The Introduction Written by Olympia Gesztes and Wojciech Żmudziński SJ

Methods

Edited by Rainald Schneider and Jan Patoč ka The introduction written by Olympia Gesztes and Wojciech Żmudziński SJ 3. Chapter Methods

1. About The Use Of This Chapter 2. About Skills For Citizenship Education 3. About Methods Application 4. Matrix For Method Searching 5. Methods (1-44) 6. Index Of The Methods

90 Methods 3. Chapter

91 3. Chapter Methods

INTRODUCTION TO THE METHODS

1. About the use of this chapter

This chapter provides a selection of different methods from the participating countries: Austria, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland. In the course of the project we elaborated a good range of methods from “physical exercises” to discussions or role-plays. These methods are tools that can be used in different settings of the teaching-learning process by trainers, teachers or school representative body leaders. This selection of methods is presented as exemplars from which teachers can pick and choose and then build into their curriculum or training programme to develop various skills.

The methods are organised into three main categories according to the kind of instruction or experience they are going to reinforce:

Social and moral responsibility (SMR): in which students learn self- confidence and socially and morally responsible behaviour, both in and beyond the classroom, towards each other and towards those in authority.

Political literacy (PL): in which students learn about the institutions, issues, problems and practices of our democracy and how citizens can make themselves effective in public life - locally, regionally and nationally, through skills and values as well as knowledge.

Community involvement (CI): in which students learn about becoming helpfully involved in life and the concerns of their neighbourhood and communities, including learning through service and community involvement.

Some methods fall into more than one category and for these we have created a fourth category SMR/PL.

We selected 44 different methods from the seven countries.

All the methods are presented in the same format and there is also a matrix and an index provided to help in choosing from the list.

Title: An alphabetic index is provided at the end of the chapter.

Name of category: These are the above mentioned categories - SMR, PL, CI or SMR/PL. Type of activity: To help understand the type of activity and the theme or the method. Required time: Examples are provided both for in-school and for out- of-school contexts, so there is even a method for 6 days. Mostly the time is given in minutes because the school lessons in the different countries are of different lengths. In the main categories (SMR, PL, CI) the methods are listed with the shortest time required first and the longest last. Target group: The methods concentrate on the ages 13 to 19.

Group size: Most of the methods can be used for large or small groups. The ideal number of students is specified for each activity. Aims: In the matrix there is only a short main aim given. Each method description has a more detailed description of the aim. Short description/Comments: As the methods have been tested in our different countries, and each institution has experience of them, we have provided some comments for their use. Requirements: We have listed all the materials which have to be prepared in order to use the method. Detailed description: A fully detailed explanation of how each method works. Author and Organisation: Gives details of which institution provided the method. Annex: For some of the methods you will need some special items such as handouts, cards etc. As a help they are provided so they just need to be copied in preparation.

2. About skills for citizenship education

10 types of skills were identified as important for citizenship education. With the methods presented here you can help to develop these. In the description of each method, under the aim and short description, you will find some reference as to which skills are central to that method but they are not always indicated directly.

Communication skills

A lot of the presented methods are designed to let the participants find out how certain communication skills may be improved: clarity, completeness, precision, expression, active listening, assertiveness, non-verbal language, questioning, confronting, reaching agreement, etc. While using communication exercises do not forget the time for feedback as it is a very important part of communication.

Teamwork skills

One of the best ways to practice cooperation skills is to give learning assignments that are carried out in small groups. Through mutual support and the diversity of knowledge and skills students learn how to cooperate using all resources available in the group. Integration of the various roles of the group members towards a common goal is also a very important result of good teamwork. To achieve it students should learn about group dynamics, strengths and weaknesses in the team and the need to exercise and understand specific roles which can be assigned to the group members. Particularly significant is the ability to motivate people.

Organizational skills

Such skills are trained in methods focused on self-management and time-management techniques. They include the ability to recognize task priorities that must be done to accomplish work goals. Students will also have the opportunity to formulate a concrete strategy for planning and implementing plans in terms of what, how, who, when, where.

Community building skills

Methods which exercise these skills promote an active learning environment by getting students to move physically and to create an open and friendly climate. In the proposed selection you will find different energizers and icebreaking techniques as well as methods promoting communal growth and integrating individual needs and talents with community goals. We hope that students working together will have the opportunity to develop cohesion, a sense of belonging, healthy pluralism, tolerance and a common vision.

Analytical skills

Some methods encourage students to test their own opinions and statements through an analysis of community expectations. Students are invited to examine the tension between social responsibility and financial or political necessities; to analyse laws and rules; point out rights, structures, duties and responsibilities; and compare the theory and practice of pupils’ representation at work. Reflection on the social consequences of human behaviour is also a very important tool to develop analytical skills.

Creative skills

To think proactively and be able to predict the consequences of one’s decisions are very important dimensions of human creativity. These can be taught using methods based on moral dilemmas, role-play and thematic drama exercises.

Decision making skills

Through group work all students will learn how to establish the criteria for decision- making processes and how to generate a series of possible solutions with their advantages and disadvantages. They will make choices considering possible consequences and accepting responsibility for decisions acknowledging the calculated risk involved. The methods enable students to justify their opinions with important values and encourage them to achieve compromise.

Conflict resolution skills

Posing different problems to solve, the methods concentrate on interpersonal conflicts, value conflicts, confrontation and the tension between personal interests and community goals. To deal with such conflicts, students should learn how to identify the problem, make a diagnosis of the nature and causes of a difficult situation, generate solutions and implement them through a concrete plan of action. In examples of a conflict of opinions students will learn how to negotiate a common statement.

Research skills

Methods designed to train research skills tend to be more experiential in their application. That is, the students are normally required to do something and come up with some kind of result or answer. The “common project” is the best example of the method exercising such skills.

Leadership skills

Getting work done while followers feel they have accomplished it themselves is one the most appreciated skills of a leader. To do so a leader should understand the change process and learn how to be flexible, how to encourage others and how to involve them

95 3. Chapter Methods in the decision-making process. Among methods presented in this chapter are useful tools for exercising a democratic leadership style, delegation, accountability, responsibility, effective argument, and friendly persuasion.

3. About methods application

Applying various methods as teachers or trainers you have to  take into consideration the physical and cultural context,  plan the activity beforehand in terms of material needed, sequence of events, time distribution, and evaluation method,  prepare a repertoire of methods in case you need to change your plan,  introduce the exercise by presenting its aims clearly,  be flexible in adapting activities to the needs and expectations of your students,  be sure that everybody understands and follows the instructions given,  allow sufficient time for each activity and give the possibility for verbal sharing and personal reflection,  move the students on from the learning experience and encourage its application.

Although inviting you to use the methods presented in this chapter you are encouraged to adapt other content. Very often the training of appropriate skills is much more helpful in the personal search for the understanding of the ideal society than oral explanation done by somebody who has an authority to evaluate your performance. Feel free to use the fruits of our international work and try to be creative in using them rather than ”imitative”.

4. Matrix for method searching

Nr. Title Country Time Main aim Age Group Type of Page size activity Social and Moral Responsibility 1. Do you make your own England 30 min Self-reliance and 13-14 year Up to 30 Questionnaire 100 decisions? assertiveness olds Discussion 2. Two situations with prejudices Hungary Minimum Tolerance 13–16 year Minimum of Roleplay 104 30 min. olds 10 3. The clinical thermometer Germany 30 – 60 Visualising opinions Any Ideal 20 Seminar-discussion 105 min. 4. Diamond diagram in ‘death Poland 45 min Values discussion and 16–19 year About 24 Group work 107 penalty’ discussion justification olds 5. The empty chair Poland 45 – 60 Discuss on opinions 16–19 year 15-24 Discussion 110 min. olds 6. Solitaire of values Poland 45 - 90 Values discussion and 16–19 year About 24 Group discussion 112 min. justification olds 7. Moral dilemma Poland 45 – 90 Reflection on moral From 16 About 24 Decision making 115 min. decisions years old practice upwards 8. Important people Germany 60 min. Awareness about Any Group of Group discussion 118 attitudes 3-6 9. Individual decision making England 60 min. Process of decision 13-14 year Up to 30 Decision making 120 making olds practice 10. Chocolate river Lithuania Minimum Team building, finding From 14 8–24 Teamwork 123 60 min. roles in group, finding years old common solutions upwards 11. String triangle Lithuania Minimum Team building, finding From 14 8-24 Teamwork 124 60 min. roles in group, finding years old common solutions upwards 12. Labels Lithuania Minimum Dealing with From 14 10-30 Simulation 125 60 min. prejudices years old upwards

Social and Moral Responsibility 13. Conflict behaviour Austria 90 min. To become aware of 12–16 year 15-30 Roleplay 127 conflict behaviour and olds solution 14. Real life Poland Minimum Decision making skills 16–19 year About 24 Roleplay 129 90 min. practice olds 15. Alcohol England 180 min. Alcohol and its effects 13-14 year Up to 30 Project 131 (or in olds smaller units) 16. Mask Lithuania 180 min. Barriers of better From 16 10-20 Mask making 139 understanding and years old (presentation and communication with upwards discussion) other people, self- knowledge 17. Aims of life Austria 5–6 hours Social skills, to work 15–25 year 5-50 Personal planning 141 on problems olds workshop Social and Moral Responsibility and Political Literacy 18. Alarm in the EU: Civil war in Germany 70–80 min. Decision making in the From 15 Ideal 15 Simulation 145 Kotchenia EU (Council) years old upwards 19. Rights, duties and Germany 90–120 Improving knowledge From 13 (several Working with text 151 responsibilities of the pupils min. about PR years old groups of) representation upwards up to 8 20. Board game: Pupils Germany 90–120 Improving knowledge From 14 10-30 Board game 154 representation min. about PR years old upwards 21. Project planning Germany 90–120 Structured planning From 14 (several Group work 159 min. years old groups of) upwards up to 6 22. Arno´s millennium Germany 6–8 hours Political decision From 14 20-60 Simulation 161 making years old upwards

Political Literacy 23. Council of numbered heads Poland 5-40 min. Simultaneous From 10 About 24 Revision strategy 166 evaluation of students years old knowledge upwards 24. Jigsaw in citizenship education Poland 45–90 min. Students involvement From 12 About 24 Group work 167 in teaching process years old upwards 25. Accept others’ opinions Austria 50–90 min. Clear communication 14–18 year 15-30 Discussion 169 olds 26. Politea Austria 120 min. Political decision 15–19 year 15-30 Roleplay 171 making olds 27. Persuasion-game Hungary 3 hours + Involve debate skills From 15 12-20 Debate (simulation) 173 preparation years old upwards 28. Tower Lithuania 4 hours To understand the From 15 15-30 Teamwork 175 process of decision- years old making upwards 29. A parliament in a French Lycée France 8x120 min. Democratic 16–19 year 20-100 Project 177 development olds 30. It’s good to know your Poland 1-2 months To widen students 16–19 year Minimum of Project work 180 neighbours knowledge of other olds 20 countries 31. E.C.J.S. (Education Civique France 120 min. To promote debate on From 12 About 28 Discussion - debate 182 Juridique et Sociale) every two social problems years old weeks for a upwards school year 32. Workshop (for school reform) Austria Up to 2 To create an action- 14–19 year Minimum of Project planning 184 days plan decision-making olds 10 (planning) through common Up to 1 consent year (running)

Community Involvement 33. The tree of gifts Poland 30–45 min. Students talents 16–19 year About 24 Analysis of talents 187 recognition olds 34. I’ll stand in the centre of the Hungary 40–60 min. Help solving problems From 15 12-25 Conflict 189 circle years old management upwards procedure 35. An ideal student representative Poland 45-60 min. Analysis of students 15–19 year 5-20 Group work 191 council conditions olds 36. Who influences you? England 60 min. Social connections 13-14 year 2–30 Analysis of 195 olds influences 37. What kind of school? England 60 min. Effects of individual 11–19 year 5-30 Discussion 198 behaviour olds 38. Solution with common victory Hungary 2–3 hours To help a creation of a From 16 9-36 Simulation 200 coalition which is years old based on the hope of upwards the common victory 39. Island Lithuania 4 hours To learn about From 14 15-20 Teamwork 202 different roles in group, years old cooperation, upwards responsibility 40. Creative training method used Hungary At least 4 Develop community From 12 Minimum of Performance project 203 in thematic drama technique hours and creativity years old 15 upwards 41. A week for revealing and Hungary 12–16 To help students to From 13 3 groups Problem solving 206 treating problems hours (in 4 have an active and years old with 5-6 hour units) creative attitude upwards towards their problems 42. Orientation days Austria 1–2 days Social skills, to work 15–19 year Minimum of Framework for a 210 on problems olds 15 theme exploration 43. 72 hours without compromise Austria 3 days Social action 16–19 year Minimum of Project 211 olds 4 44. Live together – Learn together Austria 6 days Let the students work 16–19 year 15 - 35 Project 213 (gele–gele) (after on their living together olds school with their own self residential) made rules

5. Methods

1 Do you make your own decisions?

Social and moral responsibility Questionnaire (discussion)

30 minutes 13-14 year olds

Maximum 30

To help students understand how self-reliant and assertive they are.

The students are given a questionnaire with ten decisions to be made from a selection of four alternatives for each question. This provides a score against which the student can plot their self-reliance and assertiveness. They then discuss the results with a friend in the class.

Handout containing the questionnaire, scoring grid and instructions.

The students are given the questionnaire with the instructions. They then complete the questionnaire individually without discussion. They then score their answers according to the grid and this provides them with an assessment of their self-reliance and assertiveness. They then discuss this result with a friend. The questionnaire provides ten situations about which they have to make decisions. They have to choose a decision from four possibilities each time. The questionnaire tests how good they are at making up their own minds or whether they rely on other people such as friends or parents to help them.

St. Paul’s Catholic School (England).

Questionnaire.

Do You Make Your Own Decisions?

 How good are you at making up your own mind?  Do you make your own decisions or do you rely on other people such as your parents to help you?  Do you wait and see what your friends are going to do before you commit yourself?

Answer this quiz to see how self-reliant and assertive you are. Keep a record of your answers and use the score chart afterwards to work out your score. Then go through your answers with a friend and discuss your self-assessment with her/him.

A self-reliant person is someone who is able to make her/his own decisions and does not depend too much on other people. An assertive person is someone who is able to stand up for her/himself and to state clearly what s/he would like to happen.

1. Someone gives you £30 to spend. Do you: a discuss how to spend it with one of your parents or another adult? b think carefully about what you want, before deciding whether to spend it or save it? c go straight out to the shops and spend it on something that catches your eye? d ask a friend what s/he thinks you should spend it on?

2. You’re offered a place on a foreign exchange trip. You will have to live with a family you have never met. Do you: a try to persuade your parents or guardian to let you go? b see what your parents or guardian think of the idea and allow their view to influence your decision c turn down the offer because you think you might not get on with the family or like the food? d see what your friends decide before making up your own mind?

3. A group of your friends are planning to do something you do not want to do. Do you: a say nothing and just go along with them? b explain to them why you don’t want to do it and try to persuade them not to do it? c ask an adult what s/he thinks you should do? d make an excuse and refuse to join in?

4. You are very worried about something rather personal such as a family problem or a health matter. Do you: a do nothing and hope that the problem will sort itself out? b talk it over with an adult and listen to her/his advice? c ask a close friend what s/he thinks you should do about it? d calmly think it through and decide for yourself what you are going to do about it?

5. You are going to a theme park for a day out with a friend. Do you: a leave it to your friend and hope that s/he makes the necessary arrangements? b make a list of things to do and organise the outing yourself? c ask you parents or your friend’s parents to help you make the arrangements? d do nothing and just hope you can sort things out on the day?

6. One of your friends is being teased by other members of your group. You can see that s/he is unhappy. Do you: a join in the teasing because you are afraid of what the others will say if you don’t? b do nothing and hope that the others will eventually get bored of the teasing? c ask an adult what you should do? d tell the others that you think they are being cruel?

7. You are moving to a new house and your new bedroom could be redecorated. Do you: a ask your best friend round and follow her/his advice on what you should do? b let your parents/guardian decide how to decorate the room? c do nothing except move in your things and put up a few posters? d work out your own colour scheme and help to redecorate the room yourself?

8. It is your grandfather’s birthday. Do you: a leave it to your mother to buy him a present from you? b ask your grandmother to suggest something he’d like and then buy it for him yourself? c think of something he might like, buy it and take it to him yourself? d rely on your friend to go with you and choose something for him which s/he suggests?

9. You are revising for an important test when a friend calls on you. Do you: a tell the friend you are working and that you can’t go out? b ask one of the family to answer the door and say that you are not feeling well? c answer the door yourself and make an excuse not to go out? d stop revising and go out with your friend?

10. A local organisation plans a 10 mile walk one Saturday morning for charity. Do you: a wait to see what your friends do before deciding whether to take part? b tell your family about it and discuss with them whether or not to take part? c do nothing because you like to lie in and watch TV on Saturday mornings? d contact the organisers and arrange to take part, then tell your parents and friends?

Scoring

a B c d 1. 2 3 1 1 2. 3 2 1 1 3. 1 3 2 2 4. 1 3 2 3 5. 1 3 2 1 6. 1 1 2 3 7. 1 1 1 3 8. 1 3 3 1 9. 3 1 2 1 10. 1 2 1 3

25 to 30 points You think for yourself and are good at making up your own mind. You are prepared to make your own decisions. Remember though, that in certain situations it is worthwhile talking to an adult or friend to ask their opinion and to discuss the options open to you with them.

17 to 24 points You are beginning to learn to make decisions for yourself, but you perhaps lack self- confidence. You maybe rely rather too heavily on other peoples’ opinions. Now that you’re growing up, it’s right that you should take more responsibility for your actions – which means making your own decisions, even if you make a few mistakes.

10 to 16 points It’s time you started to be more assertive, saying what you think and making decisions for yourself. Don’t be so influenced by what your friends might think or do or allow adults to take all your decisions for you. Don’t be so willing to take the easy way out, Making decisions can be tough, but you want to control your own life don’t you, rather than let others make all your decisions for you.

2 Two situations with prejudices

Social and moral responsibility Roleplay

Minimum 30 minutes 13-16 year olds

Minimum 10

To show how it feels to suffer discrimination.

One of the players is placed in two situations in which s/he is treated in different ways.

None in particular.

The playmaster tells the players, that they will play a roleplay (eg. Buying bread in a shop, arriving in a new school), somebody will be the buyer or the new classmate. The one who is ready to take this role leaves the room for a short time. Until the playmaster asks the other players to make two groups, both are the same places (eg. Shop, class) but the players have different prejudices (he is a famous sportsman, he is a gipsy thief). In both situations he should buy the bread. Afterwards the group can speak about what they felt and about prejudice.

Olympia Gesztes, Nagyító Középiskolások Iskolán Kívüli Képzése Alapítvány (Magnifier Foundation Outschool Education for Pupils, Hungary).

3 The clinical thermometer

Social and moral responsibility Seminar - Discussion

30-60 minutes Pupils, pupils’ representatives, multipliers, teachers

20 persons

To visualize the opinions of the group as a whole. To shape awareness of the opinions of every individual in the group. To think about one’s own point of view. To train the rhetorical abilities of the participants, the ability to stand up for oneself.

With the help of this method all participants can deal in depth with a certain topic (for example violence) and become aware of their own position regarding this topic. Also, the different opinions within the group are visualized, which makes a good starting point for discussions.

Pictures or descriptions of situations to do with the topic.

In the seminar room a free area, if possible from wall to wall is cleared. Within this area, there is a fictitious clinical thermometer, its ‘hottest’ point being one wall, its ‘coldest’ point being the other wall. To remind the participants which is which, you can draw the upper and the lower end of a thermometer on a sheet of paper each and pin them to the walls or tape them to the floor. Start: The participants stand in no particular order in the seminar room. Proceedings: A picture of a specific situation is shown (for example one of an older pupil kicking and hitting a younger one). Then the co-ordinator asks how the participants judge this situation (0° = no violence, 100° = worst form of violence ). The participants position themselves according to their rating on the thermometer. Then the co-ordinator asks several participants why they chose this very position. It is important to interview the people at the extreme ends of the thermometer, so the spectrum of opinions within the group becomes clear. After that the participants can indicate by a show of hand if they want to take part in the discussion. The co-ordinator moderates the discussion and ends it when the group feels they have talked enough about the topic, the discussion goes around in circles or a certain question has already been debated. Then the next situation is shown.

Possible situations: a girl/a boy is pushed around on the school yard a boxing match as part of a sporting event telephone terror: a woman is called time and again by a person she does not know someone skipping the queue of a ski lift a dog is beaten by its owner women who earn less money than men for doing the same job hooligans beating up policemen Peter gets a clout round the ears by his mother a teacher shouting at a pupil youths damaging the shop-front of a department store pupils spraying a school with graffiti Variation: Depending on the seminar the situations can be tailored to suit a specific topic (for example civic commitment). Important: it must be clear to the participants from the start, that there are no ‘wrong’ or ‘right’ points of view, only individual ones. Therefore, every opinion should be respected even if it is different from one’s own. It should also be clear, that the aim of the game is not to discuss a problem extensively, but to become aware of the different opinions.

Florian H. Setzen, Heirich Pesch Haus, Bildungszentrum Ludwigshafen (Germany).

4 Diamond diagram in ‘death penalty’ discussion

Social and moral responsibility Group work

About 24 persons

To enable students to justify their opinions with values and reasons; to teach students how to negotiate a common group statement; to teach cooperation; to teach listening; to encourage achieving compromise.

Using a diagram and 9 cards (see annex) prepared by students or a teacher, students express their opinions and give arguments and reasons to support them; at the same time they work out through negotiation the group’s hierarchy of reasons on their statement.

Teacher supplies each group with 9 cards with values/arguments written on them (they can also be prepared by the class during the lesson) and a diamond diagram (see annex for both).

Students work in groups of 4. Values written on the cards can be prepared by the teacher (less time consuming solution) or worked out by the whole class. Cards must be identical for each group. Students pick cards one by one just like in the poker game and place them on the diagram. The most important card should be placed in the top box. Analogically the bottom box is prepared for the least important opinion. When a student has a card, he can put it in a place he thinks is the most suitable for it and he has to support his choice with substantial arguments. He can move other cards if he can obtain consensus of at least two other members of the group. This way of discussion allows one student to speak at a time. If cards are prepared by the teacher one box on the diagram may be left empty for students to form their own idea –argument, judgment or value. After finishing the exercise students report the course of negotiation to other groups and tell them about conflicts or surprising choices. This method is very useful for controversial topics, like for instance death penalty.

Hanna Hetmańska, Arrupe Center (Poland).

Diamond diagram board and cards.

Diamond diagram

Death penalty issue

Cards to be utilized with the diamond diagram

Arguments “for”

Increasing Ineffectiveness of Increasing level liberalization of re-socialization of threat criminal law process

Ineffectiveness of Absolute isolation Aspects of life sentence - elimination social justice - parole

Catholic teaching Ineffectiveness of Self defence does not exclude the police force death penalty

Arguments “against”

Death penalty Absolute value Errors in sentences as political argument of life

Court sentence Reform of law system EU Standards is not a self defence

Effectiveness of V Commandment Media manipulation the police force

5 The empty chair

Social and moral responsibility Discussion

46-60 minutes 16-19 year olds

15-24 persons

To teach students to identify themselves with their opinion and to be responsible for their own words; to practice discussion based on substantial arguments; to give students a chance to practice discussion skills.

Students identify themselves with opinions on the subject given and then after a group presentation a whole class (through representatives) can take part in an organised discussion.

Teacher has to prepare pieces of paper with the opinions for discussion written on them.

For the lesson the teacher prepares 3 or 4 different opinions on the subject of the lesson (e.g. illegal drugs at school). If it is possible the teacher can collect students’ opinions on the topic using a questionnaire during the previous lesson. Pieces of paper with the opinions are stuck to 3-4 chairs in the middle of the classroom. There is also one chair with a ‘? sign on it; it is prepared for these students who cannot identify themselves with any opinion. Teacher starts the lesson presenting the 3-4 opinions on the topic, for example: ‘Every person who takes illegal drugs should be immediately expelled from the school.’ ‘Pupils who take drugs should be sent to a special centre and treated by specialists. If they were expelled from the school, the problem would not be solved.’ ‘School intervention should be limited to its area and students who take drugs should be punished for misbehaviour. Treatment is a problem of family and social services only’. Every student has to read the opinions presented by the teacher and stop by the one he agrees with.

Then the pupils gathered around a chair with the opinion form a group. For 10 minutes they discuss the opinion and prepare the arguments supporting it. After this time each group chooses their speaker. The speaker sits on the chair matching the group’s opinion. One more chair is added – this is ‘the empty chair’ that is free for any person from the groups who would like to take part in the discussion. Speakers start with a short presentation of their opinion and then the discussion begins. It is important to set time limits for the speakers e.g. empty chair speaker has two minutes, other speakers one minute. The person sitting on the ‘empty chair’ has the right to speak first. The teacher’s role is not to allow any comments from the observers. If any one wants to take part they have to sit in the empty chair. When the teacher thinks that the discussion should be finished (max 30 minutes) he asks speakers to summarize their ideas and also asks if there were any people who felt persuaded and changed their opinion. This method can be used for various discussion topics.

Zbigniew Kruszewski, Arrupe Center (Poland).

6 Solitaire of values

Social and moral responsibility Group discussion

About 24 persons

To teach taking part in a discussion, expressing opinions, listening, democracy; to make students think and support their opinions with arguments.

Group discussion with the use of a board (see annex) and 20 cards provided by teacher. Example topics of the lesson: friendship, responsible decision making and drug taking issue.

Teacher prepares boards for each group and sets of 20 cards with values, behaviours or circumstances related to the issue treated in the lesson (e.g.: important values behind freedom of speech) written on them.

Option 1. Students work in groups of 4 or 5 and are given a set of 20 cards and a board. Cards are shuffled and each player gets 4 or 5 cards. Stage 1- each student chooses the most important value of his set and puts it in one of the 4 boxes of the inner zone of the board explaining why he thinks this value is important. Stage 2- after the first round, as players have 2-3 cards each left they start to place them in the outer zones, keeping in mind that the more outer the zone the less important the issue. Again, students support their decisions with arguments. Players can remove a card already placed if they think that their card fits there. Every member of the group can give opinion on such a move and decision is made democratically. Just like in the first stage students place their cards one by one. When all cards are placed the game is finished. This game is supposed to be just a starting point for a discussion on values and ideas considering the subject of the lesson. Stage 3- students prepare posters listing the 5 most important values from cards and post them on the wall. Then they compare and discuss the results. It is important to remember that the notions on the cards should belong to the same moral category – either positive (students choose the

most important) or negative (students decide which is the most unwanted).

Option 2. (More time consuming) students can prepare cards on their own. For example at the lesson on illegal drugs each group is given two big posters (see annex) with an unfinished sentence: ‘I would use it because…’ ‘I wouldn’t use it because…’ The second parts of the sentences students write on cards and place them on the posters in the order from the strongest to the weakest reasons.

Miroslawa Kajzer (option 1), Wojciech Żmudziński SJ (option 2), Arrupe Center (Poland).

Board and grids

I would use it because… I wouldn’t use it because… Internal factors External factors Internal factors External factors

7 Moral dilemma

Social and moral responsibility Decision making practice

1-2 teaching hours 16 year olds

About 24 persons

To teach proactive thinking; to develop active listening skills; to teach predicting consequences of one’s decisions; to teach making decisions on the basis of values one finds the most important and to evaluate them; to improve process of justifying one’s opinions; to promote team decision making.

Students are to make decision on the basis of a situation presented by the teacher. They give arguments for their decision and learn to listen to others. Students reflect on the decision they made, why they made it and on its consequences.

Teacher has to develop a dilemma (see annex) to be worked on and prepare a copy of the text of the dilemma for each student.

The moral dilemma is a difficult situation with two and only two possible solutions between which you have to choose. Every solution has some negative consequences. Doing nothing you also choose one of the solutions. Stage 1: a teacher presents the definition of a moral dilemma to students and explains any doubts students may have. Then a dilemma to work on is presented (see annex for examples of dilemmas). Teacher reads it aloud for the whole group. Then students have time for their own silent reading and reflection. Next all terms which students find difficult are explained. The situation presented in the dilemma is incomplete, just like in the real life you never know all sides of the problem. To make things easier some details are given but still the situation must stay incomplete. The dilemma is finished with a question ‘Which of the two solutions do you choose?’ Students take about 2 minutes to make their decision and then a few minutes to write in silence a short justification of his/her opinion. Next the class is divided into 2 groups having different opinions.

Stage 2: a warm-up. Sides take turns in giving 4-5 arguments supporting their opinion. The role of the teacher is very important here – he cannot let the discussion start and he must make sure that the arguments on the other side are not an immediate reaction to the arguments of the opponents. The most important idea of this stage is to make students aware of the fact that they are supposed to listen carefully to what other people say. Stage 3: group work. Only at this moment students who have changed their mind can change sides. Now, students work in groups of 4 and decide which argument supporting their opinion was the strongest and why. Then they decide what values made them think so and predict all possible drawbacks of their decision. Stage 4: groups present results of their work. Stage 5: individual reflection. Students can be asked to reformulate the justification of their position in the light of what they discussed in groups and what they heard from presentations. The point here is to prolong the reflection in order to develop a more aware attitude to values one believes in, especially in judging moral issues. Stage 6: follow up. Teacher does not give his opinions or shows his attitudes. He can prepare other lessons on other situations or attitudes using various methods: case study, simulation, role-play, discussion etc. It can happen that some students are not mature enough to decide which solution to choose. In such a situation they can become observers. Their findings will be very useful for others to reflect on later. The teacher needs to make students realize that selecting to do nothing means choosing one of the solutions.

Wojciech Żmudziński SJ, Arrupe Center (Poland).

Example dilemmas.

Robert’s dilemma

Robert is the vocalist in one of the new music groups in northern Poland. His group has a good chance of succeeding. Robert is a talented young man, full of enthusiasm and ready to work hard. His dream is to perform in front of a crowd of fans in a huge stadium, where he could give the best of himself. The group has already produced its first CD. When the time came to promote the CD, however, and to perform in various clubs, Robert had a small problem, which eventually escalated into a major problem. Before every performance Robert got so scared that he could not go out on the stage. He never felt this way during the work in studio, but the mere thought that hundreds of people would be watching him and judging his every move, completely paralyzed him. In these difficult moments his fellow musicians and his girlfriend Agata always helped him overcome his fears.

One day the group received an invitation to perform at a stadium together with some very well known bands. The guests at this concert would be representatives of radio, television and top recording studios. When the time came to perform, Robert was feeling worse then ever. He just sat in the dressing room and trembled all over. This time, even the attempts of his fellow musicians and his girlfriend to cheer him up did not work. At the critical moment, one of the concert organizers suggested that Robert should “take something”. This “something” would relax Robert and give him courage to go on to the stage. But the remedy was not an ordinary medicine. It was a controlled substance, and if you got caught selling it or in possession of it, you could be severely punished. The drug was very popular among musicians, especially before concerts. Krzysiek was very persuasive. He told Robert, “No one has ever gotten addicted to it. Nothing is going to happen to you if you use it just once.” Robert was known to be dead set against any “supporting remedies” and always kept away from them. Yet now he felt that he had no other choice. He was not able to overcome his fear, and this remedy would help him to go out to the stage. Besides, this would just be once. For Robert it was obvious that if he did not sing at this concert, he would be letting down his fellow musicians, who had waited a long time for a chance like this one. Moreover, withdrawal of the group would cause serious problems with the concert organizes, including some kind of fine. One thing was clear. Withdrawal would mean the end of the group’s future.

Should Robert take the remedy?

Krzysztof’s dilemma

Jarek and Krzysztof are brothers. Krzysztof is 23 and studies philosophy. Jarek is 18. He was expelled from High School after the first year. Jarek attends evening classes, however he doesn’t attend the classes regularly. His social life is flourishing. Krzysztof knows that his brother smokes marihuana and takes heroin – he often smelled the scent in their shared room. Their father already had two heart attacks. The family lives off the father’s small social allowance. Their mother is nervously wrecked by her husband’s health problems and irresponsibility of the younger son. She tried to earn some extra money cleaning, but recently there is less work available. She has significant nervous problems. Krzysztof talked to his brother, who often asked his parents for money. Krzysztof was covering for his brother, but recently he noticed that his brother started to remove various items from their home to sell them. He wonders if he should talk about it with their parents. He knows, that his serious stand on the issue of his brother may help him out. At the same time he is concerned with the health of his parents and that they will not treat the situation seriously enough. They might not take the necessary steps needed to improve the situation. Krzysztof also does not want to ruin the trust of his brother.

Should he talk to his parents?

8 Important people

Social and moral responsibility Group discussion

About 60 minutes Pupils, pupils’ representatives, multipliers, teachers

Small groups of 3-6 persons

To build awareness about one’s own prejudices. To build awareness about gender roles in society. Analysis of the reasons for one’s own attitude. Impulses for changing one’s attitudes and motivation to become active in society.

Despite seeming equality in society, the gender roles are still defined differently. However, we are not always aware of this. The “wow!” effect provoked by the co-ordinators will make the situation clear to the participants. They will have the chance to become aware of their own prejudices, to look for their roots and to change their way of thinking. This method is suitable for different age groups (for groups with participants of different ages) and for groups of different sizes.

Different coloured sheets of paper, pencils, crayons, pins, notice board that can be turned.

Preparation: Each participant gets three sheets of paper of the same colour. The colour decides which group they belong to. Three categories are chosen for which famous personalities must be found. Categories could be, for example: Fine arts Music Literature Politics Exact Sciences 1. Individual Phase/Plenary: First of all, each participant notes down one famous person per category. In the order of their category, the names are then pinned to the notice board, so they are visible for everyone.

2. Small Groups: The participants now meet in the small groups they were assigned to by the colour of their sheets of paper (for example all those with yellow paper). In these groups they discuss the following questions: Which important/famous people did I note down? Why have I thought of these and not of others? What do these people have in common? Where are they different?

3. Plenary: In the plenary, the most important points of discussion are then summed up in short by a member of each group. During this presentation the co-ordinators turn the notice board around and reorder the names in two new categories: men and women. Usually it becomes clear that far more men than women were named. The notice board is turned around again and the new categorization is presented to the group. The participants can clearly see the imbalance.

Final Discussion: In the ensuring debate the following points can be discussed: Would you have thought that the numbers of famous men and famous women that you can come up with is so different? Why could you think of so few women? Are there fewer famous women and men? Why? What has to change so there can be equally as many famous women as there are men?

Florian H. Setzen, Heinrich Pesch Haus, Bildungszentrum Ludwigshafen e.V. (Germany).

9 Individual decision making

Social and moral responsibility Decision making practice

Maximum 30 persons

To enable young people to appreciate the processes involved in decision making.

Students are presented with a situation in which they have to make a decision. They consider this individually first and then in groups. As a class they discuss the process they went through. An aide-memoire is provided about decision making. A small exercise is given at the end or for homework which reinforces the decision making process.

A handout with the full lesson (attached).

The students are presented with a situation in which they are the sole survivor of a helicopter crash. They have to decide whether to stay with the helicopter or make their way back to civilization. Firstly, they consider this individually and write down their responses and their reasons for them. Secondly, the teacher divides them into groups of 5-6 and asks them to make a group decision. In order to do this they have to make two lists – one of reasons for staying and one of reasons for going. One of the group reports this decision and the reasons for it back to the whole group. The class then considers three sets of questions: How easy was it to make a group decision? How many changed their minds as a result of the discussion? What other information would have been helpful to know in order to make a better decision? An aide-memoire is provided about decision making. The students are then given another situation involving a mountain bike holiday to complete individually to revise the decision making process.

Edward Hayes, St. Paul’s Catholic School (England).

Situation sheet.

Individual decision making a. On your own

On a visit to the Alps you take a trip on a helicopter flight to view the mountains. Tragically the helicopter crashes and you, alone, survive. You are in the mountains somewhere. What do you do: stay with the wrecked helicopter and hope the search parties find you or try and make your way back to civilisation?

Write a short statement explaining what choice you would make and why. b. In groups of 5/6

Share your statement with the group. Try and reach a group decision. List on a piece of paper the reasons for staying and for not staying. Appoint someone to report back to the whole class on your decision and the reasons for it. c. As a class

Share your views on:

Whether it was easy or difficult to come to a group decision. How many people changed their minds and why. What information you needed in order to come to your decision. d. On your own – writing

„Dear Paul,

My friends and I are going on a mountain bike holiday in the summer. It’ll be great. Would you like to come. I know how much you enjoy biking. Let us know, Jon.”

Imagine you are Paul and write back to your cousin Jon asking for the information you need so that you can decide whether to go or not.

Making Decisions: An Aide Memoire

1. Find out the facts.

The more information you have the better.

2. Think about possible alternatives.

Is there more than one choice?

3. Work out the possible consequences of each alternative.

Talk to other people about this.

4. Decide for yourself and do it.

Think about your decision afterwards. What were the consequences?

5. Would you do things differently?

Remember:

F find out the Facts A consider the Alternatives C consider the Consequences T decide and Take action S review and Study the effects

10 Chocolate river

Social and moral responsibility Teamwork

Minimum 60 minutes From 14 upwards

8-24 persons

Team building, finding roles in group, finding common solutions.

Group has to cross “river” without touching the ground (distance about 15 metres)

Big free space is needed, if possible outside, paper sheets (A4) or woods.

Group has paper sheets (one less than participants). 1 step: group has to think about common strategy, how they are going to cross the river. 2 step: Crossing river. If one group member fails and touches ground – group has to start from the beginning. Facilitator marks the distance. The length depends on group size. It is possible to cross “river” only stepping on paper sheets or woods, as if they were “small ferries”. If those ferries are left - nobody touches them by foot or by hand they flow away, that means, that group loses its brace, which could help to cross the river. Group has 10-15 minutes to decide how to cross “chocolate river”, they can even try some actions, but not on marked distance. Than group crosses “the river” and reaches other bank. If the group crosses the river successfully, the facilitator could make the distance longer, by putting marks further and saying that it was in flood. Evaluation: How you succeeded in coming to an agreement as a group? How you succeeded together overcoming the hedge? How did you feel in accomplishing this exercise? Which roles did participants take? Our experience with this method: Very challenging task and exercise for young people, giving a lot of material to reflect upon.

Youth Initiative Centre of Kaunas district (Lithuania).

11 String triangle

Social and moral responsibility Teamwork

Minimum 60 minutes From 14 upwards

8–24 persons

Team building, finding roles in group, finding common solutions.

Participants with eyes closed have to make 2 string triangles.

Big free space is needed, if possible outside, 2 strings (~3 metres).

1. Group has to discuss and agree how they are going to make 2 triangles from given strings (as shown in the picture). 2. All group members have to close their eyes, find stings lying on the ground and form triangles. While fulfilling this task they have to hold string with both hands.

Evaluation questions: How you succeeded in coming to an agreement? Was the opinion of all of you heard? How did you feel in accomplishing this exercise? Who took the leader role? Which roles did participants take?

Our experience with this method: Very challenging task and exercise for young people, giving a lot of material to reflect upon.

12 Labels

Social and moral responsibility Simulation

Minimum 60 minutes From 14 years upwards

10-30 persons

To gain better understanding of the problems related with prejudices, “sticking the labels”, stereotypes, discrimination, different behavior.

Every participant on his/her back gets a “label”, on which is written some feature - characteristic. Participants are divided into groups, where they have to make a short performance, with the topic, which is topical, interesting for them. After performance you have a lot of different experiences you can reflect on.

Tape and “labels”, with different inscriptions: “smile to me”, “ pout”, “grin and say, that I don’t understand anything”, “listen to me carefully”, “Do the same, I’m doing”, “Constantly change the topic of conversation”, “Do not listen, while I’m talking”, “Speak to me, like with the 6 years old”… The same inscription can be on several “labels”; there should be as many “labels”, as there are participants.

1. Divide participants into small groups (4-6 persons) and spread them into different rooms. 2. Facilitator sticks (with a tape) for every participant a “label” on the back. 3. It is not allowed for participants to look or to ask what kind of “labels” they have. 4. Everyone has to act with others according to the given “labels”. 5. In a small group participants have to create a little, simple performance drama, pantomime, frozen statues, proposed by the facilitator (but the theme should be interesting and topical) – time about 20 minutes. 6. After groups are ready the show begins. 7. Only after all groups’ performances it is allowed to pick off the “labels”.

Evaluation (to think personally, in smaller groups, and in whole group) questions: What was the feeling, when you were treated according to your “label”? Does the “label” on the back influence productivity of group work? If there weren’t any “labels” – would be the result better? If yes – why, if not – why? Did someone in your life stick you a “label” you didn’t like? What kind? In real life people are sticking for each other different “labels”? Why is not good to stick the labels? What influences our opinion about others (opinions and thoughts of our parents, teachers…)? Is it difficult to get rid of a “label when more people know about it? N.B. It is important to point out, that after game is over, participants should not go on approaching each according to the given “labels”.

13 Conflict behaviour

15-30 persons

Learning and be able to differentiate the three different main behaviour patterns in a conflict situation: avoidance, confrontation and problem solving behaviour. In the process communication, teamwork, analytical, decision making and conflict resolution skill are involved.

The exercise includes teaching some theoretical background, a groupwork, a roleplay and a discussion. It is also possible to use other conflict situations or to go through the process again with; e. g. conflicts related to the group (in the class, school or private life).

Handout for each participant about a list of 5 conflict situations (given in the detailed description).

1. Brainstorming: Students should list, what possibilities they see to react in a conflict situation. 2. The instructor explains the three different basic types of reaction in conflicts: avoidance, confrontation, problem solving behaviour. For each type we should think now about examples and collect them. 3. The participants receive the list of the 5 conflict situations and should write down their reactions on their own. 4. The group will be split into groups about 5 to 6 persons. Each group will work now on one of the scenarios: First they should exchange the answers they have worked out individually. Then develop a role play on their scenario with the three different possible ends corresponding to the three different basic types of behaviour patterns: One time the avoiding behaviour, one time the confrontation behaviour and one time the problem solving behaviour.

6. Now in front of the whole group, each working group plays two variants: one with the problemsolving behaviour and one of the others (Avoidance or Confrontation). The class analysises and discusses the three different conflict solving "muster".

Catholic Youth Austria (Katholische Jugend Österreich - KJÖ) Based on: The Community Board Program, Inc. (USA)

Situation cards.

List of 5 conflict situations:

1. You are with your best friend in a supermarket and you witness he (she) stealing something. Outside you tell him about it. But he (she) says, you should mind your own business.

What do you do?

2. You are standing in a group of students, with whom you would like to become friends. It is the first time, that you are accepted by them. Two members of the group start to tease a girl standing nearby, because she has a portwine-mark in her face. Others in the group participate and a few stay quiet. Suddenly one of the group addresses you and says: Isn’t it right, isn’t she absolutely the most ugly woman, that you have ever seen? Right? All are looking at you full of expectation.

What are you to do?

3. On the field one player of the opponent team attacks you often aggressively, fouls you and insults you if you complain about it. Every time you are complaining about a foul he comes threateningly near to you and swears at you loudly.

What do you do?

4. Your new mathematics teacher goes through the matter very fast. You do not understand properly the tasks. If you are ask something during the lesson, he reacts very impatiently impatiently.

What do you do?

5. In your class are a few non mother tongue students. One teacher makes jokes at their expense. Most of your colleagues do not react, but others are also making disparaging remarks about the students who do not speak the mother tongue.

What are you to do?

14 Real life

Minimum 90 minutes 16-19 year olds

About 24 persons

To develop a positive attitude to discussion on social issues; to prepare young people to taking individual responsibility for the country or local community; to develop problem solving and decision making abilities; to develop negotiation skills; to teach understanding people with different points of view; to promote tolerance; to develop a reflective attitude to life; to enable students to utilize knowledge of history, religion, culture, society and to refer knowledge to students’ personal experience.

Role-taking activity followed by discussion and reflection.

Teacher should prepare a ‘case’ (see Detailed description) – context and roles for students to take on.

Stage 1: teacher presents the problem e.g.: ‘Context: to introduce the subject of strikes in seventies and eighties of the XX century in Poland. Roles: 4 ‘Solidarity’ members; 2 representatives of a national security institution; 2 journalists. Situation: We are in the seventies. Four ‘Solidarity’ members are demonstrating in front of the workplace and distribute leaflets calling for a strike. Two national security members try to persuade them to stop the demonstration because they can gain nothing or just get into trouble. Two journalists approach ‘Solidarity’ members. One of the journalists is in favour of the protest and the other strongly against it. At the same time negotiations and discussion with the journalists take place. The participants present different interests and abilities. Questions to players: ‘What is going to be the end of the roleplay? What arguments will be used on each side? How will the security members react? What will the discussion with each of the journalists look like?’

Teacher encourages group discussion on possible solutions. When students get emotionally involved, teacher helps them to identify themselves with the characters. He also implies that there is no right solution to the problem and each solution has benefits as well as drawbacks – negotiations and compromise are needed. Stage 2: roleplay participants are chosen. After a short discussion students describe the main characters. Teacher chooses the participants of the role-play. Stage 3: preparation of observers. Before the roleplay is started a teacher prepares students who will observe the exercise. They are supposed to observe and listen carefully. They should concentrate on decision-making process, conflicts and reactions of participants – if their arguments and behaviour are emotional or constructive. Stage 4: first roleplay. The exercise can be very short or take more than half an hour. It does not have to be finished but can be stopped when the end is predictable. However, it can become interesting to let the roleplay last longer because the consequences of the decisions may become visible. Stage 5: discussion and evaluation of the roleplay. Students, together with the teacher, evaluate how far the actors identified themselves with the roles. They also decide if the problem was solved. They take arguments, empathy, emotional control, etc. into consideration. Teacher encourages reflection and positive judgment by asking questions. Stage 6: second roleplay. It takes the reflection on the first one into consideration. Unlike in the real life the roleplay gives the second chance to solve the same problem. Teacher can use other students to play roles. Students change the way of discussion, arguments used, attitudes and behavior. Roleplay lets them look for better solutions and learn from their own mistakes. Stage 7: experience sharing. The last stage is devoted to group reflection on the role-play in respect to their own lives.

15 Alcohol

Social and moral responsibility A series of three lessons - project

180 minutes or in smaller units 13-14 year olds

Maximum 30 persons

To help students to understand the effects of alcohol. To help students to understand the social consequences of alcoholism.

The topic begins with a short quiz. This is discussed in groups. The students are then presented with an information sheet. The students are asked to produce their own quiz on this information. The students are then presented with three extracts, both through group discussion and role play. The topic concludes with two extracts. Students are asked to produce a TV advertisement pointing out the dangers of too much drinking.

The handouts for each session (attached). Space for role play. Access to ICT/video for the advertisement.

The topic begins with a quiz of statements about alcohol which the students have to agree/disagree with, individually at first, and then in groups of 5-6. The class would then share together the group results. The teacher would then take the students through a handout with information about what happens when you drink, covering medical effects, social effects and information about hangovers and gender effects. The students are then asked to work in pairs to produce for their folder a Test Yourself Quiz of ten statements about what happens when you drink, some being true and some being false. The pairs would then give the quiz to another pair to do. This is a way of the students checking their own learning. The second part of the topic deals with teenage drinking at parties, with a series of questions which are considered in groups of 4-6. This is followed by a role play situation in which a 15 year old wants to have a party and his/her parents explain the conditions under which they are prepared to allow it. Work groups of 3. The students are then presented with a profile of a teenage drinker and a short story which they discuss in groups of 5-6. These discussions would then be shared with the whole class.

The third part of the topic deals with alcoholic parents. The students are asked to read two extracts or they are read together in the group. The students are then divided into groups of 5-6 to discuss these extracts with a series of prompt questions. The topic concludes with the students working in pairs to produce an advertisement for television about the dangers for young people in drinking too much.

Handouts (6 pages).

Alcohol – What’s your opinion?

Look at each statement. Do you agree or disagree? Fill in the tick boxes then, as a group, compare your answers. Try to reach a group decision. Compare the result.

You The Group

Dis- Dis- Agree Agree agree agree People worry too much about teenagers drinking Most teenagers drink too much

People are funny when they are drunk

The age limit for drinking is too high

If your friends are drinking you do too, because otherwise you feel left out You feel stupid asking for a soft drink in a pub

If children are allowed to drink at home by their parents they will learn how to handle alcohol Its too easy for teenagers to get alcohol. There should be stricter controls on sales You can’t have fun at a party if you don’t drink

Parents should decide how much alcohol is allowed at a party Teenagers only drink to show off

You have got an alcohol problem if you get drunk regularly It is easy to cut down on drinking

People who drink and drive should get more severe punishments than fines or bans

So what do you know about drinking?

What happens when you drink?

When you drink, most of the alcohol is quickly taken into your bloodstream. The alcohol then has to be burnt up by your liver, or disposed of in sweat or urine. How much you drink, whether you have eaten, your height, weight and sex all affect the concentration of alcohol in your body. (If you are smaller or lighter than average, or if you are female, you’re more easily affected by alcohol.) Alcohol has very different effects on people, but you should remember that even though it makes some people very chatty and lively at first, alcohol is a depressant; that is it slows down certain brain functions. So, it blunts your judgement and self-control, and means that even simple things like speech and co-ordination are difficult. On average, it takes one hour for the body to get rid of the alcohol in one standard drink – such as ½ pint of beer or lager, a glass of wine, or a single measure of spirits or vermouth. Every extra drink you take increases your blood alcohol level. Most people know that too much alcohol over a number of years causes damage to the liver, but more immediate side-effects include:  Stomach disorders (gastritis, bleeding & ulcers)  Depression and other psychiatric disorders  High blood pressure (not only in older people)  Problems with the nervous system (especially nerve pains in the arms and legs)  Muscle disease  Vitamin deficiency  Brain damage  It can also add to the problems of people with diabetes

Alcohol: the facts

THE EFFECTS  Research has shown that workers who have drunk between one and three pints of beer have many more accidents than those who have drunk less than one pint of beer.  In the UK, one in three drivers killed in traffic accidents are over the legal limit of alcohol.  Tests on bus drivers recently showed that their driving ability lessened considerably after being given alcohol, and yet all thought they were driving better than, or as well as, usual.

½ pintA ofsingle measureA glass A smallA measure of ordinaryof spirits of glass vermouth / beer / lager(whisky, gin etc)wine of sherry aperitif Methods 3. Chapter

Alcohol can make you fat!

Calories Is it true that women are more affected by drink than men?

Alcohol is loaded with calories that go straight into the YES bloodstream. An average pint of beer contains 180 calories. Add those onto One of the reasons is the water content of your food intake, and you can see where a the body. In men, between 55% and 65% beer belly comes from! of the body weight is made up of water. In women, between 45% and 55% is made up of water.

Alcohol is distributed through the body fluids, so in men, the alcohol is more Even ‘low calorie’ alcoholic drinks can ‘diluted’ then it is in women. make you fat! One drink will rarely be less than 100 calories! A woman’s liver is more likely to suffer alcohol damage than a man’s…

BUT…

One in five men admitted to hospital is there with an alcohol related problem. Heavy drinkers can be fat and yet suffer from malnutrition. This is because they replace food with alcoholic drinks and so don’t get enough essential nutrients and vitamins.

NOW – see what you have learned.

In pairs make up your own quiz of 10 questions on alcohol and its effects. Try them out on another pair.

Teenagers and Drink

Look at the following questions. Discuss your answers in groups of 4–6:

1. What would you need for a good teenage party? 2. Are teenagers at parties: a) sensible? or b) stupid? What is sensible behaviour? What would you think was stupid? 3. What could go wrong at a party? 4. What would you need to think about if you were planning a party and you did not want it spoiled? 5. Should you have alcohol? 6. Should there always be an adult present?

Activity - role play

In pairs: One of you is a teenager, one a parent. The teenager wants a party. The parent wants to impose conditions. Can you arrive at an agreement?

What do you think?

In your pairs, read this script from a documentary style programme on teenage drinking:

In your group:  Why do you think Jackie drinks?  Is Jackie likely to become alcoholic?  What could be said to persuade Jackie to stop drinking?

Chris’s Story: INTERVIEWER: How old were you when you started drinking? JACKIE:I was a teenagerTwelve. when it happened. That day I was really fed up. I met my friend Paul INTERVIEWER:who told me thereDid was you a buyparty some that yourself night. We or wereagreed you to given meet it? at the pub first to have a JACKIE:couple of drinks toMy get mate’s us in olderthe right brother mood. bought Then some we eachcider boughtfor us, then a bottle we drank to take it outsideto the the youth party. It was a reallyclub. wild party. I didn’t worry about how much I was drinking. I thought I INTERVIEWER:could handle it. NowHow Ioften wish doI’d youhad drink? more sense… JACKIE: Whenever I can. INTERVIEWER: Where do you drink? JACKIE: In pubs – I can easily pass for 18. And at parties. INTERVIEWER: How much do you drink? JACKIE: As much as I can get ‘cos 142I like it. Everybody does don’t they? INTERVIEWER: What do you drink? JACKIE: Anything I can afford, or that anyone will buy me. Vodka and orange is my favourite ‘cos it makes you drunk quicker. INTERVIEWER: Do you always drink in order to get drunk then? JACKIE: Yeah, course I do. INTERVIEWER: Has drinking ever got you into trouble? JACKIE: Yeah, I’ve got into a couple of fights and I’ve been cautioned. INTERVIEWER: Doesn’t that worry you? JACKIE: Why should it? It’s not as though I’m on drugs is it? INTERVIEWER: Aren’t you worried that you might become an alcoholic? JACKIE: That’s what this doctor said, but it’s a load of rubbish. I could pack it in any time I Methods 3. Chapter

Can you imagine what happened next?

Do YOU know…  How old you have to be to go into a pub?  How old you have to be to buy alcohol?

What do YOU think…  Should we have Licensing laws?  What should happen to people who break them? Eg, people who sell to under age drinkers?

What is it like to have an alcoholic parent?

Not all alcoholics are sad loners living in cardboard boxes under railway arches. Many alcoholics have families, children and homes. The impact of an alcoholic parent can be enormous. Some people live with daily fear of violence, rows and never knowing when the next bout of heavy drinking may begin. It dominates their lives.

Look at these two stories:

Maggie’s Story: My name’s Maggie and my father’s an alcoholic. Up until about 6 months ago my father was the most important person in my life. His feelings controlled my every move. I worried about him constantly. I resented his drinking, but most important of all, I was frightened of him. One particularly horrid time from my childhood sticks in my mind. We were on holiday and dad got so drunk that he slammed the car door on my mother’s fingers. He started driving like a maniac, zig-zagging all over the road and shouting at mum like a raving loony. Then he told us he was going to drive us all over the cliff and end it all. It was his idea of a joke, but I thought the was serious. I remember experiencing a very real fear of death. Somehow we got back to my grandmother’s house alive. I rushed into the kitchen shouting “Daddy’s just tried to kill us all”. My gran smiled and said, “Don’t be silly dear”. I was left feeling resentful and stupid. My father stopped drinking 11 months ago and joined Alcoholics Anonymous. Although he’s sober, I’m still frightened of him. My mother encouraged me to join Alateen*, a group that helps the teenage relatives of alcoholics. I went because I was worried about my brother’s mental state and I wanted to help him. I was very unhappy and I didn’t know why. Alateen taught me that my father was suffering, that his behaviour was not unique and neither was my fear of him. We’re just a bunch of young people, all from different backgrounds, whose lives have been affected by alcoholism in a family member of close friend. We try to help each other by sharing our experiences. We accept that although we can’t

change or control our parents, we can separate ourselves from their problems and love them at the same time.

Billy’s Story: I hated my father for what he was doing. Once, on a train, he nipped off to the bar, returning later staggering and laughing loudly. He started chatting up a lady in the next seat, right in front of me and mum. When my mum complained he hit her. I can’t remember if I cried, but I hated him and was miserable. I started blaming him for all the things that were going wrong in my life. At school my work began to suffer. I felt I didn’t know who I was, what I should be doing or anything. I tried pleasing people but was rejected for it, which made things worse. I couldn’t open up to my mother, and having few friends made me lonely and miserable. I was at boarding school and I began to drink heavily at the end of term parties. I was unable to drink just a little and didn’t know when to stop. I felt as though I was standing in the middle of a ring of people, grabbing them from a distance, yet unable to get close enough to reach. Eventually a friend introduced me to Alateen*.

*There are over 80 Alateen groups in the UK. For information, contact Alateen, 61 Great Dover Street, London SE1.

In your group:

 What problems can an alcoholic parent create?  Who can help children like these: - A friend, a doctor, a social worker, another family member? - Where would you turn for help?

With a partner:

 Try to develop a TV ad which would point out the problems which can arise when people drink too much.  Aim the ad at other young people.  What sort of message would be more effective – fact and statistics/shock horror/humour?

16 Mask

Social and moral responsibility Mask making (presentation and discussion)

180 minutes From 16 upwards

10-20 persons

Better self – knowledge, reflection on the role in society, better understanding of differences, listening to each other. Method gives a possibility to “observe” masks of others, to express hidden feelings. To give understanding, that mask could protect from others and also could be a barrier to better understanding and communication with other people. To form a group.

Every participant makes a mask. After that everybody put masks on the face and represent his mask to the whole group. Finally there is an evaluation of this activity. For this method is very important to create a comfortable environment, where participants feel safe and able to speak freely about their feelings. It could be comfortable room, where it is possible to sit on the floor. Meditative music will help to create a special environment.

Paper, old magazines, pens, markers, glue, scissors, tape, colored paper. Special conditions: Meditative music.

Introduction (15 min.): Group leader makes short presentation about masks in our life – that every person has masks, which s/he uses in different situation and with different people (One mask we wear, when we’re afraid, another when we want to hide our defects etc). Then leader explains about stages and rules in this game (confidentiality, hearing of others, creating a comfortable environment). Mask creating (60 min.): Meditative music is playing. Every participant in silence makes his own mask, which characterize himself, or which he/she usually wears. They also could stress features, which he/she doesn’t like in his/her personality. Presentation (45 min.): Everybody puts his mask on his/her face and sits in a circle (During all this stage participants are with masks). During the presentation of the mask the participant tells why he/she created such mask, what does it means, what features of character is presented. After the presentation everybody could ask questions of each other.

Evaluation (60 min.): Everybody stays in the circle. Leader of the group asks to put out all masks. Then participants are asked to share their feelings and impressions during this activity: what were the most interesting or difficult moments during this game? What new things I noticed in myself or in my connections with others.

Psychological Support and Counselling Centre (Lithuania).

17 Aims of life

Social and moral responsibility Personal planning workshop

5-6 hours 15-25 year olds

5-50 persons

The workshop helps people to realize their wishes and aims. They are asked to think about their big aims in life and also think about the next steps to do. Moreover they will deal with possible problems or handicaps that could occur.

Target group: young people, who stand in front of a “big” decision, for example what to do after school. People think about their life and the aims they have in each of these 5 parts: family, social environment, health, job, and financial affairs. They create a poster, in which the way towards the aims is shown. Then they discuss with each other their poster and the possible problems that will occur and develop solutions. After all that, they write an article either, how their life will look like in 5 or 10 years or they think about the very next step they have to do, to reach the goals.

Pleasant and calm atmosphere, space (so that people can go around and split up for silent working), A4 paper for notes, big Posters (at least A3 if possible bigger) for the creative part, pencils or pens.

(1) Calming down the people: about 30 minutes A relaxing and pleasant atmosphere should be created.

(2) Explanation and theoretical input about aims: 10–15 minutes You start with a theoretical input about aims, when there is the right atmosphere in the room, as then people are rather thoughtful or ready for serious work and willing to rethink their life. It is necessary to have something you want to reach, because than you can make yourself a plan how to get there. For example if you come into a new town it is wise if you know exactly where you want to go. It will be a waste of time if you catch a taxi and tell the driver: bring me somewhere, because I’m needed

everywhere. It’s much easier for people to become successful, who have an imagination what they want to achieve than for the ones who only life day by day.

A second thing is that you need 3 different kinds of aims: The first one is a vision. They are normally very far away, and you can’t reach it in the short run. (E.g. you want to visit the moon once in your life). This shows you the direction in which you should work. Perhaps there are several ways how to reach it, and so you can think about it and choose the easiest one. (E.g. you apply for a job at NASA, or you try to become very rich so that you can pay a space agency for the flight). That leads to the second category of aim. An aim that is also far away but nearer than the big one. (You have to pass the astronaut exam at NASA) and than there is a third category and this is the next thing you have to do, the very next step. (You have to finish school, and first you have to finish the form, and so you need to pass the very next exam).

(3) Thinking period: 30 minutes You ask the people to think about the things that are really important for them in their life and to think about what they want to reach in each of the five cathegories. It is often good to tell them that they also should make a break and tell them only the time when the next part starts. Or you say that they should come to the animators after they “finished” their thinking and get further tasks then. To help them you offer them five categories: Family: Do you want to have a family? How should your relationship look like, or do you want to stay single? Do you want to have children? Do you want to own a house, or would you rather want to live in a flat in a town… Social environment: What about your friends, your social life? Which hobbies do have or do you want to enable you? Would you like to life in the countryside or in a town, and in which town… Job: Which job do you want to do? How much do you want to work? For how much do you want to be responsible? Do you want to find your own company, or do you rather want to work for a company? What about the working hours… Financial affairs: How much do you want to earn? How much money do you want to have? What do you want do be able to afford? Which role does money play in your life, or are there any other values? (How expensive do you want to live?)… Health: What about your body? How should it look like? Are there any habits you want to stop (e.g. smoking) or start? (E.g. doing regular sports) How important is your body for you, do you treat it well… Everybody, who wants (! – its not possible to force somebody to do this) should think about this. And if possible find one big aim for each category. Or if he/she can’t decide about one, so he/she should find the most important ones. But it’s

important that they make it totally clear and think about the smallest details how the goal should look like.

(4) Creative part I: 15-60 minutes The time depends whether they really want to design the aims very well or just to write them down in a list. After they have created their list, they should start to prepare a poster. There are several possibilities: One is that they cut out pictures of newspapers or catalogues, and create a poster with that. (That shortens the method. Because after the presentation of those posters it’s over) Or they create it in a way like this: Each of the arrows shows one category. At the end of the arrow, they should paint, build or write their aim. (Also depends on the time) In the middle they symbolize themselves.

EXCHANGE: (5) about 15 minutes: After they created this poster they can show it to friends in an open atmosphere, like in the (lunch) break. (6) about 15 minutes: They present it in front of everybody (volunteers only!).

(7) Creative part II: 15-45 minutes (depending if they do it just written or creative) After that they should - again alone – think about the ways towards the aim, about the first step, about the middle aim and about possible problems. They should write down the problems and then paint it somehow on the poster, or decorate matchboxes and stick them onto the poster.

(8) Problem solving discussion: 15 minutes In pairs or small groups they should discuss possible solutions about the problems.

(9) A good finish for the whole day is one of these two following methods. If there is enough time both can be used, each one lasts for about 30 minutes. a.) „Letter on how your life looks like in 5 or 10 years”: The people should think about their life in 5 or 10 years. (of course they can choose also other periods of time) And they should describe it as exactly as possible. For example a typical day in 5 or 10 years. Or a description that includes aims they have already reached. If it is possible for the animator a very nice thing is to collect the letters. Tell the people to write a date on it when they want to get it. And than

keep it until the day, and send it to the people then. (But that normally means that it is wise to limit the time period by 2 or 3 years).

b.) „Strengthening the back”: Everybody gets a sheet of paper sticking on his/her back and walks around in the room. Everybody else writes something positive that comes to his/her mind about the person on their back. It’s important to tell people to write only positive things, and if they don’t know something positive, they shouldn’t write anything. Please note: (Experiences/Comments) Enough space and place should be given for internal discussion and interchange. When people are working they shouldn’t disturb each other. So if people don’t want to participate, they can’t be forced but should leave the room, so that the others can work and concentrate, so the group shouldn’t be too funny and childish. For getting the right mood and concentration, methods like a phantasm trip or a massage circle, - something with slow music – are very useful.

Martin Halmer and Cornelia Hinterberger. Catholic Youth Austria (Katholische Jugend Österreich - KJ;-)Ö) and KSJ St. Pölten.

18 Alarm in the EU: Civil war in Kotchenia

Social and moral responsibility, political literacy Simulation

70-80 minutes (without preparation) From 15 upwards

15 persons

The imparting of knowledge about the working mechanisms of the EU Council (Council of Ministers), the competences of the EU Council and the influence of outside factors on the decision-making processes in the EU. The practising of communication, negotiation and leadership abilities. Making clear the problems arising from the tension between social responsibility and financial or political necessities.

The participant simulate a meeting of the Council of Ministers in Brussels on the (fictitious) civil war in “Kotchenia” according to the regulations stipulated in the EU treaty concerning the Establishment of a Common Foreign and Security Policy (decisions on humanitarian action in the country in question to save the suffering civil population). Each participant represents one of the EU member states. It is advisable to play this simulation game only with participants who have a basic knowledge about the European integration process and the EU institutions (the difference between the Council of Europe and the EU; the tasks and composition of the most important EU institutions). With the coming into force of the Nice Treaty and the accession of new member states, the game has to be adapted to the new legal situation. The latest developments can be checked at http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex.

Table bell (optional), felt pen (water proof), 1 raw egg, 15 place cards with the names of the EU member states. Different materials for each of the member states (for example 5 A4 sheets, balloons, sellotape, Styrofoam balls, scissors, 1 page of an old newspaper, a small plastic bag, 3 beer mats, glue, 6 paper clips, bits of card-board et. al.) the object can be replaced or added to at will! 15 copies of the articles of the EU treaty concerning the establishment of a Common Foreign and Security Policy (see in annex). Table for 15 people, 16 chairs.

Window on the 2nd floor that can be reached from inside the house and outside of which there should be hard ground (tarmac, cobble stone).

See in Annex.

Florian H. Setzen, Heinrich Pesch Haus, Bildungszentrum Ludwigshafen (Germany).

Description of the game; required time; excerpts from the EU treaty.

Description of the game

1) Preparation (15–20 minutes)  Arrange table and chairs as a conference table for 15 people;  Put a copy of annex 3 (the extract of the EU Treaty) on each chair;  Put the place cards with the names of the member states in front of each chair on the table;  Draw a sad face on the raw egg;  Distribute the material (the resources of the different countries) among the different countries and put it beside the place card, put the table bell and the felt pen in front of the country’s seat that currently has the Presidency of the Council (the country’s representative is seated at the head of the table);  Put a sign saying “legal advisor” on the back of the 16th chair and place it beside the representative of the country that has the Presidency;  The participants can either choose the country they would like to represent or else the co-ordinator decides for them. The participants are reminded that they are not to touch any of the material until the rules of the simulation game have been explained.

2) Game Instructions, Part 1 (20 minutes) Concerning the rules of the game, it is advisable to stick to the following text: “Foreign ministers, welcome at this meeting of the Council of the European Union. You have come here today to speak about an urgent matter. As you already know, this meeting has been convened due to the critical state of affairs in the civil war zone of Kotchenia. Kotchenia is an Eastern European state that is neither a member of the European Union, nor does it belong to the group of accession candidates. It does not have a common border with the EU. In Kotchenia, a military regime is in power that calls itself ‘democratic’. However, after statements of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, the OSCE and the European Parliament, it is condemned for its undemocratic form of government and the oppression and persecution of large parts of the Kotchenian civil population. [At this point, show the participants the raw egg with the sad face and tell them that it represents the civil population of Kotchenia!]

Kotchenian civil rights groups have appealed to the EU pleading for support. The situation is about to get out of hand. More and more refugees are trying to leave the country.

In the face of this difficult situation the European heads of State and Government have agreed on a common strategy at their last meeting, that shows that the EU is prepared to come to the aid of the suffering civil population. According to this strategy, it is now up to the EU Council to decide which concrete action will be taken. To this end, each country has different resources at its disposal, that you will find in front of you on the table. Since this decision cannot be put off, this action must be planned and put into practice by ……….o’clock [fill in the time by which the action has to be completed – usually you can calculate 40 – 45 minutes from the start of the explanation] today. In order for you to be able to form your own opinion, I would like to ask you to follow me to the area of crisis.”

3) Lead the participants to the window on the 2nd floor that you have chosen earlier and explain that the window represents Kotchenia, and that in exactly 40 minutes from now the egg will fall out of this window. Explain, that a common action by the EU must have the goal to construct a protective cover or something similar around the egg, so it does not break when it hits the ground. For this, all the materials that the member states have at their disposal can be used, if they are willing to put them to the use of the common cause. Also tell them that from now on it will no longer be possible to enter the area of crisis. This means, no device can be built to catch the falling egg or to lower it from the window (for example with sellotape). The only course of action open to the participants is to build a protective cover around the egg. Take the participants back to the conference table and continue with part 2 of the explanation.

4) Game Instructions, Part 2 Keep to the following text to explain the remaining rules of the game: “You have now seen the crisis area and been able to gain an impression of how urgent the problem is. As soon as the rules of the game have been explained, the chairperson of the EU Council, whose country has the EU Presidency during this term, will declare the meeting open and also chair it. It is one of the duties of the chair to use his/her influence as best as possible for the Council to come to a result that (ideally) has the support of all Council members. The chair will also initiate the vote necessary for the action to be put into practice. He/she admits the members to take the floor and monitors their speaking time. Usually a meeting begins with a short statement by each of the countries present. The Council also disposes of the support by the juridical service, in the event of unclear questions concerning the legal framework. The juridical service is impersonated by the game co-ordinator. The most important articles of the EU Treaty, in this context, especially those concerning decisions that have to be taken with a qualified majority, are to be found in the documents provided. Do you have any questions concerning the rules of the game? If this is not the case, I would like to ask the Presidency to declare the meeting open. The matter is urgent! You have now…minutes left!”

5) Hand the egg over to the Presidency of the Council.

6) Let the game take its course until the time is up. Only take part in it if the opinion of the juridical service is required. Take notes of the proceedings.

7) When the time is up (if the Council was able to agree on an action earlier, before that), the Presidency has to take the egg (and, of course, everything that was built around it during the meeting) up to the 2nd floor and throw it out of the window. The other members of the Council are allowed to witness the proceedings, but are not allowed to step in. Then it must be checked, whether the egg (= the civil population of Kotchenia) could be saved or not.

8) After the state of the egg is verified, go back to the conference table with the participants. Declare the game over. If the egg was saved, congratulate them on behalf of the civil rights movement in Kotchenia. If the egg could not be saved, tell them about the negative press the EU got, because its action failed.

9) After the end of the game, ask the participants the following questions:  a) Did you have fun? – Why?/Why not?  b) In how far, do you think, does the game reflect reality? (During this discussion, tell them about the things you noticed during the game. Also, impart your knowledge about the proceedings in the real EU Council, if possible by comparing them with the game, for example the way people get away from the actual topic, the time pressure in the decision-making process, the importance of rhetorical and diplomatic abilities and so on.)  c) Can you imagine a round of ministers from 25 or more EU countries?  d) What would have to change, so even a larger number of EU members could achieve good results? (During this discussion tell them about the planned reform of the EU institutions and the facts surrounding this topic.)

10) It might be important to point out the difficult role of the EU Presidency and to congratulate the chairperson to a job well done, because often it is the case that the person that was in the chair is slightly frustrated after the game.

Time Required

Preparation of the game: 20 minutes Explanation of the rules: 15 minutes Duration of the Council meeting: 30 minutes Fall of the egg: 5 minutes Evaluation and Discussion: 20–30 minutes

Excerpts from the EU Treaty Title V PROVISIONS ON A COMMON FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY

Article 11 (Former Article J.1)

1. The Union shall define and implement a common foreign and security policy covering all areas of foreign and security policy, the objectives of which shall be:  to safeguard the common values, fundamental interests, independence and integrity of the Union in conformity with the principles of the United Nations Charter;  to strengthen the security of the Union in all ways;  to preserve peace and strengthen international security, in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter, as well as the principles of the Helsinki Final Act and the objectives of the Paris Charter, including those on external borders;  to promote international cooperation;  to develop and consolidate democracy and the rule of law, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

2. The Member States shall support the Union's external and security policy actively and unreservedly in a spirit of loyalty and mutual solidarity. The Member States shall work together to enhance and develop their mutual political solidarity. They shall refrain from any action which is contrary to the interests of the Union or likely to impair its effectiveness as a cohesive force in international relations. The Council shall ensure that these principles are complied with.

Article 14 (Article J.8)

1. The Council shall adopt joint actions. Joint actions shall address specific situations where operational action by the Union is deemed to be required. They shall lay down their objectives, scope, the means to be made available to the Union, if necessary their duration, and the conditions for their implementation.

2. Joint actions shall commit the Member States in the positions they adopt and in the conduct of their activity.

Article 18 (Former Article J. 8)

1. The Presidency shall represent the Union in matter coming within the common foreign and security policy.

2. The Presidency shall be responsible for the implementation of decisions taken unde this Title; in that capacity it shall in principle express the position of the Union in international organisations and international conferences.

Article 23 (Former Article J.13)

1. Decisions under this Title shall be taken by the Council acting unanimously. Abstentions by members present in person or represented shall not prevent the adoption of such decisions. When abstaining in a vote, any member of the Council may quality its abstention by making a formal declaration under the present subparagraph. In that case, it shall not be obliged to apply the decision, but shall accept that the decision commints the Union. In a spirit of mutual solidarity, the Member State concerned shall refrain from any action likely to conflict with or impede Union action based on that decision and the other Member States shall respect its position. If the members of the Council qualifying their abstention in this way represent more than one third of the votes weighted in accordance with Article 205(2) of the Treaty estabilishing the European Community [*], the decision shall not be adopted.

2. By derogation from the provisions of paragraph 1, the Council shall act by qualified majority:  When adopting joint actions, common positions or taking any other decision on the basis of a common strategy;  When adopting any decision implementing a joint action or a common position.

Internet: http://www.europarl.eu.int/topics/treaty/pdf/amst-en.pdf Internet: http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/treaties/dat/ec_cons_treaty_en.pdf

[*] Article 205 (2) of the Treaty establishing the European Community says: „Where the Council is required to act by a qualified majority, the votes of its members shall be weighted as follows: Belgium 5, Denmark 3, Germany 10, Greece5, Spain 8, France 10, Ireland 3, Italy 10, Luxemburg 2, Netherlands 5, Austria 4, Portugal 5, Finland 3, Sweden 4, United Kingdom 10.

For their adoption, acts of the Council shall require at least  62 votes in favour where this Treaty requires them to be adopted on a proposal from the Commission,  62 votes in favour, cast by at least 10 members, in other cases.”

19 Rights, duties, and responsibilities of the pupils’ representation

Social and moral responsibility, political literacy Working with text

90-120 minutes Pupils from 14 upwards

Individual groups of up to 8 persons

Supplying knowledge: contents of school laws/pupils’ representation codes of rules. Analysis of the laws and rules. Point out rights, duties and responsibilities. Comparison of theory and practice in pupils’ representation work. Visualisation of the acquired knowledge.

Target group: Pupils from 14 upwards, members of pupils’ representation, teachers, multipliers. Many members of pupils’ representations and multipliers only know of their rights, duties and responsibilities by word of mouth. They are not always aware that these important foundations of their work are laid down in laws and codes of rules. This method explains to the pupils and multipliers their own rights, duties and responsibilities as they are established in the laws and rules and brings about a discussion concerning them. The participants learn new legal frameworks, learn to argue based on these legal frameworks and to stand up for their interests. Discussions concerning theory and practice of pupils’ representation work are encouraged. The visualisation promotes creativity and the enjoyment of the analysis of theories. The results can be utilized in daily practice. This method is equally interesting to newcomers or to those already familiar with pupils’ representation work and can be used for groups of mixed ages.

Pupils’ representation code of rules, school laws, posters/pencils/crayons, transparent films for overhead projectors, flipchart.

Preliminaries: The co-ordinators of the seminar introduce the importance of the laws and codes of rule of pupils’ representation. For example the participants can be asked where the rights, duties and responsibilities of pupils’ representation can be found and if they have ever concerned themselves with those laws and codes of rules.

It should become clear that the foundations of pupils’ representation work are regulated by laws and therefore, that they offer a good basis for work, but also carry a great responsibility. That it why it is important to be knowledgeable about these areas. Individual groups: The participants occupy themselves with different topics in individual groups. The results are to be written down and visualised on a poster or a transparent foil as a diagram or a chart. 1. The “Pupils’ representation Lawyer” The pupils examine the rights and duties of pupils’ representation, as they are laid down in the laws and codes of rules. The most important articles are written down and discussed. According to the desired intensity, the size of the group and the length of the text, this work can be divided further. Then the participants are asked to analyse the rights and duties of the class speakers, the speaker or chairperson of the pupils’ representation and the teachers who act as intermediaries. Task: Which responsibilities, rights and duties does the pupils’ representation/the class speaker/the chairperson of the PR/the contact teacher have? Read the articles and note down the results. In the individual groups, discuss controversial points concerning the daily PR work. Visualise your results as clearly as possible on a poster/chart. Choose someone to present them in the plenary. 2. The “Pupils’ Representation Map” The participants make a diagram of the Pupils’ representation and the other bodies that work with it according to their own experience and with the assistance of the laws and codes of rules. The connections to the other bodies should be discussed and the arising problems pointed out. They can analyse whether or not the other bodies have the same “power” at the school as the pupils’ representation or if, for example, the teachers are always in control. The diagram should demonstrate the manifold connections and thereby the possibilities for influencing policy at school. Task: According to your own experiences and with the help of the laws and codes of rules, make a diagram/a chart that shows how the PR is structures and which other bodies it cooperates with. Analyse whether the school system allows for cooperation on the basis of equality and what the power structure looks like at school. Choose someone from your group to present the results in the plenary. 3. The “Pupils’ Representation Manager” The participants are given the task of planning a certain project at their school. Using the laws and codes of rules as a guide, they should work out how to go about achieving this goal. It is important to look at which bodies, persons,

institutions or circumstances are crucial for achieving this goal and how they can promote or hinder it. Furthermore, the participants should show exactly how an application to the school conference, for example, is to be made out, which bodies are involved in the decision making and which majorities are necessary to pass the measures.

Task: Think of a project that you would like to put into practice at your school. What do you have to do to really make things happen? With the help of your own experiences and of the laws and codes of rules, plan which steps are necessary, which groups and bodies have to be included in the decision making process and think about which factor could influence this plan in a positive or negative way. Visualise this plan on a poster/transparent foil and choose someone from your group to present the results in the plenary.

4. The “Yellow Pages of the Pupils’ Representation” Starting with a specific problem (for example differences with a teacher), the participants should work out possible solutions to the problem, but also the limitations. Among other things the laws and codes of rules can be used to learn about the frequency of tests in class, the possibilities for influencing the subject- matter and curriculum. The participants should be aware of these possibilities and how to make practical use of them.

Task: Imagine the following problem: (describe the problem, for example, the 9th form complains about a teacher who sets too many tests) How would you solve this problem with the knowledge that you have acquired? Who do you speak to first? What can you do to find a constructive solution to the problem? Now try to find one or more articles in the law or code of rules that can help you to solve the problem. Is there a law/rule that can be applied (for example about the frequency of tests)? Draw up a strategy of how you want to go about solving this problem. Choose someone to present the results in the plenary.

Plenary: In the plenary assembly all group results are presented and discussed. The diagrams and charts visualise what is being said and increase the learning effect. The roles of theory and practice should be closely examined.

Ulrike Gentner, Heinrich-Pesch-Haus. Further developed and edited by Ulrike Stepan, Franziskanisches Bildungswerk (Germany).

20 Board game: Pupils’ representation

Social and moral responsibility, political literacy Board game

90 to 120 minutes Pupils from 13-14 year olds

About 10-30 persons

To test and increase your knowledge about Pupils’ Representation. To practice discussing different statement concerning Pupils’ Representation (to train argumentative skills, to examine different positions). To eliminate misunderstandings and to supply information on the rights, duties and responsibilities of a pupils’ representation.

Target group: pupils from 13-14, members of pupil’s representation. The game is a typical board game. 2–3 small groups of 3–4 players play against each other and have to try to reach the goal (finishing line) ahead of the others by throwing the dice or by performing certain tasks: They must answer questions, give statements and perform creative tasks. The game is livened up by action cards. The game is suitable for groups of varying ages. With the aid of this game, it is possible to impart theoretical knowledge about the work of pupils’ representations in a playful, creative way. It is important to point out to the pupils that the aim is not to let the other players lose, but that the important factors are their own knowledge and fairness.

Game board, dice, game pawns (personal belongings of the students), 4 kinds of cards (knowledge cards, event cards, statement cards and action cards).

Preparations: The board is laid out and the cards are shuffled and placed in piles on the game board on the fitting spaces. The students build two teams that are to play against each other (if there are more than 12 players, a second group should be formed). Both teams should be equally well informed about pupils’ representation. Each team chooses an object as the pawn for the game. The game co-ordinator explains the rules. Both teams throw the dice and the team with the highest number begins. It is important to stress from the start that the game can only function if everyone plays fairly and honestly.

The way the game is played: One team begins and throws the dice. The team pawn is moved forward the number of spaces on the board that were shown on the dice. If the pawn lands on a normal space, it is the other team’s turn. If the pawn lands on a special space (knowledge, event; statement, action), then the co-ordinator of the game takes the top card off the fitting pile and reads it aloud. The group must now attempt to perform the given task as well and as completely as possible. If it is a question of knowledge the team has to answer, or a statement they have to give, the team has to consult first before giving the answer together. The other team rates the answer, the statements or the performance of the tasks. If this team believes the task was performed completely and correctly, they give the opponent 2 points, which means that the answering team can move forward two spaces. If the task performed or the answer given was not complete, only one point is given. If the rating team believes the answer to be totally wrong, no point is given and the pawn is not moved. If the rating team does not give 2 points on an answer, it must explain why. In this case the rating team must complete the answer. The co-ordinator of the game should comment on the answers, complete or correct them, if necessary. If the team has answered correctly, they move forward one or two spaces. If they cannot answer the question, they do not move and in the next round, must fulfil the next task from the same pile of cards. Now it is the other team’s turn. The last four task spaces on the game board must be performed by the teams one after the other. If the task can be fulfilled, the pawn is moved only one space forward and the team must wait until the next round to answer the next question. The team that reaches the finishing line first wins the game.

MATERIAL: 1 game board. (Can be transferred to a large sheet of paper or a sheet or similar object) 4 kinds of cards, marked on the back of the card by a letter according to their topic: - knowledge cards (K): contain questions concerning Pupils’ Representation - statement cards (S): contain a statement, for which the team must find arguments and explanations - event cards (E): can change the course of the game - action cards (A): liven up the game through actions

Variation: The game can be used for any other topic. To adapt it accordingly, exchange the cards with the questions and statements about pupils’ representation with cards that suit the new topic.

Anja Kremper, Franziskanisches Bildungswerk, Katholisches Jugendzentrum Mainz (Germany).

Examples for the cards, board.

1. Knowledge cards

How can a speaker of the What does pupils’ How often are the PR- pupils’ representation be representation (PR) mean? chairpersons elected? removed from office?

Name the other bodies with Where can you find information Why do we have a PR at which the PR works? about pupils’ representation at school? your school?

How can a pupils’ assembly be Why do we have PR rules? What is the school conference? organised?

Must the head teacher be How are the votes of the school Who belongs to PR? present at the pupils’ conference split up? (Students – representation meetings? Parents – Teachers)

What are the tasks and Which responsibilities does PR What are the responsibilities of responsibilities of the speaker of have? the class speaker? the pupils’ representation?

Where are the rights and duties How is the speaker of the What are the responsibilities of of PR laid down? pupils’ representation elected? the vice-class speaker?

2. Statement cards

In voting at pupils’ The class speaker is fully Grades are more important than representation, class speakers supported by the class and by commitment and PR! must always vote as the class teachers. wanted. Class speakers should always The PR should be politically The class should show the class stay on good terms with the active! speaker respect. teachers.

It is the fault of the PR, if The class speaker should set a Class speakers must take care students do not commit good example for the fellow of all organizational problems in themselves at school. pupils. the class.

The PR can work better if they The loudest pupil in class Class Speakers must take care have their own office room. should be made class speaker. of all problems in the class.

Students only become class It is the responsibility of the PR Class speakers must take care speakers to please the to organize festivals and parties. of any and all problems in class. teachers. Class speakers must help Only the higher grade pupils teachers, if things get too loud The headteacher of the school should work in PR. or when the blackboard needs always has the final word. to be cleaned.

3. Event cards

We had hamburgers and move ahead 1 move back 1 The weather is bad. chips for lunch. space space Teachers do not give the move back 1 The team needs a break. skip one turn class speakers permission to space attend the PR-meeting. The higher grade pupils do You could motivate the class move ahead 1 not take the lower grade move back 2 you are tutoring to work in the space pupils seriously at PR- spaces PR. meetings. The higher grade pupils You have learned a lot during move ahead 2 move ahead 2 explain the work of the PR to the PR-seminar. spaces spaces the lower grade pupils. You had trouble with your move back 2 move ahead 2 Teachers support the PR. form teacher. spaces spaces

Your class is not interested in move back 2 The group is nice to the move ahead 2 the work of PR. spaces seminar co-ordinators. spaces

You could motivate other move ahead 1 The headmaster praises the move ahead 1 pupils to work in the PR. space PR for their commitment. space A PR-meeting has to be move ahead 1 The weather is good. postponed because of lack of skip one turn space participants.

4. Action cards

Demonstrate the following Demonstrate the following Sing a love song for the other words in pantomime: words in pantomime: players. Brainwashing Eyeglasses Your class has problems with its Demonstrate the following How many steps lead from the teacher. Play out the talk words in pantomime: street into the main entrance? between the class speaker and Fork lifter the teacher. Demonstrate the following How many Cola buttons are Bring in 5 tooth brushes within 3 words in pantomime: there on the vending machine minutes. Clothes basket for soft drinks? Demonstrate the following In one minute, name as many Draw a portrait of your group in words in pantomime: terms as you can think of 2 minutes! Rain shower concerning PR. Demonstrate the following Write a four-line poem about the Hold a 30-second speech as words in pantomime: PR. publicity for the PR. Fireman Demonstrate the following Bring in 5 different kinds of words in pantomime: Think of a new action card! leaves within 2 minutes. Heating pipe

The questions can be varied as necessary. The questions presented here are only ideas.

21 Project planning

Social and moral responsibility, political literacy Group work

90-120 minutes Pupils from 14, pupil’s representatives

Small groups of up to persons

The structured planning of a seminar. The visualization of the results. The promotion of co-operation. To practice of presentation techniques. To practice the democratic formation of opinion.

There are many ideas and wishes about things that could be changed or organised at school, but oftentimes it is when it comes to putting them into practice where these ideas fail. In small groups, the participants agree on a common goal, then they try and organise it as best as they can with the help of the organisation sheet. At the meeting in the plenary each group presents their idea and possible ways to put it into practice. At the end the pupils decide which ideas have found enough support in the big group to be taken up. This method can be used by people new to this kind of work, but also by those who already have experience.

Organisation sheet/A3, about 4 sheets per group, in different colours, if possible. Pencils/crayons, transparent films for overhead projectors, flipchart.

Formation of Teams: Depending on the circumstances or the intention of the co-ordinator, the formation of teams can be organised by the pupils themselves or they can be chosen at random Instructions for the Teams: Task: Collect proposals within your group of what should be changed at your school or which events/actions you would like to organise to improve live at school. Choose one of the suggestions, and then go to the organisers of the seminar for further instructions. Use the organisation sheet (see annex) to work your idea out in as much detail as possible. Think of how you can present your idea in a convincing way and prepare the presentation!

Distribution of the rooms: depending on the space available. Team Presentations (Meeting, Conference): Pupils designated to the task beforehand or the co-ordinators of the seminar chair the meeting. Possible course of the game: the teams present their results, either in an order chosen by themselves or decided by drawing lots. After each presentation there should be the possibility to ask the team questions. The co-ordinators write down the ideas on a chart visible to everybody, so the groups can see which proposals have been made. Discussion, Decision-making Process: After the team presentations the different ideas are discussed. Now, after the exchange of opinions, he pupils try to choose a limited number of proposals that they would like to put into practice in the future. The results are noted on a working sheet.

Katrin Schäfer, Überregionale Frankfurter Sozialschule, Diocese of Speyer (Germany).

Organisation sheet.

This is what we What is there When? (By What do we Who’s taking want (aims): to be done? when?) need? part? (Material, With whom? funds...)

22 Arno’s millennium

Social and moral responsibility, political literacy Simulation

6-8 hours Pupils from 14, pupils’ representatives

20–60 persons

Practising the basic skills for working in pupils’ representations. Understanding how the „system school“ works. Practising political strategies and basic democratic rules. The playful planning and putting into practice of projects. Motivation for becoming active in society. Co-operation within the pupils’ representation (different age groups).

Target group: pupils form 14, pupil’s representatives, multipliers, teachers. On the basis of a fictitious situation the participants practice how to put a project for the good of the school into practice or how to deal with a specific problem in this field. In this game, the framework and the different roles (interest groups) are given by the co-ordinator. With the help of a concrete situation, decision-making processes are run through and strategies like the forging of coalitions or cooperation are practised. The game is suitable for groups of different sizes and groups of mixed age. It can, in a tangible way, encourage the participants to stand up for their and their schoolmates’ interests in a competent way. Important skills for the daily work in the pupils’ representation are trained.

Game setting, description of the roles, posters, pencils/crayons, sheets of paper.

See in Annex.

Anja Kremper, Franziskanisches Bildungswerk/ Katholische Jugendzentrale Mainz (Germany).

Games setting; important information; participating groups; time plan; phases.

Game Setting

In March the city of Arno will celebrate its millennium. In the long history this little town - like most old towns – saw heydays and periods of decline. These days the town is experiencing an economic upswing, therefore the anniversary can and will be celebrated in great style. The town has cultural attractions that are known far beyond the region, so, on the occasion of the anniversary, the city council decides to foster this good reputation by supporting different institutions financially, among them the Arnoldinum. The Arnoldinum is a secondary school with an old tradition funded by the church. It has 850 pupils and 50 teachers. According the city council the school is to receive 20 000 Euro. There is, however, the condition that the money is used for a project that must be agreed upon by the whole school and serves the “good of the school and its pupils”. The city council decides that the Arnoldinum shall, by the beginning of March, present a description of the project that fits the conditions, as the cheque shall be handed over in a solemn act in the town hall on the 17 th March to representatives of the school. Of course, the Arnoldinum would like to receive this cheque; therefore the school administration has called upon five interest groups (see list below) to develop projects in accordance with the conditions of the city council. The decision which project will be chosen will be taken in a meeting of the school parliament. The interest groups are to hand in their proposals to the school administration by the day of the crucial meeting in written form. There is also the possibility to present the proposals to the different groups in the school parliament to try to win them over. Their groups can also try to establish contacts to other interest groups to forge alliances and improve the chances for the approval of their own project for the “good of the school and its pupils” by means of cooperation.

Important Information

The interest groups can only establish contact and communicate with each other by letter. To this end, a form sheet must be filled in containing the sender, the addressee and the message. The letters are picked up by the postman or – woman who delivers them to the post office. The office checks the form (if the message is of dubious content, the letters are retained), postmarks them and delivers them to the addressee. The participants can also ask the co-ordinators questions via this postal system. Note: If the technical preconditions are fulfilled, the written communication can also take place via the internet. It is possible to transmit messages to all participants via a news agency (send the message with a corresponding note to the post office). At the meeting of the school parliament a representative of each interest group defends their project in a well-prepared final speech. In this context the presentation is very important, as now the different decision makers can still be convinced. After the pleadings the different proposals are discussed in the parliament. Questions can be asked and the councillors can be asked for their opinion. The meeting ends with the casting of the votes.

Participating Groups

Present in the school The school administration parliament The pupils’ representation Parent’s representation The teacher’s representation The funding provider (only in an advisory capacity, no vote)

Interest Groups Working Group “Pro Environment at School” Working Group “Party All The Time” “Christian Working Group Arnoldinum” Working Group “Research and Technology” Working Group “Social Equity”

Neutral Groups News agency and post office Postmen and -women Game co-ordinators

Time Plan (Example)

9.00 Introduction to the game; division into groups and distribution of the rooms 9.30 Start of the game in groups; discussion – idea for a project – establishing contacts via letters 11.45 Closing of the post office. No more letters are delivered 12.00 Lunch 15.00 Meeting of the school parliament: election of a chair, final speeches of the interest groups, discussion amongst the decision makers and vote 16.30 End of the meeting 17.00 Evaluation of the game 18.00 Dinner

Phases

Phase 1: Introduction and Preparation of the Game  Short introduction by the organizers of the seminar  Introduction to the setting of the game, the roles and the rules  Division of the participants into the interest groups (depending on the number of participants, the size of the groups can vary).  The participants receive the material necessary; the rooms are distributed.

Phase 2: Development of an idea for a project  The group - elects a facilitator. - decides, which interests it is working for at the school.  The different interest groups develop ideas for their project. This idea is to be presented to the school administration in written form and can also be transmitted to other groups. Now, the important thing is to use different arguments and strategies of persuasion to win the others for the idea in question or else to work out a compromise. At the end of this phase there should be as strong a coalition as possible, also, there should be cooperation treaties. All the most important information about the projects should be known. The presentation of the group’s own project in the parliament should be prepared.  Communication between the groups in this phase only takes place by letter.

Tasks of the Members of the School Parliament  The decision makers, that is, the members of the school parliament, meet in a room and, first of all, get the task of choosing four candidates for the office of chairperson from among their midst. At the beginning of the parliamentary meeting one of these is elected to moderate the session. It is important to note that the development of the meeting and the decision making process depend to a large extend on the competence of the chair. If there is enough time, rules for the session should be established, for example rules of speech (who is allowed to speak for how long?) of the election procedure or the role of the chair. (The game co-ordinators will give no instructions to that respect. The participants are free to lay down the rules as they see fit.)  After this the different groups retreat to their rooms. While they wait for the drafts, proposals and letters from the interest groups, they should try to come up with their own idea for a project. When the proposals of the different groups come in, they are being considered. Only then the members of the school parliament can make proposals for changes or make their own suggestions.

Tasks of the Co-ordinators of the Game  The Co-ordinators of the game should take part in the election of the four candidates for the chair of the parliament. The role should be thoroughly prepared and, if necessary, an agenda should be given.  During the second phase the correspondence between the interest groups is monitored, the number of contacts made should be noted down.

Phase 3: Meeting of the School Parliament  At the beginning of the meeting of the school parliament, the game co- ordinators see to it that the decision-makers elect a moderator for the election of the chair of the parliament. Then, the moderation is given to the chair.  The chair announces all the rules for the meeting that must be adhered to ensure the success of the meeting.  Now each of the interest groups will take their turn presenting their project in a final speech. The presentation is very important, as the undecided members of the parliament, for example, can be won over by a good speech.  After the pleadings the members of the school parliament discuss the different proposals; they can ask questions and invite the advisors to give their statements.  It does not necessarily have to be only one project that gets the lump sum. It would be possible to divide the money between different projects. However, this must be decided by the parliament; and it must be agreed to by the city council.  After that, the votes will be cast.

Game Co-ordinator  During the parliamentary meeting the game co-ordinators have an observatory role.

Phase 4: Evaluation  The game co-ordinators report on the results of their observations during the conference.  In mixed small groups (not the interest groups) the participants evaluate their roles, the course of events and the results.  At this point it can also be analysed which role the representatives of the funding providers played in their advisory function and how they influenced the final vote.

23 Council of numbered heads

Political literacy Group revision strategy

5-40 minutes Pupils from 10 upwards

About 24 persons

To conduct revision classes; to give every student a chance to participate in the lesson and to consolidate their knowledge; to encourage helpful attitudes and cooperation; to activate all students.

A strategy for a revision class enabling all students to participate. Students work in groups in order to answer questions given by teacher. Any topic on citizenship education can be dealt with the use of this method.

Desks should be arranged for group work. For option 2 big sheets of paper are necessary.

Option 1. Teacher divides the class into groups of 5. Subject of the lesson can be ‘The Yalta Conference and its consequences for European countries – consolidation’. Members of each group are given numbers from 1 to 5. Teacher asks a question on the topic of the lesson and groups work on answers. Then teacher says a number from 1 to 5 and all students with this number raise their hands. Teacher chooses a person to answer. If the answer is incomplete other students with the same number help to make it full. Option 2. Subject of the lesson can be ‘Leadership styles – revision’. The method is useful when you want answers to the question to be given in a short written form or as a drawing. When the teacher calls one number, all students with that number go to the sheets of paper previously posted on the walls and write or draw the answer. Then the answer can be discussed and completed. It is important not only to praise the students who answer the question but also to award the whole group that worked out the answer.

None. 24 Jigshaw in citizenship education

Political literacy Group work

45-90 minutes From 12 upwards

About 24 persons

To make each student responsible for and involved in the teaching process.

Students acquire new knowledge and pass information to peers without teacher’s involvement; any topic considering citizenship education that can be ‘divided into 4-5 parts’ can be taught with the use of jigsaw method.

Teacher has to divide the material for the lesson into 4-5 subtopics. Each subtopic has to be printed as a separate copy. Each member of the group receives one copy of his subtopic.

Stage 1. Before the lesson a teacher divides material to be taught at the lesson into 4-5 subtopics (parts). For example a lesson on French politics could be divided into 5 parts: 1. French political system 2. Role of the president 3. Political parties 4. Parliament 5. French electoral law. Stage 2. The class is divided into groups of 5. These should be mixed abilities groups. Every member in each group becomes ‘an expert’ on one of the five subtopics. Stage 3. Experts receive material to be read and analyzed. Next experts on the same subtopic meet in new ‘expert groups’ to discuss their material and decide what are the most relevant parts of information in their text. They also decide what method they will use to pass their information to non-experts. For example all experts on the French electoral law meet in one group and experts on the president meet in the second group, etc.

Stage 4. Experts come back to their previous groups (where everyone is an expert on a different subtopic) and taking turns they tell their friends what they have learned on their subtopic.

Stage 5. At the end of the class all students are given a test that covers the material of all subtopics. Results of the test can be assessed by experts on different subtopics. If so, the test should be prepared on 4-5 separate pieces of paper- each subtopic question on a different one. This way will make the assessment process faster and easier for experts. Teacher can also assess work of groups. Jigsaw makes all students be equally involved in the lesson. Each pupil in the group is important and cannot be replaced by anyone. Experts feel responsible for their friends and have a strong motivation to do their task very well. Everyone listens carefully to experts because students know about the test at the end of the lesson.

25 Accept others’ opinions

Political literacy Discussion

Several times (50-90 minutes) 14-18 year olds

15-30 persons

This method is an exercise, a kind of discussion, in a given environment and with certain rules. It gives the participants an excellent opportunity to train the following: - to give their own clear opinion about a certain topic - to learn listening to each other - to learn to accept each other’s opinion - to include other point of views in their own considerations To reach this aims this exercise should be practised more often.

In this method young people will exercise how to present a topic of personal importance to the whole group and how to discuss about a topic within a certain environment and certain rules. Especially in long established working groups (for example school class) this exercise is an excellent possibility, to raise up both, topics interesting for the group and for the individual. At the same time it is dealt with the problem, that in discussions and conversations people have the tendency to view their own opinion as more right than the opinion of others and devalue them. This exercise makes this problem aware for the participating people and it practises communication structures which also could arise in other life areas such as in organisations, parties, companies, court and so on. It is recommended to use this form of discussion more often on a regular basis over a longer period, in order to improve the participants communication and discussion behaviour and to raise up topics of interest for the group. (For example once a week or every second week over a period of one or two months or regularly. But it can be also useful to use it only one time as a method in a certain context.)

In a room with chairs, put the chairs of the participants horseshoe shaped. On the one front side put four chairs in the direction of the horseshoe.

The instructor has to explain: We are going to make an experiment, which is called „accept each other”. You could give your opinion to various topics in the group. The aim is to tell what you think and not to persuade others to find your opinion right or have the same one. You have the possibility to talk about topics which are important for you and to find out the positions of the others in the group. You do not have to come to a decision. We should arrange the chairs in a circle, except on one side four chairs should be in a line to each other. These four seats stay free. On these seats anybody can sit down, who wants to have a certain topic or problem discussed. There are the following rules in this experiment: The person who sits on the most right seat starts. He stands up and presents his discussion wish and his opinion. If he has the opinion his topic is discussed sufficiently he leaves the podium, than the other persons on the podium (the four seats) move one seat to the right and the next person brings in his topic. As soon as a seat is free in the podium other people, who want to propose a topic can sit down on the most left seat. Only one person is allowed to speak. Every person can participate in the discussion. When somebody wants to say something he should stand up and sit down after his speech. Every topic of personal or general interest can be proposed. The instructor can also participate by following the rules. Every person has the right to speak. It is not allowed to characterize one others point of view as wrong, stupid, naive and so on. In your contributions you should be aware of and make clear, that you are presenting your own thoughts by saying: „I think”, „I mean”, „In my opinion” etc. Don’t ask questions in which nobody has to justify himself for his opinion. You should keep in mind, that for many problems in life there in no „wrong” or „right”. Did you understand all the rules? Are there any more questions? At the beginning we should take about 30 minutes time for the discussion. Reflection: In the reflection each participant could ask himself the following questions: How did I like the experiment? Do I feel save enough in the group to propose a topic and to present my opinion clearly? How easy or difficult do I find to accept the opinion of others? Did I find the proposed topics interesting? How often would I like to have such a discussion? Is there anything else I would like to say?

Described and modified by Jan Patočka, compare: Vopel K., Einander gelten lassen, Handbuch für Gruppenleiter, ISKO Press Hamburg. Catholic Youth Austria (Katholische Jugend Österreich - KJÖ)

26 Politeia

Political literacy Roleplay

120 minutes 15–19 year olds

15-30 persons

In this exercise the participants will go through the process of political decision making in a role play. They will train communication, teamwork, organisational, analytical, conflict resolution, decision making and leadership skills.

One part of the participants will become ministers of different resorts the rest will be observers. The council of ministers gets together and they have to make a decision within a certain time and they have to come to an agreement. The difficulty is that each minister should both try to get the most possible for his resort and also contribute to a settlement. At some point of the game the minister and members of one resort should confer to have the possibility to discuss and to change the minister. The game should have an thorough review on two levels: 1. Political (with regard to the contents) 2. Group Dynamical

Paper, pens.

The participants build Government Departments and vote a minister. The Council of ministers gets together and meets with the representative of the world bank. They get a credit of 100 Mill. Euro from the bank for the state of Politeia (or for example Argentina), which is in a very bad financial situation. The Council of ministers have to decide about the distribution of the money in a certain time (for example 1 hour). 1. A certain number of groups, in this roleplay representing Government departments have to be chosen. The best is to choose between 3 to 5 groups and about 4 to 6 persons per group, both depending on the total number of participants. The groups should represent resorts of a Government, for example education, economy, social, agriculture, defence or other- but not finance! The resorts should be built by writing the resorts on sheets of papers, e. g. for 5 persons in one resort 5 times, and than mix all the sheets and let the participants draw.

2. After that the resort groups are built and they will vote a minister.

3. The council of ministers will get together and the instructor will represent the world bank. He will explain that because of the difficult financial situation of the state Politea they make a loan of 100 Mill. Euro available to this state. But only under some conditions: The council of ministers has within a certain time limit (1 hour) to come to terms about the distribution of the sum between the resorts. An even proportion is not allowed. If the conditions are not fulfilled the credit will expire. A different possibility could be also to take the country of the participants and give them the task to divide the budget of this country (to make it even more difficult they have to cut down the budget…). 4. Now every minister has to intent, on one hand to reach a budget as high as possible for their own resort, on the other hand to stand for an agreement, because if there is no one all the money is lost. The other participants should write down their observations. 5. The discussion should be interrupted if it is in a one way street – what often happens - or after a certain time which is determined by the instructor, than the resorts should get together and deliberate. They could (or should) also exchange their minister. 6. Whether an agreement is reached or not the game renders and requires a thorough and interesting after-discussion. The observers can bring in their observations. The reflection should happen on two different levels, which should not be mixed up: Political level: What arguments were used? From where did the information or facts behind the arguments come? How do we feel about this system of political decision making? It is also possible to make a focus on the education part: How did the minister of education argue? Which value had education in the council? Groupdynamical Level: How did the discussion develop? How correct in essential were the discussion? Could the ministers accept factual arguments against them? Could the debators differentiate between facts and personal feelings? Who dominated? How? Did anybody try to put pressure on others (in a good or in a bad way?) Did anybody get to personal? Was it possible to find out friendships or discrepancies which are existing in reality in the game? If an agreement was reached: How did it happen? In a democratic way or through a ”dictator”?

Described and modified by Jan Patočka, Catholic Youth Austria (Katholische Jugend Österreich - KJÖ).

27 Persuasion-game

Political literacy Debate (simulation)

3 hours + preparation From the age of 15 upwards

12-20 persons

Helping the foundation, building up and realisation of the persuasive activity of groups.

Required time: If the topic is simple and the debate takes the form of a game 3 hours are needed. Serious issues might require several days of preparation. The opening discussion usually takes two hours, yet the time of the debate is fixed and cannot exceed one and a half hours. (Usually takes one hour). Groups often face the typical situation that a conflict evolves concerning some important work of the group. While some are in favour of acting others oppose that particular action, and the majority of the group, represented here by one particular person, is unable to come to a decision. The opponent interest group forms a so called 'shadow cabinet' with differentiated roles. In this way they are able to represent their point of view as effectively as possible by using every means not excluded by the rules. Unanimously accepted rules determine which group takes its turn and how much time is allowed for persuasion. Refusal or acceptance of one group's viewpoint is in the hand of a selected person from the opponent group. Events are analysed in plenary discussion with the help of a leading assistant. Adult helpers having adequate political knowledge play especially important roles in this method, they also have a right of veto during group work.

The seriousness of the topic and the nature of the game itself determine special conditions.

The two opposing groups form their own groups of 6-10 and elect one assistant of the programme leader as their direct, expert helper (who has the right of veto and contribution from now on).

The programme leader introduces the system of the game, its process and basic rules (which are those of democracy and democratic style). Then he/she calls upon the groups to get ready for the discussion of the agenda. Suggestions for an agenda are presented by the groups' representatives. Reconciliation of the two groups is conducted by the leading assistant (the programme leader) and he/she decides the agenda unless an agreement is reached. Both groups turn their ideas into “campaign material” and “lobby material” with the methodological help of their campaign directors. Finally, campaign material is prepared and casting is finished. Each group tries to persuade - according to an agreed script - the representative decision maker of the opponent group. During the closing discussion participants reflect upon the debate, where the two helpers are allowed to give evaluations of their own. The summary of programme leader closes the event.

Pál Korom: VE-GA Children's and Young People's Association (Hungary).

28 Tower

Political literacy Teamwork

4 hours From 15 upwards

15–30 persons

To understand the process of decision-making. To understand how to work in a group (team). To learn how to cooperate. To get some ideas about lobbying.

It is a competition, in which every team tries to build a tower, which would be the highest, most beautiful and most creative. This simulation gives a lot of ideas for the evaluation and material to think about. And it depends on facilitator what will be emphasized, what will be the direction of further discussion. Participants get in touch with such topics as: work and different roles in team, decision-making process, lobbying.

It is necessary to have separate room for every group. Material: for each group: 11 Sheets of paper, markers, glue, scissors, 1 metre of tape, task sheet.

Dividing into groups, giving roles: participants are divided in equal groups. Teams are consciously built so, that each group has people who are more and less active. Facilitator appoints one less active, rather calm and tame person, who in group usually don’t have possibility to lead as a director, one person as architect, and 2 workers (most active members). Observer -each group has to have a person, who observes and evaluates the whole work process, according those questions: Who makes proposals; how the rest of the group reacts? How decisions are made? Do the participants act according given roles? Are the different abilities of team members used to reach the goal? How group reacts, when the time is lacking? Is the spirit in the group high/low? It would be very helpful, if the observer is a more experienced person (one of the team members). Competition begins, when observer comes to the group and gives all tools and materials and task sheets for action.

When the time is over all the towers are put together for the evaluation. Each team elects the person for the commission, which will decide which tower gets I, II, III … places. While the commission is working the rest of the group is watching its work (because its also a team work model). For decision commission has 10 minutes. The winners get a prize. Evaluation: It is necessary to evaluate what happened directly after decision is made: 1. Participants tell how they find the work in team (if group is bigger divide in smaller groups). 2. Participants evaluate the work of commission. 3. Observers share their thoughts and observations from different teams and also whole process. Our experience with this method: It is very important, that participants get a feedback from the observers. These observations usually show different picture the participants describe, so it is important to let each individual to think and evaluate what role they take in decision-making process and its implementation. Topic of lobbying arise, during the evaluation of commission work. It is obvious how difficult it is to make a decision, when the involved people are interested in the final result. The facilitator can use this method as an example, and then present this topic in short lecture.

Task sheet.

Task sheet

1. Your task is to build the tower, which would be:  the highest  most beautiful  most creative 2. It is only allowed to use given tools and materials 3. The tower should be built by the team which consists of:  director  architect (makes a project)  workers (for cutting and sticking) 4. Time: one hour

29 A parliament in a French Lycée

Political literacy Project/Discussion

8 meetings of up to 120 minutes 16-19 year olds

20-100 persons

Allow the delegates to be more active in the life of the lycée through a political structure, the parliament. Allow the delegates to be recognised as partners among the teachers and their school friends. Allow the delegates to assume a delegation via a democratic way.

The teenagers are considered as active citizens in the life of their school. They have organised a lot of social and cultural events in the school. This project is a long process to make teenagers very active in the life of the lycée. This project has been running for a few years. It requires first to build a strong culture about citizenship with the help of the teachers.

Teachers and all the staff of the school have to be involved in the process.

The Lycée Saint Joseph from Bressuire is located in the western part of France, between Nantes and La Rochelle. It’s a comprehensive school of 1300 children from fifteen to eighteen. A few facts to start with: This lycée has had a long tradition in involving the teenagers in the life of the lycées with a yearly election of the delegates and their participation in the class councils. However, the participation of the delegates was rather passive and not very coherent from one class to another. The council of delegates was not active at all. Every two year, the teenagers went on strike to contest different aspects of the life of the lycée. The action itself: The parliament Actions during the school year: Action 1: At the beginning of the year, in every new class, before the election, a local council member of Bressuire comes to witness and tell about his involvement in the life of the town: his role, his delegation, his tasks…

Action 2: A conference is organised with representatives (a Member of parliament, a delegate of the administrative power and a judge) to make them aware of the different powers in France. The students can ask questions about their job and the exercise of a delegation. Action 3: Delegates work in different commissions (this is the delegates’choice): Student’s life at school. Animation in school. Food at the canteen. Rules at school. School boarding. School homework. Not all the commissions did work well. The commission ‘animation did a lot of work. It suggested to organise a cultural week the aim of which was to promote sculpture. During that week, a few actions were set up: A series of conferences. Art workshops where seven artists exhibit their works. Art workshops where students or teachers could be initiated to sculpture. Some official guests from Bressuire were invited and gave their moral support. The following year, the actions led by the parliament were set up more quickly as more students were involved. A work was engaged about the responsibility of the delegates: what was their mission inside the school, how could the adults help them in their tasks, what were the limits of their role? During, that year, two other projects were led by the students: One about the environment: cleaning of the school by all the pupils, recommendations about cleanness. One about violence after some bullying outside school: the captain of the local police came to witness about the action led by the police in that case. After running two years, the headmasters and his team adopted a strategy around different axes among which: The election of the deleatur with a general campaign the same week in all the different classes. The training of the delegates (tasks, duties, the concept of delegation, communication…). Some actions in the ECJS (see method 31, a yearly course based on debates to train the teenagers about different concepts concerning citizenship). Implication of the delegates in the participation of the school councils.

Conclusion: The parliament is a good opportunity to involve teenagers in the life of the school. They have proved if necessary, they can be very active and take their responsibilities. The role of the headmaster and all the adults seem very important to help the delegates to feel confident in the actions they do get involved. They develop skills and assume their responsibilities quite well even if they have to be guided to avoid some elementary mistakes (non diplomatic way of asking questions, touchy problems such as the pedagogy of some teachers…).

Also see Chapter 2 under school systems.

Michel Maudet / Lycée Saint Joseph in Bressuire (France).

30 It is good to know your neighbours

Political literacy Project word, various methods involved

1-2 months 16-19 year olds

Minimum 20 persons

To widen the interdisciplinary knowledge about a neighbour country; to develop individual and group work skills; to encourage tolerance; to improve students’ abilities to use audio-visual equipment; to make a film and a photo-verbal documentary or an exhibition.

Groups of students work on different subjects involved in the project. Each group has its own task to complete, but at the same time, all the work is necessary in order to reach the main goal that is for example making a film or preparing an exhibition etc. Project deals with correlations of neighbour countries e.g.: common elements of history, religion, geography, art or political system.

Involvement of a big part of school faculty an students; access to: libraries, video recorders, cameras and Internet.

Stage 1: teachers and students have to state the goal of the project, e.g.: to gain knowledge about a neighbour country. Stage 2: the goal should be put in a form of a question. Stage 3: students list sources of information they can use while working on the project, for example: books, newspapers, galleries, interviews with experts, internet etc. Stage 4: students describe the steps they will take to achieve the goal, e.g.: go to the library and find reference books on the topic of the country; contact experts, do internet research etc. Stage 5: students list at least 5 main concepts or ideas they want to research, e.g.: common history of both countries; the situation of national minorities in the country; common literature, writers and language borrowings; comparison of geographic conditions etc.

Stage 6: students list at least 3 methods they will use to present their project, e.g.: an exhibition, a film, a guidebook etc.

Stage 7: students organise the project into a time line e.g., Week 1: collect materials, Week 2: contact the writer etc. Stage 8: students decide how they will get feedback on their project e.g.: they will ask their geography teacher to go through the draft of the guidebook; they will ask a school paper coordinator to read the interviews they made etc. Stage 9: students reflect on the feedback, e.g.; they decide what they want to change in the content, methods or sequence. In an ideal situation, after finishing the project students go on a school trip to the neighbour country they worked on. The interdisciplinary project helps to develop students’ creativity, imagination, independent thinking and abilities to use information and help to develop individual talents.

31 E.C.J.S. (Education Civique Juridique et Sociale)

Political literacy Discussion (debate)

Session of 120 minutes every two weeks From 12 years old upwards

About 28 persons

To promote debate in the class on social problems. To develop key concepts on citizenship.

The ECJS belongs to a national curriculum and the way it is delivered is new for French teachers. It is recommended by the French Secretary of Education. The teenagers are active and develop arguing skills.

Teachers have to organise the frame of the activities and let the teenagers provide the arguments.

An helicopter view on the course: each lesson lasts two hours. The class is composed of 28 teeenagers organised in four groups of seven. Lesson 1: Choosing the themes of study for the whole year. After making a list of the different themes, each teenager is invited to chose four themes. A vote is organised within the class. Organising the work groups. Defining the criteria of assessment. Lesson 2: Providing some tools for documentary research. Watching a debate on a video. Working on communication (techniques for the debate). Lesson 3: Preparing the debates. Writing the «synthetic notes» for the whole class, summarizing the contents of the debate. Lessons 4/5/6/7: Debating in groups (see the debate). Lesson 8: Debating with the whole class.

Zoom on a debate: Organisation and timing 10: The teacher reminds the teenagers of the contents of the debate with the four pages note. 40: Debate: A group of eight teenagers debate. The rest of the class observe the participants with the help of a grid. 20: Assessment: Each participant is invited to express himself on the debate (on the form or on the contents…). 10: The teacher gives a few complementary suggestions. 30: The teacher invites the whole class to participate and to debate. 10: The teacher reminds the aims of the next lesson.

ARES, Paris (France).

32 Workshop (for school reform)

Community involvement Project planning

Several hours up to 2 days 14-19 year olds

Minimum 10 persons

The workshop will produce an action plan, which represents the ideas and wishes of the whole group. As decisions have to be realized by common consent, conflicts arising through the decision making process are supported and not facilitated through democratic or dictatorial solutions. A very special eye is laid on the discussion and exchanging of opinions in the group. The participants should learn how to argue for their own opinion and be able to represent it by a matter-of-fact argumentation. Furthermore they should be able to listen to other opinions, to accept other opinions and to rethink their own in comparison to the others. In the whole module many skills are trained. In the workshop (first stage) communication, teamwork, analytical, creative, decision making and conflict resolution skills are trained. In the realization of the plans produced in the workshop (second stage) organizational, community building, research and leadership skills could be trained additionally to those already mentioned. This would mean that the whole process could include all important skills for citizenship education.

Required time: Project planning: several hours up to 2 days. Project running: several months up to one year. The whole process of a school reform consists out of two stages: (1) The first stage represents a workshop, which includes several methods. Proposals have to be found out, formulated and transmitted. This means participants will develop their own ideas and wishes, they will go through a longer decision making process in the group(s) and work out an action plan. The topic could of course be changed into, for example make changes in the neighbourhood, in the village, in the district, in the opinion of people (e. g. about racism), in the participants contribution in voluntary work. In fact the first stage can be used also as a module for brainstorming and planning in a group for any kind of topic.

(2) The second stage will start after the workshop and is totally open to the results of the workshop. In this stage the participants will work on the realization of the action plan.

Pens, glue, sheets of papers, posters, overhead.

I.) First Stage 1. The instructor will give the task to each participant to write a list of ideas what he/she would like to change or to have in school. The suggestions should be practically realizable and be ranked on their importance. The time given should be about 15 to 20 minutes. 2. Thereupon small groups between four and six persons should be built. It is advisable to built the groups by chance. Now the groups should work out a common list out of the personal lists of the participants. They have to decide about the ranking of every suggestion in common consent. Each participant should keep in mind the following guidelines for the discussion: Do not use majority rule or bargains, different opinion should be discussed and not be avoided. Avoid agreeing, if your opinion is quite different, to reach a consensus or to evade conflicts. Argue with logical arguments, you should not try to force your opinion upon the others. Treat different opinions than your personal one as useful, interesting and important instead of finding them disturbing. Take the time to listen to others and be open to reflect and to rethink your opinion in comparison to the others. (this guideline could be only told to the participants if necessary) but to reach a common opinion after exchanging your opinions, support other arguments if they fit to yours at least partially. The groups should have time as long as they need to find a real group decision. All group participants should be able to agree to some extent to the ranking. The final result should be written on posters. Break. 3. After a break the whole group has the task to prepare out of the different ranking lists one common ranking list. The rules for the decision making will be the same as in the small groups. Depending on the suggestions, it is possible to work further on the first five suggestions. The class could also decide to only work e. g. on the top three of their proposals for a school reform or even on one big idea. If different ideas are worked out each one should be written on one independent poster. 4. After that the instructor should take the time to reflect with the whole group the way of communication and the way of decision-making in the last task (if time also about the process in the small groups).

Break.

The participants will be asked to inscribe their name on the proposal they would like to work on. Depending on the number of posters groups will be built. If the decision was to work only on one big proposal, the tasks should be divided and then groups should be built. Now the task is to build a practical model and an action plan by thinking over the idea in more detail, finding specific aims, writing down certain tasks and making a schedule. The small groups will present their work in front of the whole class. (2 to 3 hours). Some examples: Organise a „school reform party”. Bringing proposals in the school committee. Organise a podium discussion between teachers, students and parents in the school. Regular meetings. Production of a students paper. Production of a video, radio etc. Make a survey under the pupils, teachers or parents.

II.) Second Stage Realize the proposals: Now the participants should work on starting the change process and reaching the aims. After a certain time (for example one year) the efforts made should be reflected upon, revised and discussed.

Described and modified by Jan Patočka. Catholic Youth Austria (Katholische Jugend Österreich - KJÖ).

33 The tree of gifts

Community involvement Analysis of talents

About 24 persons

To reflect on personal human resources and share reflection with other members of the class; to give students a chance to discover how others see their talents, abilities and resources; to prepare the class for planning activities and function distribution based on one’s personal resources.

Type of activity: analysis of talents (individual work followed by pair work). At the beginning students individually reflect on their talents using a handout (see annex), then in pairs or small groups their share and comment on what they have found out.

Each students has to be given a handout with a drawing of the tree of gifts (see annex).

As an introduction to the lesson the teacher can present students with a tale ‘The Giving tree’ by Shel Silverstein. Then students receive a handout with a drawing of a tree (see annex). Two parts of the tree are stressed: its roots and its fruits. First, students work individually and in the place of roots they write down all their abilities, talents and competences (e.g.: computer know-how, good cooking skills, knowledge of foreign languages, facility to make new friends etc.). Then in the place of fruit students fill in everything that they expect to achieve with resources they have in their disposal. It is important to make students aware of the fact that the fruit is not only what they personally can gain. The fruit is all that the class community and other people can benefit from. When this part is finished students discuss their ‘trees’ in pairs or small groups. They try to suggest more fruit or more resources to others. As a final stage everyone can say how his/her colleague’s resources or fruits can be used for the good of the whole class. Their ideas should be practical and realistic.

A Tree of Gifts. A Tree of Gifts

34 I’ll stand in the centre of circle

Community involvement Conflict management procedure

40-60 minutes 15 upwards, the ideal age group is 17

12-5 persons

Helping a community/group solve problems, disagreements and conflicts among themselves, especially if one particular person stands in the crossfire of conflicts.

Any member of the group can name a person to stand in the middle on the spot, or nomination can be previously arranged, too. For the successful realisation of the programme the nominee must of course accept nomination and an experienced adult assistant, the moderator is also needed. The nominee does not ‘stand’ in the circle but brings his or her chair further in. There is a given time period for questions, opinions and answers (arguments and disapproval), once it is over, discussion finishes or is finished by the moderator (the adult helper). There is no summary or evaluation and no decision or agreement is reached at the end. Sensitive control, keeping the topic and elimination of self-centredness and critical remarks are all emphatic points in this method. It is useful to set up a time limit, which should be more than 30 minutes only in exceptional cases. Only that person can have extra time for thinking and talking who is ‘standing in the middle of the circle’.

Calm, undisturbed circumstances must be provided where all participants have enough space. Provided that everyone agrees it might be useful to record discussions.

Participants sit in a circle so that everyone could see the others well. The moderator in charge talks about his task and asks the nominee whether he/she accepts nomination. If the answer is yes, the moderator introduces the process and rules of the discussion and asks participants to suggest time limits for discussion (he/she proposes 30 minutes) and for questions and answers (the moderator suggests 1-3 minutes per person). If no agreement is reached the moderator has the right to decide.

Then he/she asks the nominee to ‘stand in the centre’, that is to bring his or her chair 1,5 metres further in towards the centre of the circle. The others may ask their questions, give their opinions or assumptions in the order of putting up their hands. In order to avoid unnecessary repetitions the moderator might ask participants to ask questions or give opinions of mostly similar nature at one time. The person ‘in the middle’ has five minutes altogether to think over his answers. This time can be used freely. If the nominee thinks that the allocated time will not be enough for the whole of the discussion he/she might ask for extra time and the rest of the group must agree to it unanimously. The discussion, however, cannot last longer than one hour. Avoidance of self- centred language and any kind of personal remarks are a must.

Pál Korom and Judit Molnár, VE-GA Children’s and Young People’s Association (Hungary)

35 An ideal student representative

Community involvement Group work

5-20 persons

To diagnose the present condition of student representative bodies at school; to work out the reasons for the situation; to work out the ideal profile of a member of a student representative body; to work out the idea of the ideal students’ representative body.

Students work in small groups. At first they discuss the present condition of student council at school, then they work out the reasons for the situation. After a brief presentation students prepare a poster (see annex) presenting an ideal student representative and describe it for the benefit of the rest of the group. Finally students brainstorm ideas on how the good student representative body should work. A good timing is important- preferably before the school elections. A lesson on an ideal student representative can be a good introduction to a topic of characteristics of municipal government or parliament members. It can also introduce the planning process of the improvement of the students’ representative body at school.

Students should be familiar with the student representative bodies’ structure, tasks and responsibilities (the topic can be introduced at previous lessons). Teacher has to provide students with large sheets of paper (one per group) and markers.

Students work in groups of 4-5. Stage 1: students work in groups and brainstorm ideas in order to diagnose the present condition of a school students’ representative body. Then they discuss the possible reasons for such a situation. At this stage a short report for the rest of the class can be given. Stage 2: students prepare a poster of an ideal student representative. They draw the person and add some written comments e.g.: necessary characteristics of such a person (see annex).

Stage 3: each group presents their poster and gives a short summary of their discussion and ideas referring to the poster. Stage 4: students brainstorm ideas on how the ideal students’ representative body should work.

Arrupe Center, material worked out by the participants of a formation workshop in Gliwice, 1999 (Poland).

Example posters attached.

1. Communicative, good, 1.interpersonal communicative, skills good 2. Sensitiveinterpersonal and kind skills for 2.other sensitive and kind for 3. A othersgood pupil 4. 3.Good a good listening pupil skills 5. 4.Positively good listening critical skills 6. 5.A positivelygood leader critical 7. Can use the law 6. a good leader 8. Authority 9. 7.Can can reach use the compromise law 10. 8.Broad-minden authority 11. 9.Tactful can reach compromise 10. broad-minded 11. tactful

 broad- minded  Broadopen mindedto people  Openand worldto people  andcommunicative world  Communicativecreative,  Creative,thoughtful  thoughtfulcan listen  Canopen listen heart and  Openeyes heart and  eyesstrong  Strong  responsible  Responsible  ‘down to Earth’  ’Down to Earth’  cheerful  Cheerfull

energetic

communicative

authority

objective

pro-community

sensitive

responsible

modest

charismatic

36 Who influences you?

Community involvement Analysis of influences

2-30 persons

To make students aware of their personal and social connections.

The students are given a handout containing a chart displaying the people who play a part in their lives. They have to select the five most significant. Then from a given list of reasons for influence they show why these five. This is done individually and then in groups they discuss who influences then the most. The session finishes with a piece of personal written work.

Handout (see annex).

The handout is distributed to the students who are then asked to look at the first chart of people who influence their lives and they have to choose the most important five. They then have to choose the reasons for their decisions from a given list. They do this individually and then in groups of 5-6 they discuss their choices and reasons. The group is then asked to list some of the important decisions a 14 year old has to take and who they would turn to for advice about each one. The lesson finishes with an individual piece of writing in which the students write about a time when they had to make a difficult decision and they asked people for advice. They have to say who influenced them the most and if, looking back, they made the right decision. (This could be completed for homework).

Handout.

Who Influences You?

On Your Own

Look at the diagram below which shows some of the different people in your life. Which of them do you think influences you the most? Choose the 5 people who you think have most influence on you and put them in order of influence:

1. …………………………………………………………………. 2. …………………………………………………………………. 3. …………………………………………………………………. 4. …………………………………………………………………. 5. ………………………………………………………………….

For each person you have chosen complete the following chart:

This person influences me because: 1 2 3 4

He/She supports me

He/She understands me

He/She has time for me

He/She is older than me

He/She knows what I want

He/She is honest with me

He/She looks after me

He/She has more experience than me

He/She wants me to succeed

He/She knows how I feel

He/She listens to me

I respect that person

He/She gives me an alternative

He/She wants me to succeed

In Groups of 4-5: Share your choices and reasons. Do you agree?

Writing: Choose a difficult decision you have had to make and you asked other people about. Describe it and how you came to your decision.

37 What kind of school?

Community involvement Discussion

5-30 persons

To enable students to understand how individual behaviour affects the quality of the school environment for all.

The students are given a handout. In groups they discuss what makes for a good school or a bad school. They then consider their own school and how it could be improved.

A handout (see annex).

The students are given the handout. In groups of 5-6 they are asked to discuss the kinds of things that would make for the best schools and the worst schools and to produce a description of each. They are then asked to consider their own school and asked to draw up a list of things that could be done to improve the school both personally and by others. The class then comes together to discuss their proposals and to try and agree on a set of rules that would make life better for everyone in the school.

Handout.

What Kind of School?

A. We all have our own ideas of what makes a good school or a bad school. In groups of 4-5 discuss the key things that make a school good or bad. Write your answers in the chart below:

Good school Bad school

B. Thinking about your school how does it fit with the ideas above?

C. How could this school be improved?

D. Is there anything you could do as an individual to improve this school?

E. On the basis of the ideas form B. C. and D. above decide as a class group the 5 key rules that would make life at school better for everyone.

38 Solution with common victory

Community involvement Simulation

2-3 hours 16 years old upwards

9-36 persons

To help a creation of a coalition which is based on the hope of the common victory and the visible union of further initiatives.

The participants have to find a solution to a conflict in their own or in a virtual social microsphere with the supervision of the trainer. It is very important for the adult-leader to visit often the group under the game, because it can happen that the discussion becomes divergent.

Important to have separate places for the conflict-groups.

The participants sit in a circle, to ensure that everybody can see the others. The trainer presents the method and asks the participants to give suggestions for the conflict-situation. If there is none he/she should suggest one. Criteria for the conflict: - has to be in connection with a serious microsocial problem. - in case of the conflict not being solved there would be a possible opportunity for losing values in the life of the community. - the number of persons involved has to be between 3 and 6. Those who suggested the chosen conflict have to present every detail and then the group decides if this suggestion is good enough to find a solution with this method. After this step the trainer has to work out the features of the roles separately in order to present to the participants very detailed information about the conflict. He/she makes role-sheets, on which is written all important information about that role. They need as many copies of these sheets as the number of the conflict groups. After the trainer has to give the sheets to the participants. In this process he/she can take care of the participants’ gender, social or age differences. In the next

part after a short time of relaxing, the participants try to identify their real role alone.

Every role has to be played by 3-6 participants. Every player receives his/her role-description. (If the selected conflict is a real one, then the persons actually involved can’t be role-players.) After this step those participants who received the same role try to conclude to a common opinion according to the conflict and their role. In the conflict groups every role-player gives his/her opinion about the reasons and background. They have to reach a conclusion even if it is that there isn’t a consensus. If one of the members is an obstacle to the consensus he/she can be excluded from the further discussion. Finally they can come back if they agree with final result of voting. (It is very dangerous – the role of the trainer is very important in these cases). It is good if there is at least a negative consensus. ‘We don’t agree,’ if it happens, the participants can easily find the reason and background of the argued conflict. The role of the trainer is very important: he/she have to visit the conflict groups, and continuously decide about the timetable. Finally every group has to present its solution giving the opportunity to choose the best one. After the presentation the whole group has to decide about the solution with voting. If the selected conflict was real they can make a concrete suggestion for real actions.

Judit Molnár, “TÖRŐDÉS” Foundation for Children and Pupils (Hungary).

39 Island

Community involvement Teamwork

240 minutes From 14 years old upwards

15-20 persons

Learning how to cooperate. To understand better change processes in the group. To recognize roles in group dynamic. To enable participants to get together points of view. To develop responsibility.

Participants are divided into three groups, working in separate rooms. The main task is to build common bridge, which would unite three islands. Special conditions: 4 separate rooms.

Paper, pens, markers, glue, scissors, tape, thread, 30 cm piece of cord for half of the group, blindfolds for another half of participants.

Leader of the simulation game explains the rules. A big map of three islands is in the centre of the room. Participants are divided into three equal groups (at least 5 person in each). Every team should have 3 members, whose hands are tied and 3 members, who are “blind” (with blindfold on the eyes). Every group gets material: 1 scissors, 1 piece of glue stick, 3 m. of tape, 10 A4 format papers. All groups have 2 hours to build common bridge, uniting three separate islands. Every 30 min. 2 representatives (one with blindfold and one with tided hands) from each group gathers in the room with the map of islands and have 2 min. to discuss and reconcile building of the bridge. Each group has an observer, whose role is to look if group is playing according to the rules. After 2 hours each group gathers in the room with a map and puts its part of the bridge on “their” island. Any common bridge must be at the same level and must not break up, when the leader of this game puts in the middle of the bridge a 300 g. weight. Afterwards in the evaluation discussion participants share their experience and impressions.

Psychological Support and Counselling Centre, described by Osvaldas Stripeikis (Lithuania).

40 Creative training method used in thematic drama technique

Community involvement Performance project

Minimum 4 hours, maximum 5 days From 12 years old upwards

Minimum 15 persons

This technique aims at helping group and community development, helping participants have group and community experiences. Further targets might involve the discussion and dramatisation of certain topics or group development of creative skills.

Required time: Minimum 4 hours if the technique closes a complete module. As a separate programme five days with one opening evening session are needed ideally. Usually the group leader provides the topic to be dramatised. The game itself includes four ’evening schools’, four ’workdays’ and a ’performance day’. In the four ’evening schools’ - which are 10-15 minutes long - information is given, tasks and difficulties of the following workday will be discussed. The first workday (10-15 min) is the day of silence and the recollection of experiences connected to silence. On the second workday (20-25 min) everyone talks about their individual experiences, while on the third each group creates its own story (25-30 min). The fourth workday (30-35 min) is the day of preparation and entering into the spirit of the plays. The etude-like, 3-6 minute-long plays are performed on ’performance day’ without any previous rehearsals. These performances will then be judged in a constructive way by the rest of the group. It is important, however, that no one is allowed to criticise other than him- or herself and his or her own performance. Common creation of the rules, observing and making others observe these rules are all essential components of the creative training method. Particularly the observance of the rules - as in all games - is important since each participant, even the group leader himself tends to ignore rules, especially at later stages of games.

Each group of four to six need separate rooms that are near to each other. Certain techniques – eurythmics, dance, music – obviously require special

conditions and tools. The location and conditions should be such that minimum requirements of the performances could be provided.

A. Establishing the feeling of security, the feeling of being at home, so that participants could feel at ease at the location of the activity, in the activity and also with each other. - getting to know each other through games - making a short excursion on the spot - free-time activities: "The First Evening School" comes to agreement on the aim of the program as a whole and more specifically on the concrete program of the following day. - having a meal together - team-games in the forms of competitions or contests, which should require lot of movement - closing the day together. B. The creative training method is a didactic system that efficiently shapes personality and improves one's co-operational skills. C. Joint assessment and judgement of the programme. D. Future plans. E. Final, warm-up programme: dance, camp-fire, saying good bye and giving small presents to each other. All creative processes have common features. One must determine, for instance, the topic, close attention of participants must be secured, existing knowledge of participants has to be activated and shared within groups, and a common cognitive and emotional framework of creation must be established to open a way to brainstorming. It is the results of this latter process which have to be eventually arranged, reviewed and performed in front of the public. The creative training method, which is in fact a procedure, gives the above creative process its final form. This method crystallised during the everyday practice of VE-GA by 1986 and many versions of it are now being used in different fields. The most popular of them is probably drama, which has always played an important part in the life of VE- GA (some VE-GA members call this drama technique itself ‘creative training’). The topic of creative training is most often some absolute human concept. The leader of the creative training greets participants and introduces his assistants. Each group must have one leader but there might also be more assistants than the total number of groups. The leader of the training might also have 'outsider' or participant assistants who are at home in some special manners of acting (e.g. dance, pantomime, music). Then the leader introduces the complete structure of creative training and calls for cheerful, active but disciplined participation. The first ‘evening school’:

The task of the following day will be relaxation and active, recollective concentration which aims at refreshing memories connected to the given topic. The leader also calls attention to possible distracting factors during relaxation and recollection. The first workday: Relaxation (usually according to the Schulz autogenous training), active concentration. After the topic of the training has been given individual recollection can begin. At the closing of the day the effectiveness (not individual experiences, though) of that day is discussed in a plenary session and small (4-6 people) groups are formed who select their assistants for the whole program. The second 'evening school' closes the day, during which the program of the second workday is outlined. The second workday: Everyone will talk about their individual experiences of the previous day in three minutes. No interruption is allowed for during individual reports, yet asking for clarification is permitted. Once all the reports have been finished it is possible to give additional information on them. It is not the assistants’ duty to make participants observe rules but they ask their groups to appoint co- ordinators for this task. The leader of the training also calls attention to typical dangers of this activity at the previous evening school. All participants meet at the end of the day and evaluate the success of the day together. The second workday finishes with the third 'evening school' where the duties of the following day are pointed out. The third workday: Each group works out and dramatises its own common story so that its final form includes the typical phases of a drama; preparation, development, peak and conclusion. The third day also closes with a plenary discussion on the day's results, followed by the fourth ‘evening school’. The fourth workday: This is the day when groups get into the spirit of performances and prepare for them (manners of acting, direction, equipment, lights, sound effects, costumes and make up). There is no plenary discussion at the closing of the fourth day. The fifth workday: This is performance day when groups play their ‘dramas’ according to previous agreement or drawing. Performances are followed by constructive, positive judgement - only the leading assistant is allowed to make critical remarks on performances - and the day is rounded off with the program leader's overall evaluation.

Pál Korom and Annamária Korom, VE-GA Children’s and Young people’s Association (Hungary).

41 A week for revealing and treating problems

Community involvement Problem solving

12-16 hours in school (in 4 hour units) From 13 years old upwards

At least 3 groups with 5-6 persons

To help to learn how to reveal and articulate problems, demands and contentment. Besides, to help students to have an active and creative attitude towards their problems and make them able to organise themselves in order to be capable of solving these difficulties.

Group size: There should be at least three groups with 4-6 students, but not more than seven small groups. In the revealing phase the first step is to consider the possible main lines of thinking, which is followed by collecting individually. The objects in this collection are the problems, demands and the contentment of the participants, and students write down these items on their own collection sheets. Then groups are formed with 4-6 members following the counsellor’s instruction. In these groups, participants make a common list of their own collected items (these are the so called “maps”). In the following phases they only deal with the list of problems the so called “problem maps”, that is the arranged list of problems. From this list – using different methods – they choose some items which they consider worthwhile for further thinking, and things they will want to propose as questions, opinions or suggestions in front of the jury. In the cause searching and theoretically solving phase they reveal the basis and cause system of those problems which are awaiting treatment, then they try to devise strategies to avoid essential causes. They prepare their suggestions for evaluation and they decide on what questions, opinions and suggestions they will want to submit to the jury, independently from their proposals. They appoint those who will carry out the proposal and be representatives. During the course of evaluation, they evaluate those strategies they decided to use for avoiding causes for the jury but in front of everyone. Then the different proposals in put in front of the jury, which, if possible, answers them.

Evaluation is closed by the counsellor and decision regarding the future is made with his/her leadership in an open and programmed discussion.

For example, the method of the documentation is cleared (documentation is made about each “Week”) and they decide whether to have a programming phase. If yes, then when, how and with what kind of content. In the programming phase the aim is to set programmes and strategies that treat the problems aimed at. The forms of this can be simple “brainstorming” lists – the shortened version of the “Week” as well as an elaborated plan of tasks – the one-week version of the “Week”.

Everything that is necessary for the activities of the small groups separately and together as well. During the preparation special attention must be paid to make teenager participants and adults responsible for them have exact information about what is going to happen. It is essential to choose the invited jury appropriately and inform them adequately about their role. (The jury could be for example the counsellor and his/her helpers, but it is preferred if the jury is made up of outsiders, who are skilled and responsible persons and they are involved in the topics. E.g. the director of the school or the mayor etc.).

I. Revealing, mapping phase: (Although everybody has received the preparatory materials and knows what it is about and how it will happen, the counsellor explains it again to all participants. Then, the activity begins for everyone.) 1. When and in what way can our problems and conflicts, demands and contentment be connected with each other? Ideas and thoughts are listed to make the following individual thinking and collecting easier. 2. Individual collecting and taking notes of difficulties and problems, demands and contentment on the individual collecting sheets. 3. So called revealing and “mapping” groups are formed with 4-6 members (these are usually formed by the counsellor, but it is also possible to have a draw or use different methods). The groups choose a leader and a name for themselves and write down the members’ names on a list. If, in the meantime they call in a helper – or even more – their name(s) should also be on the name list. 4. On the basis of the individual collection, compiling a scattered list of problems, demands and contentment. 5. Compiling arranged lists (“maps”) out of the scattered ones (e.g. avoiding repetition, integration and disintegration, interpreting and making it more precise etc.). During the next steps, the arranged list of demands and contentment is used “only” as viewpoints by the groups and they concentrate on the arranged list of problems (“problem maps”).

6. Addressing: The problems of the arranged list are numbered and they get different marks showing who can deal with them (e.g. they can be dealt with by teenagers among themselves, or only together with adults, or teenagers cannot participate in them). During the following steps they only deal with the first two marked ones, while the last two marked ones are those among which the questions and suggestions can come from and be proposed in front of the jury. 7. Analysing and ordering: Students run through those problems which are under their scope of authority or they are listed there, interpreting them together, then individually – everybody makes their own little chart – and they rank them according to the already discussed system of viewpoints (e.g. seriousness, urgency, importance and easier chance for success etc.). The simplest way of carrying this out is by scoring points between 1-5. By adding up the points, the order, which is formed, can be controlled. 8. Usually the ordering mentioned above helps to choose those 1-3 problems, which the group suggests for treatment in front of the whole public. However, the group is completely free in what they write on their proposal sheets, which then they hang up for everyone to see. 9. Every participant chooses those one or two proposals among the hung up ones which they prefer to deal with later on, and they write their names legibly together with a number 1 or 2 sign. On the basis of the signatures - together with the necessary compromise – the cause searching and theoretically solving small groups are formed (in extreme cases with 3-7 members), using the same administration as in the first case. II. Cause searching and theoretically solving phase: 1. Determining the viewpoints for revision (which questions are worth asking, what is the basis of a phenomenon (B) and what could be the cause (C) etc.). 2. The basis (B) and the causes (C) of the problem chosen for treatment are determined if necessary by calling for helpers. 3. Revealing the possibilities for terminating the causes (C), determining the suggested strategy – choosing and preparing the person who is going to carry out the proposal. 4. Elaborating the questions, opinions and suggestions to be proposed in front of the jury – choosing and preparing representatives for this task. 5. Forming a coalition among the groups and forming the complete performance of the jury (e.g. deciding on roles).

Evaluation: 1. General reports to the jury about the performed activity (from the first and second groups’ leaders). 2. Evaluating the suggested systems for treating problems. 3. Proposing the questions, opinions and suggestions in front of the jury and receiving their answers. 4. Closing the evaluation and deciding on documentation and future steps. Programming: According to the decision made earlier, it can be cancelled, postponed or carried out after a short break. Participation and group forming is completely free. So is the method (and its seriousness). The result of this can be the so called “brainstorming” list or a plan containing tasks for a certain time span with certain methodology.

Pál Korom and Anikó Seri Koromné, VE-GA Children and Youth Association (Hungary).

42 Orientation days

Community involvement Framework for a theme exploration

1-2 days 15-19 year olds

Minimum 15 persons

To work on social skills, to solve problems in the class, to work on themes who are interested for the whole class and where is time enough to discuss them.

The class chooses to pursue this approach. A class goes for one or two days to an accommodation to discuss themes they are interested in. A trained person moderates the process and chooses methods to support the process in the class. It is possible to select the themes in advance or decide them in the morning-the important thing is that the participants have enough time in a good setting out of the school to work on the themes. This is more of a framework than a method and can be developed as required.

A trained person (who is firm in moderation methods and group working methods and conflict management) and a seminar room.

Katholic Youth Austria (Katholische SchülerInnen Jugend Österreich), siehe auch: www.kath-jugend.at/schule/ksj-projekt.htm; Orientierungstage Werkmappe, KSJÖ.-Wien 1998.

43 72 hours without compromise

Community involvement Project

72 hours 16–19 year olds

Minimum 4 persons

Young people make the experience of social and voluntary practical work with an exactly defined aim and a time frame. The project should include social action, group dynamics, fun parts and adventure and it has to make sense for a community (for people). The participants have the opportunity to deal with team work, project management and social learning. They should develop the experience that community work can make fun and be recognized and valued by the public.

A youth group receives at the beginning the description of a task, which can be fulfilled within the next 72 hours. Examples for this task are: renovate a game place, to organise a multicultural party for a whole village, to make a party in an old persons’ home, to improve the living situations of homeless people or in an disabled persons’ home and to spend time with them, to spend time with disabled people, to make something for the environment, to create facilities for disabled people in a building (church). To avoid difficulties during the project and to enable the reaching of the aim within the 72 hours certain things have to be organised in advance (infrastructure, contacts, permission). One youth group is part of many projects, which enables media presentation and support (newspapers, radio, television).

Project planning, preparation and coordination in advance and during the project.

The project took place recently in Austria as a nationwide project with more than 230 social project groups and young people contributed about 300.000 hours of work. The project was started in Austria by the “Plattform Dialog X”, which consists of mainly catholic youth organisations. An Austrian radio station assisted in presenting the project to the public and supported the project

by mentioning problems on air and asking people or firms to help. More details under: www.dialogx.at.

The following criteria are also essential for the project: - social action: the given task should help humans or groups which are disadvantaged somehow; - the participants should be challenged but not overburdened; - the task should extend the frame of the “usual”; - the aim of the task has to be transparent; - the task should be finished within the time without future obligation; - the task should finance itself ( organisations, firms, donations…); - in certain social institutions, responsible counselling is necessary by the experts.

Described by Jan Patočka /Catholic Youth Austria, Plattform Dialog X (www.dialogx.at); Original idea from Paderborn/ Germany.

44 Live together – Learn together (gele-gele)

Community involvement Project

6 days (after school residential) 16-19 year olds

15-35 persons

Group dynamics, social skills, change processes, self-knowledge, social situations, social communications, to work an a co-operative social system.

For one week a class goes after school not home but together in an self catering accommodation. There they spent the whole time together to do their homewok together, to live together, to cook together and finally to work on their social system with the help of different methods (outdoor, experience-education) and a trained staff. For this week the group discuss their own rules (the law of the country is the frame). It is very important that the group can make their own rules and be confronted with them in their daily lives and discuss about the conflicts which arise between group-interests and individual targets. Because teachers have normally more rules to obtain (school laws etc.) than people from outside it is useful that they are not the supporter of this process! (maybe for this orientation-days would be the better module).

A trained person (students with experience in this field, youth-workers…), a self-catering accommodation, the knowledge about group-dynamic and about several methods, basic knowledge about social systems.

First of all is it important to be sure that the group is willing to work on their community - not only to be away from home for themselves, the trained stuff is used to moderate the different discussions and to support the group with different methods - but they are not allowed to give rules or show solutions - they are just observers and mediators in the conflicts. It sounds easy but it is very hard.

Katholische SchülerInnen Jugend Österreich (siehe auch: www.kath- jugend.at/schule/ksj-projekt.htm); Gele-gele-Werkmappe, KSJÖ.-Wien 1998 (Austria).

6. Index of the methods

72 hours without compromise Page 211 A parliament in a French Lycée Page 177 A week for revealing and treating problems Page 206 Accept others’ opinions Page 169 Aims of Life Page 141 Alarm in the EU: Civil war in Kotchenia Page 145 Alcohol Page 131 An ideal student representative Page 191 Arno´s millennium Page 161 Board game: Pupils’ representation Page 154 Chocolate river Page 123 Conflict Behaviour Page 127 Council of numbered heads Page 166 Creative training method used in thematic drama technique Page 203 Diamond diagram in ‘death penalty’ discussion Page 107 Do you make your own decisions? Page 100 E.C.J.S. (Education Civique Juridique et Sociale) Page 182 I’ll stand in the centre of the circle Page 189 Important People Page 118 Individual decision making Page 120 Island Page 202 It’s good to know your neighbours Page 180 Jigsaw in citizenship education Page 167 Labels Page 125 Live together – Learn together (gele–gele) Page 213 Mask Page 139 Moral dilemma Page 115 Orientation days Page 210 Persuasion-game Page 173 Politea Page 171 Project planning Page 159

Real life Page 129 Rights, duties and responsibilities of the pupils’ representation Page 151 Solitaire of Values Page 112 Solution with common victory Page 200 String triangle Page 124 The clinical thermometer Page 105 The empty chair Page 110 The tree of gifts Page 187 Tower Page 175 Two situations with prejudices Page 104 What Kind of School? Page 198 Who influences you? Page 195 Workshop (for school reform) Page 184