Having a say
Aim: To look at the link between participation and democracy. You will need: A group of people, a flipchart or whiteboard, paper and pens. Duration: 30 minutes
Introduce a discussion about participation. Participation in things that directly affect our lives is a right of all, including children and young people, and is included in the 'Rights of Children' that the UN decided on and most countries agreed to.
Ask what people understand by the word 'participation' and 'democracy'.
To 'participate' means: 'to take part in something'. A 'democracy' is where the government representatives are voted for by the people and is a system that supports the principal of equal rights for all. Can you see the link? In a democracy everyone should have the right to participate in the running of the country, by choosing their political leaders.
Talk about whether or not people choose to take part in things. Think about school, for example. There are probably some studdents who are very active in class activities, who are in a lot of sports teams, in school plays, are class captain and involved in most things going on, and then there are probably other people who are not involved in very much. This might be for a number of reasons. These people may not be not invited to take part in certain things, they may think they have nothing to offer or other people might exclude them. They may also just not be interested in taking part.
Ask the group to work in pairs, and to tell each other their answers to these questions:
- What kinds of things do you like to participate in?
- What kinds of things do you not like to participate in?
- Among your friends, is there a person who makes a lot of the decisions about what you do together? Or do you all listen to each other when deciding what to play or what to do?
Come back together as one group. Talk about how your youth group operates. Are decisions made democratically? Does everyone have a chance to take part in activities? Does everyone get a chance to voice their opinion?
Think about ways that you could make the group more participatory (so more people take part and that each person takes part more) and more democratic (so everyone has an equal chance to take part). Most groups and organisations have problems making sure everyone is fully and equally involved and making sure that people can 'have their say'. It is important that everyone knows that people are free to comment and be listened to if they have suggestions or comments on things that can be improved. These are some suggestions:
- Agree to make sure everyone understands the purpose of their involvement in each activity.
- Agree to consider everyone's views, even when they might conflict with those of adults.
- Make sure that the participation offered is appropriate to the age group.
- Aim to include those who are less confident or perhaps are often excluded for a particular reason.
- Usually the more planning that takes place, the more people have a chance to participate.
- You may need extra resources - for example 'a copy for everyone' of some important information.
- Choose to do some simple activities that need everyone to take part - eg a survey where everyone's information is important to the outcome.
- Remember that the more children and young people are involved in a process from the beginning, the more they feel it is 'theirs' and will want to participate more.
- Keep it concrete: have a vote on decisions, and collectively decide on activities you want to do and how people can be involved.