support, or drawing attention to the issue identified. The PowerPoint presentation is to be informative and also persuasive, a tool for building networks and soliciting help. A successful PowerPoint will be shown in class to small groups of students but could also be shown to businesses or community leaders or inserted into an advocacy blog to raise awareness of the issue. This might also provide an opportunity for teachers to instruct students how to produce an effective PowerPoint presentation. See 12

groups of three or four students can share a single laptop while viewing each others presentations. This allows students to have more time to present and deal with peer questions and comments with small groups working simultaneously.

Time line: Carrying out the individual project should take no more than five class periods from initial work to presentation, although this may vary depending on class size and actual student progress in computer labs.

Day 1 Hand out the student instruction package from the Appendix. Provide students with work time in the library or computer labs to gather information and ideas. Day 2 A second period in library or computer lab. Note: the purpose of the research time is not to rush into building the PowerPoint slide show, but rather to gain insight and a degree of expertise in their chosen topics. These two class periods should be dedicated mostly to reading, scanning, searching for information and thinking. Many students like to get the correct answer as soon as possible, or complete the assignment, whatever that may be. Reflective time is frequently a foreign concept to students.

Day 3 One class period for small group discussions. In groups of three to five, students take turns explaining their particular project to others in the group. After each is finished other members of the group ask clarifying questions, make suggestions about what to include in the PowerPoint, further sites for research, or perhaps simply share personal accounts that related to someone elses project. Let students know that this activity is designed to inject an element of group work into an individual project; the purpose is for everyone to assist each other in building a better presentation. Students may view this class period as an opportunity to run through their PowerPoint presentation without the actual slides. Day 4 Another class in the library or computer lab to construct the PowerPoint show. Encourage students to use digital material to maximum effect by including powerful images and/or embedded video.

Day 5 The presentations take place. Offer students suggestions about how to present and speak to a large group: clear voice, look at an object at the back of the room rather than at students, which may be distracting or nerve-wracking - dont just read the slide show or hand held notes. If the class has a lot of students, the task may be broken into smaller pieces with students working in small groups and taking turns presenting to each other. The teacher may still observe portions of each student presentation by simply walking amongst the groups. It is not essential for the teacher to see the entirety of each presentation to make an effective assessment of student work. See the rubrics for Small Group Discussions and for Presentations found in the Appendix.

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Activity 4 Individual expression taking action

Purpose: The intention here is to have students take some action on the issue or concern that they have identified. The final element in the Student Project Instructions package calls for a personal expression or statement. Because not all students have the same capacity for effecting change, the expression could take any form; the objective is to have students do something beyond merely acknowledging that a problem exists and studying it in class. Task: Students are asked to build an action plan designed to help achieve the goal(s) they identified in Activity 3. This will accomplish a number of aims. Action plans raise selfawareness among students what is a reasonable objective to shoot for? How can I achieve this aim? What are the challenges that I must overcome? As such, they demonstrate what is required in order to achieve positive and effective change, both in local and global contexts. Finally, action plans provide a concrete connection between principles and concepts learned in class and real-life issues. For some students, the action plan may involve a fund raising activity, writing a letter (and getting a response), conducting some form of advertising for a cause or raising public awareness of an issue. Whatever the case, the action must be the students own in service of the situation they identified in their research and presentation. Students may undertake actions such as displaying a series of posters around the school to draw attention to the issue; hosting a bake sale to raise money to donate later; or even meeting with a Municipal Councilor, Member of the Legislature, or Member of Parliament. Students are expected to do as much as they are genuinely comfortable with. Distribute How to Build an Action Plan found in the Appendix. Discuss with students the following considerations as they work their way through the construction of their plan: They need to begin by providing their overall goal with focus and record it in detail. Their objectives need to be specific and measurable. They should then brainstorm different methods to achieve their goal. Each method needs to be evaluated through an analysis of feasibility. Is it realistic for students to raise $100 000 to build a school in Sierra Leone? Is it achievable to bring in U2 or the Black Eyed Peas to hold a fund-raising concert? Students then decide which of their list of plans they will undertake. The next step will be to determine what resources will be required in order to fulfill their plan. How will these be obtained? Since they will be seeking to achieve positive change in their community, they may often be able to seek help or support from outside groups or individuals that may be able to help organize or provide funds for their project the next step is to consider options in this area. Again, 14 Today, when the consequences of our actions (and inaction!) reach further into time and space than at any previous point in history, we more than ever need politically engaged citizens. -- Jakob von Uexkull brainstorming and evaluation of feasibility will be required. Finally, students will need to come up with a step-by-step action timeline that will guide them through the process. To help with this, an Action Plan Template has been attached to their handout.

Further support may be found in the Tip Sheet for Successful Networking and the Tip Sheet for Fundraising in the Appendix. Assessment: Two pieces of student work are key to assessment of both process and results. Firstly, the properly filled out and utilized Action Plan Template would demonstrate how students were able to produce a feasible plan to fulfill achievable goals. Secondly, in order to determine successful outcomes, students will be required to present evidence of the completion of their task. Determination of what would be considered acceptable evidence of completion will depend upon the nature of the plan, and should be developed in consultation with the teacher. In some cases, the evidence is obvious - posters around the school; in other cases a photograph or a letter from a political or community leader might be necessary.

Activity 5 Building Community and Social Activism through Web 2.0

Purpose: The intention of this activity is to enable young people to utilize their own innate digital skills to formulate another way in which they can create positive change in the world: digital activism through Web 2.0. By this point in the unit, students have developed an understanding of the nature of citizenship, chosen an issue of significance to them, prepared and organized an action plan designed to help promote positive change related to that issue, and learned how to fundraise to sustain their plan. Web 2.0 is a term that originated in 2004. The basic idea was that the digital world had evolved the Internet was no longer simply a place that provided users with nothing more than a passive experience in which they could only view or download information provided for them by website creators. Instead, the new Web 2.0 sites encourage and facilitate participation by users. Webizens (citizens of the World Wide Web) are provided the tools with which to share information, collaborate and network in ways that were never possible before. In 2006 the Time Magazine person of the year was... You! in celebration of the many millions of contributors to the Web 2.0 world and the way that they have changed how information is shared and how people interact. The Internet has developed into a social experience; a network of shared ideas, brainstorms and interactions. As applied to education, Web 2.0 has come to be known as Classroom 2.0, and it is here that we anticipate integration of some 21st Century Skills. One of the key elements is the fact that the Web is beginning to fragment due to the existence of a wide variety of personal devices that allow access to the Web (or are, in and of themselves, based upon Web access. This presents numerous possibilities for classroom use given the high level of technological sophistication of modern students. For example, cell phones, iPod Touches, MP3 players etc. have interactivity functions that may lend themselves to pedagogical utility through the ability to access the Internet, text to the teacher, or the development of networks 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 users to add, edit and remove information related to the topic. Examples include Wikipedia, WikiQuote, Wikimedia Commons and Wikinews. Folksonomies: also known as collaborative tagging or social bookmarking, this is a web-based means for web users to share, organize, search and manage bookmarks or tags of web resources. Two examples are Diigo and Del.icio.us. Blogs (Weblogs): websites maintained by individuals who provide commentary, descriptions, video links, graphics etc., related to particular issues or their personal lives. Many bloggers use blog hosting services which help people design and submit their own blog pages some popular services include BlogSpot, BlogCatalog, Blogger and WordPress. Podcasting: not technically an element of Web 2.0 because it doesnt allow for interactivity, but it could be viewed as a sort of video and/or audio blog, and thus be included.

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These technologies provide unique opportunities for students to become involved in their world in ways that could only have been imagined in years past. User-generated content can empower children to become involved in the fight to protect human rights, encourage responsible citizenship, develop environmental stewardship in short, Web 2.0 gives students the potential to find a local and/or global audience for the issues that they find important. This activity will focus upon the use of Web logs or blogging as a way to achieve positive social change. Blogs are quite simple to set up and personalize and are highly interactive. They allow readers to comment on entries and thus develop an online community of users dedicated to a cause. They also provide the opportunity to include multimedia content such as video, podcasts and photos, thus demonstrating creativity and encouraging students to demonstrate their knowledge in different ways. Students will be asked to create an advocacy blog defined by Global Voices Advocacy as using a blog to fight against an injustice... such as wrongful imprisonment, government corruption, environmental degradation, and human rights abuse. iii

In Activities 2 and 3, students decided on an issue that is of particular concern to them, researched background information and then developed and presented an action plan designed to find a solution to their issue. The advocacy blog that they now create will enable them to broaden their audience and get feedback from the outside community. Teachers may choose to ask students to seek input from the global blogosphere or may decide to keep the blogs internal seeking commentary only from within the class (fellow students and instructors). There are two different forms of advocacy blogs: Issue Blogs: These blogs address ongoing issues that have no clear, quick or simple solutions. They deal with issues of complexity and difficulty which demand long-term effort and serious commitment. Issues surrounding the environment are good examples of this thegreenpages.ca focuses on environmental stewardship in Canada. Crisis Blogs: Blogs of this sort deal with current issues of a short-term duration that can hopefully be solved quickly. Goals are straightforward and simple, although usually not easy to

achieve. A recent example of a crisis blog involved attempts to convince the Iranian government to release an Iranian woman sentenced to be stoned to death after being convicted of adultery. In this case, thousands of blogs were set up to protest the decision and raise awareness in order to put pressure on Iran. Even more recently, blogs (along with other types of social media) played an important role in organizing and carrying out the mass protests in Egypt that led to the resignation of the long-time dictator in that country. Students, depending on the issue that they have chosen, may decide to create either form of blog. The teacher should choose a blog hosting service. BlogSpot and WordPress are good choices both are free, feature-rich (allowing for easy-to-use themes to be applied), and permit the inclusion of an array of multimedia elements. Access controls allow the user to determine who can read and write to their blogs; the teacher can decide whether the class should be the only ones able to access and comment or whether there should be a global reach. Students will be able to indulge their creativity and demonstrate their knowledge and ideas at the same time.

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Each blog (whether issue or crisis) should contain the following elements: Background information: Describe the cause being fought for and why it is worth achieving Explain who the victim(s) are and who the perpetrator(s) are In a crisis blog, the details of the injustice need to be explained the whens and hows. Multimedia elements and links to outside articles are often very useful in this context. 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 is intended to achieve. Clarity and simplicity are vital because the mission statement is intended to be easily communicated and motivational to potential supporters. A plan of action: Explain the methods that the blogger feels will best help achieve progress in solving the crisis or achieving the long-term goal(s). This would be based upon the action plan that was created in Activities 2 and 3. Provide a list of actions that supporters can do to get involved in the cause and help achieve progress towards solutions. A place for comment posting in the creation of an online community of dedicated activists: Provide an opportunity for visitors to comment, make suggestions and discuss issues this may be limited or open access.

There are a number of ways in which teachers can utilize this activity. As an ongoing project, the blogs can be used to demonstrate the development of an action-plan over time through the creation of a dedicated activist community. As such, assigning the blogs would occur at the onset of Related Issue 4, and then integrated into the ongoing project of this resource. As students develop their background research and their action/

fundraising plans, they would include these into their blogs. The small group discussions described for Day 3 of Activity 3 could be conducted as an ongoing dialogue within the blogs. The PowerPoint presentations can be linked to the blogs as well. If desired, the blogs could be the basis for the presentations themselves. Otherwise, the blogs could be a stand-alone project

conducted after the completion of the presentations, or as a replacement for the presentation should insufficient class time be available. Assessment may be by the teacher or peers or a combination of both. It should include assessment of the background information and the action plan (assuming that these havent already been assessed in another form) as well as of the creativity and effectiveness of the blog.

Universal Declaration, Article 26 Everyone has the right to education Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms

17

Further information on digital activism (blogging in particular) can be found online. Some excellent 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.pdf Introduction to Digital Activism (DigiActive), http://www.slideshare.net/MaryCJoyce/ introduction-to-digital-activism (There are a variety of effective slideshows dealing with digital activism at www.slideshare.net this is just one of them). Hand out the Individual Weblog Project Student Instructions found in the Appendix.

Follow up activity self reflection

Students need an opportunity to reflect on their work, consider their accomplishments, and contemplate what they might do differently in future. Teachers could ask students to fill out the following reflection sheet and then use it as a completion task for a grade. Part of the intention is to enhance some metacognitive skill development, but also to encourage students to give further consideration about how and why they choose to make a difference in the world and how this impacted them, if at all. This activity may be done simply by filling out the form or as a teacherstudent interview or done in the form of a classroom discussion where individuals share answers where they are comfortable doing so.

Hand out the Student Self-Reflection found in the Appendix.

Notes: i ii iii The Metiri Group. enGauge 21st Century Skills Literacy in the Digital Age. www.metiri.com Morril Goddard, What Interests People and Why (New York, Published Privately, 1935) Cited in The Uncrowned King by Kenneth Whyte. Hippo Publishing Inc. Random House Canada 2008 p. 314 Mary Joyce, Blog for a Cause!: The Global Voices Guide to Blog Advocacy (Global Voices Advocacy), http://advocacy. globalvoicesonline.org/projects/guide-blog-for-a-cause/ accessed July 1, 2010 18

rubrics and student handouts

19

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 legislative assembly and to be qualified for membership therein.

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

1. 2. 3. 4.

All citizens should obey the law All citizens should be aware of current events and news Responsible citizens recycle and work to protect the environment Active citizens conscientiously elect representatives to solve community and social problems

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

5. Wealthy people should pay higher taxes 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 express racist, sexist or discriminatory views if they want

9. Citizens are responsible for securing a positive future for todays youth 10. People should protest against laws they believe to be unjust 11. Wealthy people should help the poor 12. Poor people should get subsidized housing 13. People who were not born in Canada but are residents now should have the same rights as everyone else 14. All citizens should have to learn at least one other language in addition to their mother tongue 15. Citizens should do volunteer work 16. All citizens should support troops 17. Everyone has a right to education 18. The Canadian government should work to fight poverty in other parts of the world 19. Men and women should have equal opportunities for jobs, education, health care, and prosperity 20

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 law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.

20. Governments should provide a decent standard of living for those who have lost 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 injustice or criminal acts 23. It is not Canadas responsibility to aid people in other countries if they are in distress 24. Canada should support the UN in its efforts to create equality among the worlds people 25. Racial profiling or racial discrimination is acceptable in matters of national security 26. Individuals should give up their culture or traditions if it will improve their standard of living 27. Poverty and violence in the world is unfortunate but its not our problem or responsibility 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 lives that have the least negative impact on the world 32. Citizens should join groups dedicated to solving serious local and global problems 33. Citizens must be actively engaged in developing and implementing their own solutions to major issues

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

21

STUDENT SURVEY TALLY SHEET

Question # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 22 1 2 3 4 5

Universal Declaration, Article 19 Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

STUDENT PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS

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 job is to investigate your chosen topic, share your findings with others, and come to some conclusions about how your life and others lives should change in order to effectively address the problem or issue. In other words, based on your investigation, what are the implications for real life? What sorts of real activities and serious decisions will help to alleviate the conditions you identified? To complete your task you will follow a process of research, sharing your findings with others in the form of small group discussions, then develop a formal PowerPoint presentation to inform others about your issue. You will also make a public statement or expression of your findings someplace outside of the classroom. You will produce a PowerPoint (PP) show and present it to a group of classmates. The PP will outline the problem/concern that you have identified, describe its causes and origins, explain 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 or visuals are effective. Your PP is not the whole presentation, it is an aid. Do not 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 make the world a better place. Your second task is to make some sort of public expression outside of the classroom on your conclusions about your topic. This expression 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 or community leader (and get a response). Your timeline You will have five class periods to work through this assignment. This includes two library periods to conduct research into your topic, and one additional period to assemble your PowerPoint in preparation for you presentation. In between the periods of research and the period to prepare your PP there will be one class period devoted to small group discussions where you will share your initial findings with others, answer questions and consider suggestions from other classmates about how to address the problem or concern that you have identified. After research, sharing and preparing the PP you will have a final period to present your work to classmates. Your objective Develop knowledge and understanding of an issue that is important to you and then actually do something about it. Lots of people despair or complain about problems in the world but do not do much; here is an opportunity to take real action. Your process Research Apply the skills youve been developing in the previous research activities. What is the origin and nature of the problem? What has been done so far, and how successful have been the efforts to address the problem? What are the opportunities for action? What are the ways a person can help?

The job of a citizen is to keep his mouth open. -- Gunter Grass 23

When conducting on-line research, be sure that the source is reliable. If you are going to gather information about a controversial topic you need to be confident of your sources. Small Group Discussions

Perspectives

The purpose of a small group discussion is to share ideas and insights and collectively deepen understanding about a topic. Although the research and the chosen topics are individual, there is a collective outcome from these discussions: mutual assistance. Members interact, offer thoughts and opinions to others, and consider others ideas. In a well functioning group each member takes a turn at describing their project and explaining what they know so far (you are not expected to be an expert or have all the answers; getting new ideas is one of the outcomes). Other group members ask clarifying questions and then offer ideas and suggestions that are intended to help make a better presentation and help identify possible actions to address the problem/concern identified in the topic. Consider these guidelines:

Somewhere in your PowerPoint slide show you should include differing perspectives from others about the nature and causes and possible solutions to the problem. Real issues in the real world do not have simple answers and there is usually disagreement about what should be done. While conducting research, find three or four different If we could only get enough eneditorials or blogs or political statements, preferably that gaged human beings walking the disagree with each other, about what should be done planet, if we could fill the streets to solve the problem or what the cause is. Include some with people living lives based on statements in your PowerPoint and in your presentation responsibility and compassion, explain to the group what your own conclusion is in the ...then a lot of the problems that face of conflicting views of others. plague our society would start taking care of themselves. PowerPoint Many people use PowerPoints in their presentations to help get their message across, to promote an idea or project, or to illustrate a concept or identify a problem. However, PowerPoints are not like an essay complete in themselves. The presenter is the one who has the information and detail, and it is the presenter who explains the topic using the PP only as a support. Think about the elements of good or poor PowerPoints. How easy or difficult is it to read the script on the screen? Are the images, videos or pictures purposeful and compelling, or are they just thrown into the PP to fill up space? What should your 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 a better place, how will anyone know? Your concluding activity is to make some sort of public expression of your ideas or plan. Having gone through the process of investigating a real world concern, this is your opportunity to take real world action. It may be that you promote 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 will remember? Do the pictures or graphics strengthen the presentation, reinforce the main points? Are the pictures or graphics placed in the slide show in a creative way? Are the fonts used an appropriate size and easily visible from a distance? Are the slides free of spelling or grammatical errors? 24 I am a citizen, not of Athens or Greece, but of the world. -- Socrates -- Bill Strickland

Did everyone contribute? Did everyone in the group come away with a better understanding of a topic/concern/problem/ issue? Did everyone get some additional ideas regarding possible solutions to the problem/concern?

In order to make maximum contribution to the group discussion, see the section on asking Powerful Questions in the Prologue of your textbook. Deeper questions dare to ask what is hard to answer. Why does the problem persist? Why do people choose to be irrational about this problem? Who decides what irrational is?

SCORING GUIDE FOR SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS

(Interaction with others)

5 Excellent The student is open-minded, focused and attentive, sensitive to the ideas of others, the dynamic of the group, and the objective of the task. The student is comfortable in sharing ideas, asking clarifying questions, and building on the ideas of other group members. The student is an effective participant or leader within the group. The student is attentive, frequently responds to the ideas of others, is conscious of the objective of the task. The student is willing to share ideas, ask questions, but may not follow the thread of conversation established by the group. The student is inconsistent in switching roles between leader and participant. The student is courteous and able to participate, but may not be able to contribute to an outcome or conclusion of the group. Is willing to share ideas with others, but tends to rely on others to develop the thread of conversation. The student tends to be a participant more often than a leader of the group. 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 or nonverbal behavior. The student cannot lead the group discussion. The student is uninvolved in the task and does not contribute to the constructive outcome of the task. The student is unwilling to explore ideas verbally, is counterproductive, distracts others and leads the group away from the task.

Proficient

Satisfactory

Limited

Poor

25

SCORING GUIDE FOR SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS

(Developing comprehension)
5 Excellent The student shows perception and insight while developing new understanding of the concepts and ideas under discussion. The student engages with information presented by others, revises interpretations and ideas and contributes new information that moves the group discussion further along toward an outcome. The student is able to synthesize. 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 building on, previously discussed ideas and information. The student sustains the main ideas and objectives of the groups task. The student demonstrates a developing understanding of the ideas and concepts under discussion. The student incorporates others ideas into own understanding, and absorbs rather than constructs new meaning. The student offers support of reaching a conclusion of the groups task. The student offers sporadic contribution to the ideas under discussion, may ask for clarification or repetition of others statements, but demonstrates little development of own comprehension. The student may have a limited understanding of the task, the objective or the concepts being discussed. The student is unable to contribute new ideas. The student does not develop an understanding of the themes, ideas or concepts under discussion. The student may passively accept others ideas and rely on someone else to provide the correct answer. The students inability to engage with ideas detracts from the task instead of moving it forward.

Proficient

Satisfactory

Limited

Poor

26

SCORING GUIDE FOR MAKING PRESENTATIONS

5 Excellent The speaker is sensitive to, and controls, audience reaction to achieve the communication 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 speakers intentions. The speaker is conscious of the audience and adjusts the presentation in response to cues from the audience. Eye contact and gestures hold the interest of the audience. The speakers presentation is confident and clear. Diction, stress, volume, and inflection are adjusted appropriately to convey the speakers intentions. The speaker is aware of the audience but makes little overt effort to include them. Eye contact and gestures do not vary to involve the audience. The speakers presentation is clear. Diction, stress, volume, and inflection are acceptable for conveying the speakers intention. The speakers attention to the audience is sporadic. Eye contact is minimal and gestures may be inappropriate and distracting. The speakers presentation is faltering. Faltering control of diction, stress, volume, and inflection may interfere with understanding. The speaker excludes the audience. Eye contact and gestures are inappropriate or lacking. The speakers presentation prevents communication. Lack of control of diction, stress, volume, and inflection results in confusion.

Proficient

Satisfactory

Limited

Poor

27

Action Plan Template

Steps Towards Completing Plan Step 1 Actions to be Carried Out Challenges to be Overcome Resources Required

______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Measures of Success Action Date

Goal: _________________________________________________________________________________

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Measures of Success:

______________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________

28

Building an Action Plan

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Record your goal. What are your objectives? Write them down specifically and in detail. Make sure that they are focused and measurable (i.e. there is a way to determine if your objectives have been met). Brainstorm different methods that your goal can be achieved. Make a list. 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? Make a decision which of your possible plans will you undertake? What resources will be needed in order to fulfill your plan. Make a list. How and where might you find them? You may often be able to seek help or support from outside groups or individuals that may be able to help organize or provide funds for your project, after all, you are doing good in your community. Brainstorm the possibilities and, again, evaluate how achievable they are. Incorporate this element into your plan. Finally, decide in detail how you will carry out your plan. Use the attached Action Plan Template to develop a step-by-step process that you will follow as you work to achieve your goals. Use the template to record your plans and progress. Do a good job of this as you will be turning this in as part of your teachers assessment of the work that you do.

7.

Assessment: You will be turning in your completed Action Plan Template. Make sure it is complete, well-considered and feasible. In consultation with your teacher, decide what evidence would best demonstrate the successful achievement of your action plan. This evidence will be part of your assessment as well.

29

Tip sheet Successful networking

(From GYA 2009 Program Booklet)
1. 2. 3. Networking is about being genuine and authentic, building trust and relationships, and seeing how you can help others. Dont be afraid to approach anyone! Ask yourself what your goals are so that when you are networking you are clear. Maybe you just want to meet new people who might be able to assist you in some way down the road. 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. Be able to articulate what you are looking for and how others may help you. Follow through quickly and efficiently on commitments you have made to others to provide a contact or information. Challenge yourself to make a few new contacts each day. Follow up with new contacts within at least one month of a meeting, even if you just send them an e-mail to say that it was great to meet them. This will ensure continued communication and will express your commitment to their projects, interests and endeavors. Dont just hand your business card over to someone and expect that they will remember you. Take the time to get to know people so that they remember who you are. Otherwise your card will sit unused and your face will not be remembered. Write a reminder on the back of others cards so that you know why you are going to follow up. For example, if you were talking about partnering on an ethical fashion show just write ethical fashion show on the back of the card.

4. 5. 6. 7.

8.

9.

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

30

Fundraising in support of the individual project

Suggestions for a successful fundraising project (From the Apathy is Boring session at GYA 2009) The task of successful fundraising can be challenging. Lots of students feel that a fundraiser is a great way to contribute 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 excellent writing 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 be hard 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 involved without yielding a large amount of cash. Sponsorship or paid advertising can generate a lot of funding, but also requires some excellent interpersonal and organizational skills to work with a potential sponsor. Soliciting individual donors or corporations to contribute to a good cause can result in significant income, but usually requires a significant reciprocal commitment (what does the donor want in return?).

Tip Sheet

Approach the fundraising task strategically by developing a plan of action. Define what you need. Be very specific about what goods, services, cash, help and people you need for what purpose. Consider goods or services inkind: instead of just a financial contribution, could the potential sponsor offer a product, or a service or some form of advertising. Define what you can offer, something of value to the person or group that you are seeking goods or services from. Few individuals or organizations will give you something for nothing. Be prepared to answer the question, Whats in it for me? You can offer advertising at your event, promotion, prominent thank-you notices, brand name visibility, or you might volunteer your time in return for support from someone else. Your event might be used to stage a regular media broadcast. For example, a television or radio station might broadcast their daily show from your event, thereby drawing attention 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 sponsor gives you, you should be able to respond with five dollars worth of value in the form of advertising and promotion or thank you notices. Decide how much to ask for. Break down your project costs by element so that a potential sponsor can choose the best way to support you with a specific contribution rather than something vague. Asking for either too much or too little is not helpful; know your own project. Develop a sponsorship package, a brochure that explains why you are doing this project. Tell a brief story about why your project is unique or worthy of support. Be clear and honest about what you want to accomplish and how a sponsor can help. Make a list of who you will ask for support. Who do you already know? What are the local organizations that you should approach? Who do your friends know; the connection 31 between you and an unknown organization is frequently only a single person a friend of a friend will do. Asking. Showing up in person makes it difficult for a potential sponsor to say no. Dont be desperate, focus on what you can do for the organization or person you are appealing to. Start by asking for services or goods in kind before asking for money. Be sure to follow up after your initial meeting. Do what you promise. Fundraising is about building trust and building relationships. Whatever you promised to do will be your number one priority in your project. Say thank you. Write a nice letter and add a photo or a description of your event. Explain why the sponsors contribution was essential to the success of your project.

INDIVIDUAL WEBLOG PROJECT

STUDENT INSTRUCTIONS
Now that you have researched an important issue, problem or concern and developed an action plan to try to achieve progress towards real solutions, it is time to spread your great ideas to the rest of the world. Many of you are already fluent users of Web 2.0 the use of the Internet to create online communities through the active sharing of information and ideas, collaboration and networking instead of simply passively reading and downloading information (Web 1.0). You participate in the information superhighway actively, as a social experience. You belong to virtual communities on Facebook, MySpace or Twitter; you share video and images on Flikr, YouTube or PhotoBucket; you contribute to Wikis like Wikipedia, Wikimedia commons or Wikinews. This project utilizes another major component of Web 2.0 Weblogs or blogs. Some of you may have blogs already personal web pages that allow you to describe your life or comment on issues through writing, pictures, videos, music or any other form of communication you wish. For many, a blog is a way of keeping a personal online diary, but for others, it is a way to be an engaged global citizen. You will be building a blog of this type. Blogging is a great way to build a community of people who can help you achieve positive social change. Blogs are simple to create and are highly interactive. They provide opportunities for networking and communication through multimedia content that can inform, inspire and motivate. You will be creating an advocacy blog based upon your issue. Depending upon the issue you have chosen, you will be creating either an Issue Blog (blogs dealing with issues without clear, quick or simple solutions that demand long-term effort and serious commitment) or a Crisis Blog (blogs dealing with a current issue of a shortterm duration that can hopefully be solved quickly).

Advocacy Blog: [A blog used] to fight against an injustice... such as wrongful imprisonment, government corruption, environmental degradation, and human rights abuse. -- Mary Joyce, Global Voices Advocacy 32

Using a blog hosting service such as BlogSpot or WordPress, create a blog related to your issue. Each blog (whether issue or crisis) must contain the following elements. Use this checklist to ensure that your blog is complete: Background information: Describe the cause being fought for and why it is worth achieving. Explain who the victim(s) are and who the perpetrator(s) are. In a crisis blog, the details of the injustice need to be explained the whens and hows. Multimedia elements and links to outside articles are often very useful here. Be as creative as possible... ...include multimedia content that helps to inspire and motivate people to become dedicated to your cause. The more interesting, informative and fun your blog is, the more likely people are to become active in it. Go online and examine blog pages on issues you are interested in. What works? What doesnt? Make sure that you learn from their successes and failures as you produce your own blog. At various times, you will be asked to view and comment on the blogs created by the other groups in your class. This is where you discuss their issues and their action plans, making suggestions and providing input. Remember to always be constructive in your commentary in short, treat their efforts as you would like them to treat yours.

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 of use here.

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

A plan of action: Explain the methods that you feel will best help achieve progress in solving the crisis or achieving the long-term goal(s). This would be based upon the action plan that you have already created. Provide a list of actions that supporters can do to get involved in the cause and help achieve progress towards solutions.

A place for comment posting: Provide an opportunity for visitors to comment, make suggestions and discuss issues this is where you create a community of dedicated activists seeking to support your cause.

33

Rubric for Advocacy Blog

4 Excellent Blog is clearly and purposefully connected to the advocacy topic through creative use of written work, images and multimedia content. Student(s) have been innovative and efficient in their blog design Descriptions and explanations are comprehensively and accurately developed. 3 Proficient Blog is clearly and logically connected to the advocacy topic through use of written work, images and multimedia content. Student(s) have been effective and practical in their blog design. 2 Adequate Blog lacks consistent clarity and is methodical in its connection to the advocacy topic through use of written work, images and multimedia content. Student(s) have been functional in their blog design. Development of descriptions and explanations is cursory. Information is largely accurate. 1 Limited Blog is frequently unclear. Its connection to the advocacy topic through use of written work, images and multimedia content lacks focus. Blog design has been haphazard and disorganized Descriptions and explanations are superficially developed and only partially accurate. Insufficient/ Blank Blog lacks focus on an advocacy topic. It contains minimal content of any sort. No effort has been put into creating a functional blog.

Blog Design & Construction

(x2)

Communication of background information

(x2)

Descriptions and explanations are thoroughly developed and mostly accurate.

There is very little attempt to provide background information. What exists is of questionable usefulness and veracity.

Mission Statement and Advocacy

The mission statement is presented in a simple, but compelling fashion. Goals are clear and achievable.

The mission statement is presented in a way that is either overly simplistic or complex. Goals may be unclear or inappropriate in some ways. The blog is The blog is The blog is presented in a specifically simplistically richly developed developed developed and and entertaining and is mostly contains some way. Utilization of entertaining. entertaining multimedia and Utilization of elements. images is pertinent multimedia and Utilization of and skillful. Critical images is relevant multimedia thought has clearly and practiced. and images gone into choices Some critical is sometimes made. thought has gone insufficient or into choices made. inappropriate. Little critical thought has gone into choices made. 34

The mission statement is presented in a simple, but effective fashion. Goals are clear and mostly achievable.

The mission There are no statement is mission statement ineffective and or goals presented. may be unrelated to the goals. Goals are unclear and inappropriate.

(x2)

The blog is undeveloped creatively, containing few entertaining elements. Utilization of multimedia and images is insufficient or inappropriate. No critical thought has gone into choices made.

Creativity, Multimedia and Images

Very little or no attempt to incorporate creative elements such as multimedia and images.

(x2)

4 Excellent

3 Proficient

2 Adequate

1 Limited

Insufficient/ Blank

Action plan is insightful, persuasive and comprehensively developed. Lists of actions for supporters are purposeful and effective. The blog provides innovative means of interaction in order to create an online community of activists in support of its goals. All sources (information, images and multimedia) are accurately documented in the desired format.

Action plan is meaningful, credible and thoroughly developed. Lists of actions for supporters are focused and feasible.

Action plan is simplistic and only partially developed. Lists of actions for supporters may be predictable, incomplete and only somewhat feasible. The blog provides The blog provides effective means of reasonable means interaction in order of interaction in to create an online order to create an community of online community activists in support of activists in support of its of its goals. goals. Most sources (information, images and multimedia) are documented, but sometimes inaccurately or not in the desired format. Grammar, spelling and style are often unclear and numerous errors contribute to difficulties with reader comprehension. Ideas, information and analysis are often incoherent.

Action Plan

Action plan is unconvincing and undeveloped. Lists of actions for supporters are brief and infeasible.

No action plan or list of actions is presented, or the action plan is unrelated to the advocacy project.

(x2)

All sources (information, images and multimedia) are documented, but, in some instances, inaccurately or not in the desired format. Grammar, spelling Grammar, and style are spelling and clear, concise style are usually and easy to clear, succinct understand. Ideas, and usually easy information and to understand. analysis are clear Ideas, information and coherently and analysis are communicated. usually clear and coherently communicated.

The blog provides insufficient or ineffective means of interaction in order to create an online community of activists in support of its goals. Only some sources (information, images and multimedia) are documented, often inaccurately or not in the desired format. Repeated errors in grammar, spelling and style greatly interfere with reader comprehension and detract greatly from the efficacy of the blog.

The blog provides little or no opportunity for the creation of an online community of activists in support of its goals. No attempt has been made to document sources.

Community Attributions

(x1)

(x1)

Quality of Writing & Communication

Numerous and egregious errors in grammar, spelling and style result in an ineffective and often unusable blog.

(x1)

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STUDENT SELF-REFLECTION

Name:

1) 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? _ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4) What did you learn during this unit? (What did you learn about the world, yourself, the school, the topic you studied, technology?) _ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

5) What do you anticipate you might do differently in your daily life because of what you learned? _ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 36

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This resource has been developed by:

www.jhcentre.org 38