Teach Primary Issue 19.6

• What problems do we care about in our community? • How can young people like us make a difference? • What actions will have the biggest impact? • How can we get others to join in? • What worked well and what could we do differently next time? their wishlist, whether that might be launching a club, starting a petition, or changing their own behaviour. Individually or in pairs, get pupils to write down a step-by-step plan to transform their ideas into action. Once you’ve aligned your cause with some possible actions, you can try some out together, to see what feels right. You could practise writing letters, making posters and assigning roles for a committee. This how change actually happens. Guide pupils through different types of action, including raising money, writing letters, and protesting. You can find a list of actions at superkind. org/take-action . Can the children think of examples of when they’ve seen these things happen? As a class, discuss which issue you’d like to focus on, and then what kind of actions might best suit this cause. Empower the children to take ownership of their cause, too, writing down a wishlist for outcomes from their campaign. Encourage them to think about practical steps for achieving • Create a class newsletter or launch a blog to document your changemaking journey. You could include interviews, photos of materials you make, and if you’re fundraising, a regular update on your total, as well as thankyous to donors. • Revisit your action plans each term and set new goals. How far have you moved along your action plan? Is there anything you’d change next time? What could you do now to improve your campaign? • Link with a local charity or community group for real-world impact. Research what organisations in your area are addressing similar issues, and have children send letters or emails to explain their campaign and propose collaboration. This is a great chance for pupils to practise persuasive writing and letters. EXTENDING THE LESSON kind of hands-on task helps pupils understand that action can start small, but ripple outwards. 3 | CELEBRATE AND SHARE YOUR WORK Now is the time to bring everything together. Have each pupil create a pledge card with a concrete action they’re committed to, to contribute to the class cause. For example, if the children have chosen to focus on reducing hunger, and have settled on setting up a small foodbank at school for local families, one child’s pledge card might read ‘create a poster publicising the foodbank’, while another might have ‘start a group to organise food donations’. Remind children that a little goes a long way, and that if everyone has a small, achievable action, together they can make a big change. Take a class photo of everyone holding their pledge cards, film short videos of pupils explaining their pledges and the overall goal, or even host a mini changemakers assembly to tell your school community about your campaign. You can also hand out certificates to your pupils (you can make your own, or find pre-designed templates at superkind.org/rewards ) . This will reinforce the fact that they’ve already made a difference – and they’re just getting started. Anoushka Freeman is head of operations at SuperKind, where she leads on educational content. “Help your children channel their ideas and passion into actionable causes and campaigns” USEFUL QUESTIONS www.teachwire.net | 105