Student Guide En Web

’m but I

lved, it." t invo e g about o o t g e o k i t " I ’d l e how o sur o t t no

"I’d like to get involved too, but I need more information. Do you think someone at school could help us?"

"We c ould p a tea robab cher ly ask or a c ounse lor." " Tha OK, le t ts hou ’s sta ld a r nsw t by r e er a lo ading to f o the G ur u que ide. stio ns." OTHER GUIDES AV AILABLE ONLINE: G LOBAL.OR TAKINGITG G R .O S SUE GLOBALIS UT.ORG O D N U SO RE.CA TIONCENT H YOUTHAC .CA/ YOUT Y T S AMNE

2 y? ecessar n e id u 3 ag nts Why is f conte o le b a T ! 4 chance a e c a 5 Give pe et he plan t e v a s 6 er cy I’d rath emocra d r o f t 7 g ou arity Speakin In solid 8 he world t e g n a 9 g to ch e? I’m goin it for m in ’s t a 10 wh volved, ence! r in e g f in if t d t Ge ea 1 an mak s 1 er, we c he fact t t u o Togeth 2 Find e 1 everyon r o f r e 14 s: wat st it! o odgate P lo . f s d e r h wo 15 Open t ousand rth a th e word! o h t w d is a e e r 6 Spr A pictu ! 1 on tour o g , r a t 17 as Become orld? w e h t e 18 o chang hange t booth? n io t a Spare c orm 19 p an inf petition o set u t r u y o d y a e le R 20 Pedd e! audienc s s a m , 21 edia Mass m tools! d n a s ip 22 More t ements g d le w o Ackn

The Student Activist Guide is one of three workshop documents of the Québec-based workshop “Engaging in our Communities as Global Citizens”. The Canadian Teachers’ Federation gratefully acknowledges the cooperation of the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ), the Établissements verts Brundtland, OXFAM-Québec/CLUB 2/3 for the development of the original Student Activist Guide, RECYC-Québec, and the graphic design firm YABE in the production of this national bilingual version.

se e us e ev er y da y we wi ns . It ’s sa d be ca y all re . er rs ev wa e in on In wa r, no hu rt an d kil led ou t pe op le be ing ab ws an ne th e e th at on un an d he ar orer and less fort the victims are po lau nc he d th e Most of the time, at th e ye ar 20 00 th er mb me e for re to us . I ne ed e and Non-Violenc r a Culture of Peac fo de on e ca an De th al s ion Internat mb er th at les ld. I ne ed to re me or W e th s of wa n s re th e Ch ild er y ye ar on we ap on t it th e wo rld sp en t ev ye ar 20 00 , an d ye pe r ce nt of wh at int o sc ho ol by th e ild ch y er ev t pu ne ed ed to did n' t ha pp en . pa rt . I’m go ing to do my

I’m going to start chang ing the wo I’m going to rld! …

✤ beco

me better informe d about the state of the world . This will also help me to inform my friends and the people around me;

✤ ma

ke a daily effort to bring about peace around me;

PEACE B U IL D . CA U N NVPDE ES C O . CA D E . CA ORG CYBER SCHOO LBUS. UN.OR G

✤ find war;

a way to support

victims of

✤ invite

peace activists to speak at school;

✤ remi

nd everyone that it’s the Decade for a Cultu re of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World.

Climate change is the greatest thre at to the surviva Everyone knows l of living things. it, but some peop le still go on preten pr ob le m isn ’t re ding that the al. It ’s re all y we ird th at pe op le st ill do n’t ge t it.

Well, I’m g oing to sta rt changing I’m going to the world! …

✤ find out what my ecological

✤ invite environmentalists to visit our

duce my energy footprint is and re means Reuseconsumption; that Reduce-Recycle;

✤ tell everyone I know that we need

y. When it to take action toda onment, we can’t comes to the envir ow; wait until tomorr

school to give us n tips and informatio that will help us ; improve the world

✤ become an

ist environmental activ d in my school an community.

✤ encourage the use of public transit,

and electric bicycles, car pools won’t just talk transportation. I to walk the talk; the talk, I’m going

✤ participate in ecological gardening ting projects projects, tree-plan autify my and projects to be neighbourhood;

N U C AT I O G CA / E D . R C O . G . T C E A E LA N ET ETHEP R E E T. C .N E T Y R S L F D N N GREE T F R IE I.ORG E K N U A Z L U P D A V I D S O T P R IN T.O R G M Y FO

ans one another. It me learning to live with Democracy means r s of powe or me rights regardles sa e th ve ha all we realizing to exist? Why imination continue cr dis es do y wh en privilege. So th phobic? In some t, sexist and homo cis ra ill st le op pe are some ignored. People are hts are completely it countries, human rig fs! Unfortunately, eir ideas and belie th of e us ca be ed mistreat happens here too.

Well, I’m g oing to sta rt changing I’m going to the world! …. ✤ma ke my friends and family ✤ inv aware of racism, sexism and homophobia;

✤inf

orm people at scho ol about the terribl e situation that persists in so me countries;

✤pr

omote democracy by living it;

✤ part

icipate in my school’s student council;

CCLA. O WWW RG .OHCH R. AMNE S T Y. C O R G A DD -RD

. CA

ite groups that pr otest against discrimina tion and fight for human rig hts to speak at my scho ol, and participate in their activities;

✤ ge

t people to sign pe titions to free people wh o’ve been imprisoned becaus e of their opinions.

An estimated 17 1 million children - of wh om 73 mi lli on ar e un de r 10 ye ar s ol d - ar e wo rk in g in hazardous situatio ns or conditions, including work wi th chemicals and pesticides in agriculture, with dangerous machine ry or in mines. Half the world – nearly three billi on people – live le ss th an tw o do on lla rs a da y, an d a fe w hu nd re d millionaires now own as much wealt h as the world’s po or es t 2. 5 bi lli on pe op le . Ev en to da y in Ca na da , 1.2 mi lli on ch ild re n liv e in po th at ’s an in cr ea se ve rt y; of 20 % sin ce 19 89 .

Well, I’m ch anging the world! I’m going to … t the ✤ tell my friends at school abou and ion at globaliz consequences of poverty;

✤ participate in fundraising

age

✤ promote fair trade and encour informed people to become consumers;

victims of campaigns to help ch as tsunamis su rs natural disaste and earthquakes;

✤ stay informed to make a difference.

✤ invite solidarity groups to my

t what they’re school to talk abou e world, and take doing to change th ities; part in their activ

✤ expose and boycott companies use child labour;

that

.ORG UNICEF 0 0 . CA IGN20 CA M PA A CI.ORG T O R Y. C AIPE-C TYHIS R E V O P MAKE S.COM L A P E

"I fee l lik e ch ang ing the wo rld , bu t wil l I rea lly ma ke a dif fer enc e?" I kno w ho w you fee l, bu t rem em be r wh at Gh and i sai d: "Be the ch ang e you wa nt to see in the wo rld ."

lie fs , ac t on th ei r be If pe op le di dn ’t be? Consider: where would we ent of slavery; ✤ the abolishm t to vote; ✤ women’s righ ions. orking condit ✤ improved w ck a lit tl e, I ju st th in k ba Yo u’r e ri gh t! If led to: boration have tions and colla ac w ho e iz al I re

trade; uction of fair ✤ the introd er, culture, recycling; tive of gend ec sp re ir ✤ increased l al for equal rights ✤ human and orientation. al xu or se race, religion

ng nothing ve to stop sayi Seriously, we ha It ’s si m pl e; ju st no t tr ue ! ’s it e us ca be , ca n be do ne to ta ke ac ti on be co nv in ci ng is to y wa st be th e because:

ent e environm et worse; olluting th ings will g p th n o , ’t o n g o n d ca ✤ if we believe we e do; gerous to rces as w u o s re ✤ it’s dan y n a m s a ming . and consu the world an change c e w r e ✤ togeth

✤

IT W THE ILL HE LP WO RLD ME TO ;

✤ I LEA T’S RN AN ABO OPP ORT UT UNI WH TY T AT’ O PA SG RTIC OIN IPAT GO E IN N IN ✤ IT W CRE ILL TEA ATIN CH ME GA HOW T BETT O WOR ER W K WITH ORL IN A TE D; AM ; ✤ IT WILL TEACH ME HOW TO PUT

TOGETHER SOME REALLY COOL PROJECTS;

LE ER PEOP ITH OTH W N U F E ND HAV MEET A O T Y IT ORTUN AN OPP LS; ✤ IT’S SKIL L A ; E G N IO MY A IZAT GAN R O Y UL. PM SEF VELO U E D L EEL WIL EF ✤ IT M KE MA L L WI IT ✤

an ge th e wo rld . th e be st wa y to ch Jo ini ng fo rc es is ou p, th en fin d co mm itt ee or a gr Yo u co uld fo rm a ions and action, make decis various courses of ect opportunity rf pe e meeting is th delegate tasks. A ide as . to bo un ce ar ou nd

: Some things you can do

✤ research your cause and find out who’s do ing what; ✤ look for suppor t (at school and in your community);

✤ produce creativ e and informative mate rial (e.g. posters, flyer s); ✤ look for funding or do some fundraising ; ✤ organize activiti es and mobilize peop le.

Some tips fo r a successfu l meeting: ✤ ask all participants to write their ✤ prepare a list of topics in advance and e-mail address on (agenda);

✤begin the meeting by introducing the participants;

✤listen to all opinions and take them king a all into account before ma decision;

✤if a disagreement arises, don’t

ativity! worry; that will inspire cre ched, rea If a consensus can’t be take a vote;

phone number ies and a sheet of paper, make cop ne; distribute them to everyo

✤ get down to business by identifying tasks, delegating them and deadlines;

✤ follow-up on the tasks after the meeting;

✤ keep everyone up to date on project etings; developments between me

Tips for recru ✤ work as a team. iting new peo ple by phone: First, have your questions ready and make sure yo u have a pencil and paper. Example of an op ening line: "Hello, my name is _______." "_____ gave me your name," or "I found your number in

setting

the phone book." "Right now, I’m working on (explain the subj ect)." "Could you help me…?"

Th e be st wa y to so un d cr ed ib le an d de fe nd yo ur id kn ow wh at yo u’r ea s is to e ta lki ng ab ou t. Te ll pe op le wh y means so much to th e ca us e you. You’ll become much more convinc th at wa y. Yo u do ing n’t ne ed to be an ex pe rt . Th e im po thing is to stay rt an t informed. The se cret to winning pe is to be lie ve in th ople over e ca us e yo ur se lf!

Before you set up a committee, here are some pointers: ✤ start by checking at school if a ✤ library and consult the r is committee or a teache issue you interested in the same are;

✤ find out if there are already any

munity. active groups in your com ask for to If so, give them a call ation; ent information and docum

visit the you have various media to which ks, access: newspapers, boo n’t Do . magazines, videos, etc ple for peo ce hesitate to ask resour for; re the help; that’s what they’re

✤go on-line and have a look at the to the various sites dedicated subject.

Some useful Web sites

for current affairs and world news: alternative media: cb c.c a rab ble .ca newswire.ca/en can ada .ind ym ed ia.o rg new s.b bc .co .uk adbusters.org

✤

✤

Very important: When doi ng research, keep track of your sources by answering the questions: Where did you see the article? What was the pub lication date? What page was it on? This will lend credibility to you r cause.

with people who disagree with your actions.

✤

Learn to look at both sid es of the issue. This may help you to deal U N I C E F. O R G W W W. U N . O R G M E D I A - A WA R E N E S S . CA G LO B A L I S S U E S . O R G

Finally, try to focus on one specific topic, instead of trying to cover many topics at the same time. You’ll sound more convincing and you’ll hold your audience’s attent ion better.

all ial to ssent ow e k s a u w o n did y ater w t u litres w b e life, to 50 "I kn f 0 o 2 s " eds nts form ual ne amina known l cont individ u f y r m e r ev om ha that ee fr day?" er fr t a w e v ry of and e h c a e

w o h o ple w, s eo o p W n " illio ight b 1 r e 1. the com nied ter and k e d lac are ean wa l ople to c llion pe uate bi eq 2.6 s to ad s e c " c a on? tati sani

when I my chair 4,000 f f o ll e st f ay over "I almo every d a, yet ut that o diarrhe d n y u b o f d le il k are d $40 children till spen ." ntries s u o ry year c e v h e ic r d pet foo n o n o billi "W mo e sho re ul wh and d fin do at sh a w ut th e w e kn re ow or sit ld’s w abo u ua tio ater t n."

"Great idea! How about setting up a booth in March to highlight World Water Day, or in April to highlight Earth Day?" ke ma n e o z t i l ca o an e org scho as we rtanc d l t o u a e p o l g h eop e im es hin "W omet any p nd th s a m t as ders ter." a un w of

safewater.org www.unesco.org/water

"W ta e c lk ou a we bou ld al ou kn t w so r ow ha t me lunc a et hti t ing me s."

It’s World Wat er Day and you are invited to a organizing a wa discussion foru lk, which will ta m, tomorrow at ke place next we noon! We’re als ek, to promote o organic farming ! Here’s this week’s Je opardy question: "On average, people in Eur than 200 litres a day ope use more of this; in the U.S. mo re than 400 litres a day."

t! cil righ oun "All dent c stu ir The us the pier!" o lent hotoc p

e d th like e y l l th ea e "I r from veryon ple E o I’d e r p o k f n thi ter .I Wa ir tion i l the a Co join o t like . ” up gro

"Wo uld you like som e wat er?"

"Dr i a b nk up il b don lion p ecau eop se ’t h to l saf ave a e c e wa ter drin cess kin ." g

t a bi is ite u th q us out rry rth took a o c t w I " to as e w m t i ." i ut sed of t ct b l y p l e a e j o l pr ea ’m r it. I

" so m It’ll ga e ne be g n w re m T g of a glo emb t ha ab ake er vin so ba ou m l t an e t cru s in o g d w wha i s ur a t y me Mo e ’ l l to ders ou m ! t nd ay eet want hink u to t dis p a g a o d o cu , ss i n o n it. "

in k "I ag re e! I th ly th e al ci pe es it’ s gr ea t, ou en th gh it cl as s to ur , ev in g at th e ck wa s ne rv e- ra beginning."

"The important thing is that we succeeded in making the students realize that our message concerns them too."

used to A poster is a great promotional tool The ss. invit e, info rm and rais e awa rene the simpler the message, the greater impact!

g a poster: When designin

✤ answer the questions — What?

When? Where? Why? How? and By whom?;

✤

a nice colourful poster will have a greater impact;

✤

stand 3, 4 or 5 metres away and test it out. Ask your friends for their opinion;

✤ summarize the information in a

few words — the most important information should be in large letters;

✤ hang two different posters if you

✤ find an image that catches your

have enough space.

eye and relates to your message;

At school, the best places to put up posters are in pu blic and high traffic areas such as central meeting places, the cafeteria, stairwells, washrooms and front doors. You can also pu t up posters in other places aroun d your neighbourhood, but don’t forget to ask permission fro m the people in charge. If you show them respect, they’ll give you respect.

Solidarity tip: Get in touch with other organizations that share your concerns. They may already have great posters. They’ll be happy to give you som e if you ask them, and it will sav e you some time and money. All you’ll have left to do is to add an invitation for information on yo ur own activity.

INTERCOM-MUNICA TION?! If you get perm ission, use the sc hool intercom — a few hours befo ideally re your activity begins. It’s a gr way to give stud eat ents a last-minu te reminder. Be and concise. Writ cle ar e down all the inf ormation on a sh of paper and re ee t ad it slowly and naturally. Be enthusiastic and smile while talking into the micropho That’s what the ne. pros do! ANTI-ADVERTISEMENT CONCEPT: ALTAV ISTA.C OM /IM AG E ADBUSTERS.ORG GOOGLE.CA/IMAGES

(E XC EL LE NT FO R FI ND IN G IM AG ES AN D PI CT UR ES )

Before getting started, here are some basic te rms. Flyer (handout)

ple to an t can be used to invite peo A flyer is a small notice tha e). activity (1/4, 1/3 or 1/2 pag

Brochure

4 or 6 panels or it can paper that is folded into A brochure is a sheet of re. This type of together to make a brochu be several pages, stapled of the issue (its provide a brief description document can be used to thods). A brochure can and some intervention me origin, the consequences ple to specific activities. also be used to invite peo

Stickers

e or backpack, these like on a notebook, bicycl Used in strategic areas, e partner groups ective. As with posters, som small signs can be very eff with stickers. could probably supply you You can distribute the flye rs, brochures and stickers at your information booth (p. 18) or during your class tour (p. 16), or you can hand them out in public places like your school entrance or exit. Come up with a really cool catchphrase that you can say

Stop def oresta

tion!

ater M e e t in g o n W, for Everyone n. today at noo

while handing out your promotional material. Just like ads, your slogan will create a buzz. For example:

Doing the roun ds of classroom s is a very effe m et ho d of co m ctive m un ic at io n. It ’s th e be st wa y to la rg e nu m be r of re ac h a pe op le at th e sa m e ti m e an d to st ud en ts to co in vi te nt ri bu te in a re al wa y. To go on to ur , yo u ne ed to fo rm a gr ou p an d support from th ge t e school admin is tration and your te ac he rs . It ’s a go od id ea to do th e ro un ds in pa ir s.

There are two way s to do the rounds : 1. Visit each class one after

2. Visit all the classes teaching the same subject, which means you will miss the first part of several classes.

another, which means you will miss all your own classes; or

Try to choose a time wh en your audience will be more att entive. You’ll be heard better on a Tuesday morning than on a Friday afternoon. If a class tour isn’t possib le, you can ask a student from each class to deliver your message.

U N I C E F.

Take the time to practise your presentation before spe aking in front of the class. Try to be yourself, as if you were talking to your best friend. Practise in a group; it will be less stress ful! Don’t forget to leave inf ormation about your project with the teacher (brochures, etc .). Your teacher could distribute it to whoever is interested.

ORG (V OICES O F YO U T H)

Here are two good reasons to organize a fundraising cam paign: 1. To finance a pr 2.

oject or help a community in ne ed; and To inform peop le about your ca use.

So it’s very import ant to explain how the money will be used . booth or ask ons at your information "You could collect donati donation get to make a creative people directly. Don’t for box."

"When asking people to dona te to your ca you have to ex use, plain to them w here the mon raised will go ey . You can ask for a donation outright or se ll a product su ch as chocolat fair trade co e or ffee."

to han dle the fina nce s. It’s a goo d idea to get an adu lt Sir, Mrs ., Mis s h grou ps such as the Rot ary Ano the r goo d idea is to app roac such as ban ks, gove rnm ent Club or Lion s Club or inst itut ions rs and reli giou s ord ers. Talk to repr ese ntat ives , city coun cillo conn ecti ons. Prep are a you r pare nts, may be the y hav e ines you r obje ctiv es. pers onal ized file that full y outl

U N I C E F. O R G

FREETHECH

(VOICES OF YO U T H ) ILDREN.CO M

Reasons for settin g up an informatio n booth or table: ✤ to hand out information; ✤ to get petition signatures; er to get their ✤ to recruit new members (rememb particulars); ity; ✤ to rally participants for an activ s. ✤ to raise fund

Where to set up th e booth

areas so you can reach as It’s best to set up your booth in busy to get permission. many people as possible. Remember meeting areas, cafeteria, ✤ At school: student lounge, central gymnasium. re, grocery store, library, ✤ Outside of school: shopping cent etc.

What to bring booth doesn’t end up looking Try not to bring too much so your messy. But don’t forget to bring: ✤ a sturdy table and a few chairs; visual tools (posters, photos, ✤ your promotional material and your etc.); DVD or VHS player, a laptop ✤ a CD or cassette player, a TV with other tools that are visually computer to display images, or any interesting.

To entice people to visit your booth, yo u should: h; ✤ have several people run the boot ✤ stand up; by; ✤ interact with the people passing yourselves; ng amo ✤ try to avoid chit-chatting ing people to stop invit e ✤ distribute flyers (p.16) whil by your booth; er to smile! ✤ look people in the eye and rememb

The purpose of pe titions is threefold: awareness about it; ✤ they explain an issue and raise easy way to get involved; and k ✤ they offer everyone a quic elected officials. ✤ they put pressure on groups and

Each petition sh eet should have in its header, in a brief explanatio bold letters, n that outlines th e reasons why pe sign the petition ople should . The rest of the page should be re people to fill in th se rved for eir complete addr ess and provide signature. The pe th eir tition must cont ain a minimum of signatures and ad 25 dresses to be co nsidered valid.

Some tips: ✤ be at least two people; one sentence; ✤ practise explaining your cause in fic places where there is a lot of traf ✤ get petition signatures in public ); oard using a clipb (during peak hours, standing up and e; smil ✤ be on the ball and ers); nal material (flyers, brochures, stick ✤ bring plenty of pens and promotio ✤ be positive in your reasoning; ile situation. ✤ don’t insist when faced with a host petition at a booth (p.18). You can also get people to sign your is to ask your teacher to Another good way to get signatures of class and pass the petition present the issue at the beginning around the classroom. petition, visit For more information on starting a http://www.oagtml/guide_e.html bvg.gc.ca/domino/cesd_cedd.nsf/h

Organizing lunch-hour meetings is another in teresting activity. F you could or example show a doc , umentary, discuss w h and then a t y o u sa w , o r a g u e st ’s p e ve n p re se e rs o n a l e x nt p e ri e n c e .

ava ila ble at ke use of th e me dia Do n’t he sit ate to ma oo l rad io or th e sch oo l pa pe r, sch yo ur sch oo l, suc h as ur me dia ava ila ble in yo We b sit e, or oth er ead your munity to help you spr neighbourhood or com me ssa ge . Ask a teacher for help on how to go about using local media . In fact, don’t ever hesitate to ask your English teacher to look over a document you’ve wri tten to make sure it is flawless . Other resources are also available, like your school board information officers, whose job is to approach journalists. The more developed your projec t is, the greater its chance of

making an impression in the media. To be successful you need to think ahead. Inform the media about an upcoming eve nt; don’t wait until after the fac t. To let people know about you r ideas, you could send an e-m ail to readers or join an on-line discussion forum or Web log.

Broadcast a RadioActive show! Some schools have a student radio station. Why not be a guest on one of their shows? It’s a good idea to get prepared and meet the show’s host before an

on-air interview. Ask the host what type of questions you’ll be asked. Or, even better, storm the radio waves with your own Radio-Active show!

MED IA U N I C - A WA R E N E F. O R G / M ES S . CA AGIC /

Tips:

t ed, the mos to get involv de ci de u yo Once yo u se t, so : th e ex am pl e is gy te ra st ef fe ct iv e eir opinion; ght to voice th ri e th ne yo ✤ be democratic by giving ever disagree of those who d the opinion an s on si ci de ✤ respect majority with you; which you the issues for t ou ab ed rm ✤ learn how to become well info stand.

Tools: for yourself; ✤ set clear objectives

ople, and recruit new pe to y it un rt po an op dress. ✤ use each activity aseir telephone number and e-mail advity; ti th ac n w ting or then write do your next mee invite them to en th n ca u Yo help; k for advice or ✤ don’t hesitate to as help with your ask for their d an s nd d-of-mouth. ie fr ople is by wor ✤ talk to your pe h ac re to great way endeavours! A

rt of the ist Guide is pa iv ct A ns" nt de tu The S Global Citize mmunities as Co r ou in lly g ia in it "Engag d workshop in Québec-base workshop, a taille of the by Jean Robi 05 20 in d pe develo Québec. syndicats du Centrale des efully deration grat Teachers' Fe an for the di 3 na 2/ Ca The bec/CLUB ué -Q M FA X O ist acknowledges tudent Activ the original S of t YABE en d pm an lo deve eir input, uébec for th Q CCY RE , Guide al booklet. of the origin for the design t nancial suppor ledges the fi ow kn ac ng ni so al ar CTF nmental le eet, an enviro of Green Str nded by the y program fu lit bi na ai ncial st su and , and the fina ll Foundation ne on cC an M . di J.W the Cana received from l contribution gency's Globa A t evelopmen D l na io at rn Inte itiative. Classroom In

Note to teachers:

able from the: Guides are avail ist tiv Ac t en ud St rs’ Federation Canadian Teache Drive 2490 Don Reid H 1E1 Ottawa, ON, K1 [email protected] www.ctf-fce.ca

may offer of this document French versions d an sh gli En e Th rces and links. alternate resou ion is not achers' Federat the Canadian Te l Web sites. na ter Please note that ex of g tionin the proper func r fo ble nsi spo re