No poverty
Students select a poverty reduction project to support e.g. through fund raising and then use a project-based approach for this and by doing so learn how to act ‘in a cautious and timely manner, even in situations of uncertainty’.
Useful Source: Charley Gilkey, Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done, USA 2019.
Students choose a project as described in Action competence and set up a system for managing the finances, agreed actions, record meetings, etc.
Students research the purpose and focus of education in their country and consider its impact on various social groups, e.g. gendered, ethnic, class-based.
Students complete an essay critically evaluating purpose and structure of the educational system and provide suggestions for improvements.
Useful text: Pirbhai-Illich & Martin in Bamber & Bullivant, 2015 Teesnet Conference papers, Liverpool Hope 2015.
As a group, consider outcomes of some of the other activities designed to find ways of reducing poverty.
Decide how to put one into practice making a plan of action with next steps and agreed time scales.
Students research policies and manifestos for political parties in their countries. In what way does each party propose to end poverty, in their own country and worldwide.
Students consider:
- How is ‘poverty’ defined in that country?
- How does this definition relate to worldwide standards?
- What are the implications of living according to the national definition of ‘poverty’?
- What is the opinion of political parties in your government on poverty? Do they want to reduce it? If so, how? Do you agree with that solution?
- In small groups choose the political programme that you consider to be the most effective and discuss why.
- Discuss ways of making thee program even more effective. What criteria do you use for ‘effectiveness’?
- If possible, discuss the outcome of your research with a representative of a political party.
Students conduct group research into an environmental issue, looking for solutions e.g. nitrate pollution in The Netherlands.
Students start by considering and comparing their own actions, beliefs and viewpoints and then research those of others.
Students propose different solutions and for each consider impact, advantages, possible problems/challenges, cost (and to who), practicalities of implementation, time scale.
Students write an advisory report to the government, based on their conclusions. If possible, they arrange a meeting with politicians (local, national and or higher) in which they present and discuss the report.
Students research in small groups on how education is funded in different countries in the world.
Students share findings and choose a country where education is poorly accessed and then research a way to support a project that is trying to increase participation.
(See Inman ao, Holding on to our values, London South Bank Un. 2012)
Students research support activities for homeless/poor people in town including hostels and foster homes. Aim to visit some of these and speak with staff and service users.
Discuss findings and how they might provide support e.g. volunteer work in the shelter, buddy work, fundraising etc. Implement and evaluate the project.
Students complete the ‘poverty print’ (or use search words ‘tradecraft blog poverty footprint quiz’), discuss the outcome and set up a ‘personal action plan’ for improvement.
Students read the ‘poverty footprint indicator guide’ for organisations. After reading, students, in small groups, choose three points of interest from the guide and prepare interviews for different levels of the school personnel (managers, teachers, staff, cleaning personnel, restaurant employees, students, post-graduates etc.
After the interviews the results are compared and a final conclusion is written.
The activities can be broadened to a next level by using the guide for nations:
A final discussion is organised in which the guide is used as a ‘quick evaluation instrument’ for nations: take the lowest five nations on the list of poor countries (see ‘participation’) and see if there are clues for the low positions in the poverty footprint guide.
Discuss ways improvement can start…
Students investigate to find out the least wealthy countries in the world and reasons for that poverty.
Students explore which of these is the most appealing, trustworthy, effective and what support programmes are there in their country that are involved in these countries.
Students explore whether it is possible to get in touch with a representative of those programmes and arrange a meeting/talk.
Students decide on a programme that they feel is effective and then decide how they can support it.
Useful sites:
- Top 10 armste landen ter wereld (Top 10 poorest countries in the world)
- Worlds richest and poorest countries
- Why is Burundi poor?