• Aim/Learning Objective:• Students will explore how we make decisions• Students will examine the levels of participation• Students will take part in a decision making

exercise

KEY WORDS:

Article 12ParticipationDecision makingPoliticsLadder

STARTER TASK:

Yes/No Game:The aim of the game is to answer the questions without saying yes or no for 30 seconds. It’s a lot harder than you think!

Politicians’ have been practising this art for years by answering a question with a question, how well can you avoid giving a yes or no answer?

Young People and Participation Session Key stage 4 lesson 1

Learning outcomes for young people

• Students will understand how their participation can impact on decisions made about their lives

• Students will be able to differentiate between non-participation and participation

• Students will have a better understanding of how to become involved in politics and having a voice

• Awareness about the factors affecting decision-making in the group and their own role in this process

• Awareness of how feelings can influence behaviour

• Stereotyping and prejudices can also be linked within this processYoung People and Participation Session Key stage 4

lesson 1

Session Overview

Time Topic Who Teacher input

Equipment

10 Minutes Yes/No Game Students and teacher

Guidance and participation if students are reluctant

Stop watch and a list of questions

10 Minutes Ladder of Participation

Students Guidance of what participation means for young people

Participation ladder and key words

30 Minutes Space Colony Students Guidance and questions at the end

Senario’sPen’sPaper

10 Minutes Evaluation Students Explanation of how to complete the evaluation sheet

Bull’s-eye evaluation form

Young People and Participation Session Key stage 4 lesson

Kent Participation LadderIn order for young people to take part in decision making processes a level of participation is required to make it meaningful. Under Article 12 of the UNCRC (UN Convention on the Rights of the Child) Level 6 is the minimum standard that is required.

The following ladder describes the various levels of participation that a young person must go through to reach the upper rungs and full participation in decision making.

8. Young people given power and responsibility for decision making (UK Youth Parliament, Kent Youth County Council)

7. Young people are involved in decision-making at the point where decisions are made

(progressive Student Voice, Youth Advisory Groups, local youth forums, Youth Opportunity Fund Panels)

6. Young people are involved in decision-making processes and are taken into account

(Youth Councils, forums, schools councils, young peoples interview panels)

5. Young people are encouraged to share views and experience and these are listened to by adults

(Questionnaires, survey’s, consultation work)

4. Young people take part in adult run projects or services and give their views

(Senior Members at youth clubs, school representative, adult led youth forums)

3. Young people are asked to say what they think about a project/service but have very little or no choice about how they express their views and opinions

2. Young people take part in a project or event but have little understanding about why they are there

1. Young people do and say what adults suggest

Young People and Participation Session Key stage 4 lesson

Article 12Article 12 (Respect for the views of the child): When adults are making decisions that affect children, children have the right to say what they think should happen and have their opinions taken into account.

This does not mean that children can now tell their parents what to do. This Convention encourages adults to listen to the opinions of children and involve them in decision-making -- not give children authority over adults.

Article 12 does not interfere with parents' right and responsibility to express their views on matters affecting their children. Moreover, the Convention recognizes that the level of a child’s participation in decisions must be appropriate to the child's level of maturity.

Children's ability to form and express their opinions develops with age and most adults will naturally give the views of teenagers greater weight than those of a preschooler, whether in family, legal or administrative decisions.

Young People and Participation Session Key stage 4 lesson 1

Activity 1 Ladder of Participation

• Split class into 4 groups and give each group a set of cards and a participation ladder

• Group to match up the word on the card to the appropriate level of participation on the ladder.

• Answers can be found on previous slide

Young People and Participation Session Key stage 4 lesson 1

Activity 2 Space Colony

Divide into groups of five. Each group has the same task to complete. They must imagine that they are a member of a new space colony. They are required to re-create conditions similar to those found on Earth, which will include having a number of young people from diverse backgrounds in your community.

You are looking to intake 5 young people to make up the numbers of the new group that has been set up, but unfortunately you have been sent 9. Your task is to reject or exclude 4 young people and they will be jettisoned into space. You only have the information on the cards provided to make your decisions.

Each group will feedback what the group discussed.

Review questionsHow did the group decide what to do first?... What were the key influencing factors?Did everyone agree?... How did the group cope with disagreements?... How did this feel?Where in the ladder of participation would you fit your decision making?

EACH STUDENT MUST TAKE ON THE ROLE OF ONE OF THE CHARACTERS AND CHAMPION FOR THEIR PLACE ON THE SPACESHIP. ONLY 5 OUT OF THE 9 INDIVIDUALS CAN BE SELECTED. A TEAM DECISION SHOULD BE MADE

Young People and Participation Session Key stage 4 lesson 1

Have You Participated?

• A quick and useful way of finding out the impact of this workshop and the level of understanding of participation and decision making.

• A print out or hand-drawn copy of the target on a large sheet can be adapted from the template or an A4 photocopy per young person

• Marker pens

• Ask participant to place a cross in each of the four sections of the ‘dartboard’. Place it near the bull’s-eye for a positive response and towards the outside for a more negative one.Young People and Participation Session Key stage 4

lesson 1

Lesson OutcomeEveryone should… Most people

should…Some people should…

Skill:Should input a view into the process

Skill:Negotiate and compromise within the group

Skill:Take on a leadership role within their group to move decisions forward

Everyone in our lesson today should:Be aware there is a ladder of participation and understand that the minimum participation level is being listened to

Most people in our lesson today should:Be able to identify where they are on the ladder of participation and understand that their views are important and should be taken into account

Some people in our lesson today should:Be able to understand how they can make decision’s that allow them to progress up the ladder and be able to share the power and responsibility for decision making processes

Young People and Participation Session Key stage 4 lesson 1

Participation Ladder

Young People and Participation Session Key stage 4 lesson 1

Young People and Participation Session Key stage 4 lesson 1

U

K Youth Parliament

Kent Youth County Council

Senior M

ember W

orker

Youth Council’s

Student Voice

Youth Advisory G

roup

Youth O

pportunity Fund Panels

School Councils

Young people’s Interview

Panels

Questionnaire’s

Young People and Participation Session Key stage 4 lesson 1

Survey’s

Consultation Work

School Representative’s

Adult led youth forums

Asked w

hat you think about a project/service but not allow

ed to input into it

Take part with litt

le understanding of w

hy

Just do w

hat adults say or suggest

Young people make decisions and

are given power

Young people involved in decision m

aking at a point where decisions

are made

Young people are encouraged to share view

s and opinions

Young People and Participation Session Key stage 4 lesson 1

1. M

ale, aged 14-David. Ethnicity: ‘W

hite’ English. D

isability: None

David has not att

ended school for the past tw

o years. He w

orked for his father in a grocer’s store at the w

eekends. He has been

cautioned twice for dam

aged to vehicles. He

expects to get his own w

ay all the time. H

is physical health is very good.

2.

Female, aged 13-W

endy. Ethnicity: ‘W

hite’ Welsh. D

isability: None

Wendy likes school. She does not go out

much as is the carer for her m

other and younger sister. She w

ants to become a

Doctor. G

eneral health is good.

3. M

ale, aged 13-Wonel. Ethnicity: British

Chinese. Disability: H

IV W

onel likes school. He w

as born with H

IV and regularly needs to take m

edication. Wonel

loves sport and dreams of becom

ing a professional footballer. H

is general health is deteriorating slow

ly.

4.

Female, aged 14-Claudia. Ethnicity:

Black British. Disability: Partial use of left

hand. Claudia is a very good artist. She does not like w

ritten w

ork and sometim

es does not attend

school. She likes to attend her local youth

group and loves to help others. General

health is good.

5. M

ale, aged 15-Arckan. Ethnicity: Kurdish ‘W

hite’. Disability: N

one Arckan has only just arrived into the country, and he can’t speak, read or w

rite a word of

English. He is w

ell behaved in school. He gets

bullied a lot because he is different. H

is physical health is very good.

6.

Female, aged 12-M

ary. Ethnicity: Traveller. D

isability: None

Mary is very bright. She is especially good at

practical tasks but finds reading and writing

more diffi

cult. Her general health is good, but

she smokes.

7. M

ale, aged 16-Paul. Ethnicity: ‘White’

Polish. Disability: D

yslexic Paul has a daughter aged one. H

e likes to go out all the tim

e and leaves the baby with his

girlfriend. He is dyslexic and att

ends school regularly.

8.

Female, aged 13-Sara. Ethnicity: British

Pakistani. Disability: W

ears glasses. Sara likes school. She does not go out m

uch as her parents do not trust her. She is from

a large extended fam

ily and there is a lot of pressure on her to do w

ell at her studies. He

loves music and plays the piano. H

er general health is good, but she w

ears glasses.

9. M

ale, aged 14-Jack. Ethnicity: ‘White’

Scottish. D

isability: Paralysed from w

aist dow

n. Jack gets called nam

es a lot as he uses a w

heelchair. He likes m

aths and science and is a good basketball player. H

e wants to be an

engineer when he is older. H

is general is good.

Young People and Participation Session Key stage 4 lesson 1

Further Resources:

www.kent.gov.uk/kycc - link to Kent Youth County Council

www.dopolitics.org.uk/ - easy access to educational materials

www.education.gov.uk/ - national support for youth participation

www.participationworks.org.uk/ - online gateway for young people’s participation

www.publicengagement.ac.uk/how/guides/.../young-people - teaching resources for youth participation

Young People and Participation Session Key stage 4 lesson 1