Parliamentary Year Book delighted to be a partner in Parliament Week 19-25 November 2012
Parliamentary Year Book is delighted to have been accepted as a partner in Parliament Week, an initiative to develop greater awareness of, and engagement with parliamentary democracy in the UK.
Our supporting bodies have a range of activities and materials to support learning about democracy and parliament and there is more on the Parliament Week website.
We hope this year even more learners and educators will use the chance of Parliament Week to get in touch with their MP, MEP or a member of the House of Lords and invite them into school to see citizenship education in action.
‘Digital Citizenship’ – Five Nations Network Conference
Digital Citizenship is the area of study at this year’s Five Nations Network annual conference on 22-23 November 2012, supported by the Association for Citizenship Teaching and funded by the Gordon Cook Foundation. Participants will hear from guest speakers, Steve Beswick, Director of Education at Microsoft UK and Dr Shaku Banaji, Senior Lecturer at the London School of Economics on how technology can be harnessed in citizenship teaching and the effects of social media on younger people’s political participation. Parliament’s Susan Vittery is running workshops on ‘Engaging Young Individuals with Parliament in the virtual world’ using tools and games developed by the Parliamentary Education Service.
Hansard Society: Younger people’s Query Time
Developing on the success of last year, the Hansard Society is hosting a Younger people’s Query Time at Portcullis House on 19 November 2012. Chaired by Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy, politicians from across the political spectrum will engage with young individuals on the queries that matter to them.
Citizenship Foundation: Chance to be Chancellor
Chance to be Chancellor, is launched by the Citizenship Foundation on Friday 23 November 2012 and runs until February 2013, offers the chance for 14-18 year olds to share their opinions on the UK’s Budget. Using an interactive online tool, participants choose and develop their own policies and develop a short video expressing their reasons for their policy choices.
In March, before the Chancellor’s Budget, the results are launched as the ‘Youth Budget’ which is presented to the Treasury, offering younger people without a vote, a voice on the economy and the economic priorities they believe should be set.
Chance to be Chancellor is element of Paying for It, an economic awareness programme run by the Citizenship Foundation in partnership with Aviva. Paying for It additionally offers materials and training for educators to assist them increase younger people’s awareness of the effect of the economy on society, and the big decisions of our time.
Amnesty International: The Power of Our Voices
‘The Power of Our Voices’ is a multimedia material from Amnesty International that promotes younger people’s active engagement in democracy, by exploring the power of Protest Songs to promote human rights and social alteration. Learners explore case studies from around the world, from the US Civil Rights movement, to Egypt’s Tahrir Square, and Mugabe’s Zimbabwe, where songs have assisted people organise for enfranchisement and human rights. Designed for secondary Citizenship, English, RE and Music, the material contains an assembly and three lessons. In the final lesson students are offered guidance from rap-poet Kate Tempest, in how to develop their own protest lyrics. Students are invited to submit their seek to Amnesty’s Protest Song Competition.
I Talk Out Loud is a film that tells the story of the extra-curricular Amnesty Youth Group at Eastlea School and their campaign to end stoning in Iran. It’s a great example of how ordinary younger people can engage in democracy through campaigning and make a real difference in the world.
Why not demonstrate the DVD during Parliament Week and inspire your learners to get campaigning for human rights? For further guidance, see the relevant UK information.
