Your Voices Count!

Konstantin Postumitenko from Prostock-studio

Fostering active citizenship should start in the early years of a child’s life. Children, as active citizens, should care about the places they live and support their local communities of which they are members. Children need to be involved actively in situations that may affect their lives. This way, they gradually develop a sense of civil understanding and become responsible citizens. The activities in this kit focus on helping students become actively engaged, by learning about their rights and responsibilities, by connecting with others and by learning how to think and act with respect for themselves and other people.

Objectives

• To improve communication, decision making and problem-solving skills • To practice and develop citizenship competences • For students to learn how they can contribute to their community • To develop a sense of responsibility • To promote tolerance for others

Introduction of partners

Getting to know me and my neighbourhood Students update their TwinSpace profiles by writing a short description of themselves and of the places they live. They introduce their neighbourhood to their partners through their five senses. They describe what they see, hear, smell, touch and taste while walking around their neighbourhoods. As a profile picture, they upload a photo or a drawing of their favourite place in their neighbourhoods. Our personal stories Students have to answer to two questions posed in the TwinSpace Forum: 1. What makes a good neighbour? 2. Share a personal story of being a good neighbour. Students should be encouraged to comment on each other’s posts.

Orientation

Our rights and responsibilities as citizens Students share their ideas on what citizenship means by listing the rights and responsibilities of citizens. Students work in national groups and create a mindmap of what characteristics a good citizen should have. Example tools: Ideaboardz, CoggleActs of Kindness a. Students search for people in their neighbourhood, town or city who contribute to the good of the community. They introduce them to their partners by writing a short paragraph about who they are and what they do to help their community. b. Then they create a collaborative presentation entitled “Acts of Kindness” including relevant information and photos of all these people. c. Students vote for the two most impressive active citizen profiles from each partner country. d. (optional) They can create symbolic gifts and thank you notes for these people to recognise their contributions. Example tools: Dotstorming , Prezi

Collaboration

COMMUNICATIONLiving Peacefully with our Neighbours Students work together to create a set of rules and tips on how to maintain good relationships with their neighbours. Their ideas are then presented in a poster. Example tool: Canva InfographicsCare for the Environment: Create an Eco-Friendly Home a. Students research, discuss and share their ideas through a mindmap on what an environmentally friendly house should include. b. They share photos of their own houses (photos from the whole building or photos from specific rooms). All these photos are uploaded to a folder in the photo gallery of the project’s TwinSpace. Each student selects one or more of the uploaded photos and turns it into an interactive image by adding text, videos or links to the photos, in order to suggest ideas to make their partners’ houses more sustainable. Example tools: Mindmeister , ThinglinkProblem solving in our Neighbourhoods a. Students share the problems that they face in their neighbourhood with their partners and ask them to suggest ways to solve them. Example tool: Tricider b. Students can attend a city council meeting and present the problems of their neighbourhood and the possible solutions they and their partners have suggested. They can share photos and comments on their experience in the TwinSpace Forum. COLLABORATIONTake Action! Students team up in transnational groups and agree on proposals to make their school neighbourhood more beautiful (pick up litter, paint the school walls, plant trees or flowers etc.). Each group has to find creative ways to communicate the campaign and find as many supporters (teachers, parents, local community) as possible (for example write a leaflet/poem/ song, design a poster and logo, make a video or radio advert etc.). Each transnational group works collaboratively and the final products are uploaded to an activity page on the TwinSpace, specifically created for this activity. Example tools: https://docs.google.com Welcome to our multicultural neighbourhood! Ask students to imagine that they all live in the same neighbourhood and that they have decided to organise a party to welcome some new neighbours. Students work in transnational groups to prepare an invitation and plan for the party. Students vote for the best invitation and plan. Each partner country is invited to participate in the ‘virtual’ party by preparing traditional food, songs, dances, games etc. A live session is planned by the participating teachers in the TwinSpace and all students take part by sharing recipes, songs, games etc. from their countries. Example tools: Primarypad , Easypolls , Canva Infographics

Evaluation & Assessment

Reflections on the project Students reflect on the project activities and write short comments on what they gained from participating in the project. Example tool: Yo Teach!Conducting Interviews Students interview their teachers, head teacher, parents or members of the local community and ask them what kind of impact the project had on them.

Follow up

Documentation: -The initial project plan along with a project task list should be published in a separate activity page created in the TwinSpace. -Separate activity pages should be created for each one of the activities of the project. They should include a short description of the activity and the final products. -Any communication that takes place in the chat room, the forum, or during a live session should be documented. All this material should be displayed in the appropriate activity pages. -Teachers and students should regularly update the Project Journal on the TwinSpace. Dissemination:Spread the news! Students write articles for the local newspapers to present the project activities and highlight the importance and benefits of being an active citizen for the local community. Organize a Community Festival Students invite their parents, local authorities and people from their local community to present the project to a wider audience. At the same time, local organizations, clubs, volunteering groups, activists, scouts etc. are invited to have stalls at the festival. Each participating school creates a video presentation of the highlights of the festival. Example tool: Kizoa

Additional information

Age from:

8
Age to:

15
Difficulty:

Easy

Your Voices Count!

Your Voices Count!

Additional information

School subjects

Vocational subjects

Key competences