NO EDUCATION IS NEUTRAL

We believe that no education is neutral, and all education is underpinned by values, and is influenced by the experiences and background of the educator. Socialist education does not claim to be neutral and is explicitly value-based. Socialist education is the process of EXPLORING, DISCUSSING AND REFLECTING ON THE WORLD THROUGH RED GLASSES in line with our socialist values of solidarity, equality, democracy, cooperation, internationalism, anti-capitalism, peace, environmental sustainability and freedom. We believe that a better world is based on these values therefore we promote them through our educational work. Socialist education.

TIPS:

Take The Side Of The Oppressed

During discussions in your group, always openly take the side of the oppressed. Let the children and young people discuss, but don’t shy away from sharing your own opinion and encourage participants to see the world through red glasses, from an anti-capitalist perspective.

> METHOD: TAKE A STAND > AGE: 12+ > TIME: 60 min

OBJECTIVE:

To encourage discussion about any topic.

PREPARATION:

Come up with a list of controversial statements about the topic you want to address (e.g. “If you work hard, you can get out of poverty”.)

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Explain to the group that in this exercise they need to take a stand on different statements about your topic. They can only agree or disagree with a statement, nothing in between.

2. Agree with the group which side of the room stands for agreeing with a statement, and which one stands for opposing a statement. Once you have read out a statement, they need to go to the side of the room that stands for their answer.

3. Read out the first statement and wait until everyone has taken a side. Make sure no one stays in the middle of the room. Then you can invite some participants to explain their opinion – make sure you give both sides the chance to speak, and ask participants not to repeat what others have already said.

4. After hearing a few arguments, ask if anyone has been convinced and would like to switch sides, and let them explain why.

5. Then continue with the next statement. Make sure that discussions don’t drag on for too long, and that different people share their opinion during the activity. If everyone goes to the same side, you can also invite someone to play devil’s advocate and take the other side just for the sake of the argument.

DEBRIEFING:

Once all statements have been discussed, you can come back into a circle for the debriefing with questions like:

For which statements was it most difficult to take a position? Why?

Are there any statements that you often hear from other people?

CHALLENGE:

It can sometimes be hard to let children and young people express their views if you do not agree with them politically. If their opinions clearly discriminate, you should point this out and challenge their views. Otherwise, help them reflect by asking open questions, encourage discussion in the group, and also share your opinions, but acknowledging that they are your points of view, not universal truths.

IN PRACTICE:

Working on sexual and gender identities with children is unfortunately still a taboo subject in practically all societies. IFM-SEI members take a clear stand on this issue through their work with IFM-SEI’s manual “Rainbow Resources”. The manual includes activities for children from 6−12 that explore issues of gender equality, love, different kinds of families and that challenge the heteronormative view on the world.