FIA: Act Teachers Notes

A unit for post-16 General RE Suitable for use with the Pope John Paul II Award (Unit 3)

Teacher’s Notes

Slide 4: Are you up for the Challenge?

The Dunnes Stores protests, 1985

Are you up for the Challenge?

There are a range of challenges you can undertake:

• Media Challenge

• School Challenge

• Community Challenge

• Campaign Challenge

This is not a definitive list of possibilities, merely some suggestions. Encourage the students to come up with their own innovative suggestions of bringing their message to peers, the community and beyond!

Slide 7: Tips for working with the Media Bono supports ‘Keep Our Word’ campaign

Tips for working with the Media •

KIS – Keep It Simple!

•

ALWAYS prepare for an interview – ask yourself,

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Only speak in facts and use human interest stories to illustrate facts & figures.

What is my message?

Who do I want to reach?

How can I make it interesting?

Additional tips for your students working with the Media: • Write a list of three central points that you would like to make.

• Keep it local – what does your message have to do with the people in your community – how can they play a role?

• If writing an article, keep the same points in mind.

• Where possible, illustrate your message with images and photographs.

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Slide 10: Tips for Organising Public Meetings and Events

Public demonstration on human rights abuse in Zimbabwe, Belfast City Hall’

Tips for Organising Public Meetings and Events •

Once a date has been agreed, you can begin to prepare and advertise for your event.

•

If your event is taking place in a public space, you need to check with the local PSNI/Garda if permission is necessary.

•

Assign somebody to all the different tasks that need to be carried out before, during and after the event.

•

Issue a Press Release – your local media might like to come along!

Encourage the students to brainstorm these questions with their group before they begin: • What do we want to achieve?

• Who will be our audience?

• Where/when will it take place?

• How will we make our event interesting and simple?

• What will we need?

• How will we prepare?

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Slide 12: Visiting Primary Schools School children in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 2010

Visiting Primary Schools Preparation: •

Plan your session and read up on your information.

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Familiarise yourself with any activities you will use – you might like to have a dummy run with your group.

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Prepare the materials you will need on the day e.g. markers, posters, world map etc.

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fter the session ask the teacher how s/he felt the session went – use any suggestions A for amending future sessions.

Some further general guidelines for sessions: • Pitch the activities at the appropriate level for the age group • Keep the language and the concepts simple • Involve the children in the activities • Use a variety of methodologies • Move around the room • Keep eye contact • Ask the children to raise their hands to ask or answer questions • Encourage the students to have a look at the primary resources on the Trócaire website for ideas on suitable classroom activities.

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Slide 13: Campaign Challenge

Ireland campaigners 2011

Campaign Challenge There are many ways to campaign on behalf of Trócaire and the aim of this challenge is to effectively use these tools to communicate your message.

Why not: •

Email or visit your local politician.

•

Organise a postcard campaign or petition.

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Take part in Trócaire’s rallies or organise your own march.

•

Get involved in Trócaire’s online campaign at www.trocaire.org/getinvolved

Once students have raised awareness, people will have one question...What can I do?

There are a number of ways which people can play their part in working towards a just world.

Trócaire’s Education team believes that Education is for Action, Education is for Change. Students can be part of that Change by campaigning for Trócaire!

Encourage the students to: • Inform themselves! Have a good knowledge of the issue and the solutions • Set realistic targets • Decide what campaign action they are going to use • Consider whether there are any local politicians the students can lobby for support • Note any key dates or events coming up that they need to keep in mind.

Slide 14: Plan for Greatest Impact – Diamond Ranking Bike to Bolivia challenge, St. Mac Dara’s, Dublin, Ireland

Plan for Greatest Impact – Diamond Ranking In groups of four a set of post-its write down 12 possible actions you could take to highlight the issue you are exploring.

Arrange the twelve cards in a diamond pattern: the single actions at the top and the bottom of the diamond are the most and least preferred; the two/three actions below and above these are in the next order; the three actions across the centre are of middle-order importance.

Consider which actions would have the biggest impact in school, the local area, country and world.

Select the best three/four actions to undertake.

Remind the students to: • Think big. Start small.

• Be prepared to work hard.

• Get more people involved.

• Set realistic goals.

• Use the specific talents of people in your group.

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Slide 15: Action Plan Women wait at a mobile health clinic outside of Lodwar, northern Kenya

Action Plan Now that you have selected the actions you will undertake, you need to write down a plan for action.

For each action you commit to you need to decide: •

How you are going to do it? (Evidence)

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What the expected measurement of its success will be? (Indicators)

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What would you like the result to be? (Outcome)

Photocopy the accompanying worksheet ‘Action Plan’ and distribute a copy to the students to help them commit to a plan of action.

Slide 18: Keep in Touch

Young musicians from Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, Bernadette Connaughton, Eilis Murphy, Ciara Murphy and Keri Power play in Supermacs, O’ Connell St. in Dublin for the launch of the “Trad for Trócaire” campaign.

Keep in Touch Trócaire wishes you every success in carrying out your service actions and would love for you to keep us updated on all of your efforts.

Why not let us know what you are doing. We would love to see photos and read any articles you have produced in furthering the Church’s efforts towards creating an equal and just world.

Trócaire Centres: Head Office: Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland, Tel No: (01) 629 3333 Belfast Office: 50 King Street, Belfast, BT1 6AD, Tel No: (028) 90 808030 Email: info@trocaire.ie

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