Students learn about other active students who have made a change in their worlds.

They consider how they can participate in issues of relevance to their own community.

Learning intentions for students

We are learning how to:

• examine actions taken by students to address an issue of concern
• develop a possible action plan for an issue of concern in our local area.

How will we know we have done these things?

We will be able to:

• explore the actions taken by children in New Zealand and round the world to address an issue of concern by reading their stories and completing a three level learning guide
• design an action plan in a group to take responsibility for an issue of concern for our area.

Key social studies concepts

• decision making
• rights
• responsibilities
• participation
• social action

Processing knowledge

• reason
• describe
• explain

Reflecting on knowledge

• plan/predict
• imagine

What you need

• The three Change Agents information provided in the background reading
• Copy of Graphic organiser
• Copy of Our Action Plan template

Background reading

The following students changed their world by acting positvely to solve an issue in their community.  We call people who create change "change agents".

Inspiring Change Agent A

Free phone counseling service thrown a lifeline New Zealand Herald 29.07.2004 3.00 pm By NICOLA BOYES

New Zealand's only free telephone counseling service has been saved from disconnection by White Pages and a 13-year-old.

What's Up, a help line for five to 18 year-olds, faced being cut off earlier this year because of a lack of funding but the help of Randwick Park School student Shonam Reddy has seen the service saved.

When Shonam heard the line was breaking down she started a petition gathering 700 signatures, which made its way to Wellington prompting the Government to help look for funding.

"I think the petition made them realise how much it meant to me and my friends. We weren't going to just stand by and watch it go down without trying to do something," Shonam said.

Now White Pages have come to the party, throwing a line to the free counselling service which handles about 500 calls from young people a day.

White Pages has agreed to help fund the service at a cost of about $750,000 a year while providing telephone services for the organisation run under the Kids Help Foundation Trust.

Trust executive director Grant Taylor said many people had rallied to help What's Up when it announced its possible closure in March.

"Thanks to White Pages, What's Up now has a more secure future, we owe them our thanks," Mr Taylor said.

What's Up, started in 2001, is run by eight paid and professionally trained and supervised counsellors. Its confidential lines are open from noon to midnight seven days a week to listen to young peoples' problems on 0800 942 8787

Inspiring Change Agent B

YHA Young Conservationist award winners - student winnersWheke - Group Primary/Intermediate Award

Room Five at Birkenhead's Verran Primary School earned the Wheke Award for its work toward a zero waste policy. "The Calico Kids" were eager to research means to reduce their waste and impact on the environment. Their solution was to develop reusable calico bags, for which they created colourful designs and special slogans. "If you like the scenery please protect the greenery" and "Worms don't eat plastic" were among their catchy, environmentally conscious mottoes.

The students have encouraged their parents, teachers and peers to join their campaign. All students in the school now have the opportunity to design their own logo and slogan for a personal bag that they can take home and use when their families go shopping. Other initiatives have been developed through the enviro group, including: selling of school-grown vegetables, plants, and their worm farm fertiliser, and "Plastic Wrap-Free Fridays."

The work of all Wheke (Primary Group) entries was on display at Te Papa National Museum of New Zealand from 3 November 2003. Prize: $1,000 to support their ongoing conservation project.

Inspiring Change Agent C

A 10 year old who changed the world

In 1983, Samantha Smith, wrote a letter to the leader of the Soviet Union (now Russia) - Yuri Andropov. She was 10 years old at the time and lived in Maine in the USA. This is her letter:

Dear Mr Andropov. My name is Samantha Smith. I am ten years old. Congratulations on getting your new job. I have been worrying about Russia and the United States getting into a nuclear war. Are you going to vote to have a war ir not. If you aren't can you please tell me how you are going to help to not have a war. This is a question you do not have to answer, but I would like to know why you want to conquer the world or at least our country. God made the world for us to live together in peace and not to fight.

        Sincerely,

Samantha Smith

A few weeks later, Samantha went to collect the mail and found a letter to her from one of the most powerful leaders in the world. He assured her that:

...we in the Soviet Union are trying to do everything so that there will not be a war on earth. This is what every Soviet man wants.. We want peace for ourselves and all the people of the planet. For our children and for you, Samantha. I invite you... to come to our country.

Samantha became a household name overnight. She was interviewed by TV stations, radio, newspapers and TIME magazine. When she decided to take up the invitation, the media recorded every moment of her two-week trip to the Soviet Union. In a time when the leaders of the USA and the Soviet Union were struggling to communicate, Samantha opened up doors as the youngest ambassador known.

She went on to publish a book called Journey to the Soviet Union - dedicated to 'all the children of the world. They know that peace will come' and continued to receive a high profile in the media. Tragically, in 1985, Sam and her father were flying home after making a film and their aeroplane missed the runway and crashed killing all on board.

Source: excerpts from Samantha Smith Elementary School

Be alert for current examples

For other examples see: Student petition at Wellington High School and the result of student petition at WHS, or Esther takes swing at tree choppers, about a six-year-old girl's petition to save trees at her school.  There will often be relevant contemporary examples in the news media which can be used instead of these stories in the following activities which can then be adapted to your local or contemporary material.

1 - Children changing their world

Read the three stories out to the class. Before you read, ask students to listen carefully to HOW and WHY these children acted to make a difference in their world.

Complete one of the Three level Thinking Guides as a class (Levels 1-2) or individually (levels 3-4).

Three-level learning guides

Change Agent A

Level 1                                                                  

                                                                    Evidence/Line No.

A 12 year old saved What's up                                    T/F    

Shonam Reddy started a petition                                 T/F    

Shonam gathered about 800 signatures                         T/F

White Pages also has offered to help out                      T/F

The executive director of Kids Help is Grant Top              T/F

What's up started in 2003                                           T/F

Level 2

1. What did Shonam do to bring about change?

2. What is the purpose of What's up?

3. What will the White Pages do to help?

Level 3

1. What do you imagine motivated Shonam to help What's up?

2. What could What's up do to make sure they keep their funding levels high in the future?

3. List the characteristics of a change agents like Shonam - what does she have in her personality to encourage her to take action?

Change Agents B

Level 1

                                                                   Evidence/Line No.

The Calico Kids design clothes                               T/F    

The Calico kids worked to improve the environment   T/F    

Calico bags can only be used once                         T/F

The school also has "Plastic wrap free Fridays"         T/F

Room five won the Rimu award                               T/F

Level 2

1. What were the students concerned about?

2. What impact would their action have on the local area?

3. How did the group encourage others to join in the school?

Level 3

1. How could one of the ideas be used at your school?

2.  Design an enviro logo for a calico bag

Change Agent C

Level 1                                                                  

Evidence/Line No

Samantha Smith wrote to the Russian President        T/F    

Samantha came from the UK                                  T/F    

Samantha was worried about nuclear war                 T/F

Mr Gorbachev wrote an e-mail to Samantha              T/F

Samantha became very famous                               T/F

She wrote a book about her experiences                   T/F

She now works in a university in the USA                  T/F

Level 2

1. Why was Samantha concerned about the world situation?

2. What impact do you think she would have had on children in the USA?

3. Would her death have increased or decreased her mission and profile? Why?

4. What were the main tools she used to bring about change?

Level 3

1. How could Samantha be described as an activist?

2. What other issues are there currently in the world that children could write to world leaders about?

3. Write a letter about one of these issues to a world leader of your choice.

2 - It's your move!

All levels

In your community are a huge number of issues that could require action.  It may be an issue about the environment, safety, student rights, etc.  To reinforce the idea of participation in society and the ability of students to make a positive change in their own communities, consider working through the following steps in an Action Plan with the students in groups, or choosing an issue and working as a whole class.

Alternatively, invite someone who has made a change in your community and prepare questions to work out what they did and why.  The Action Plan might provide some ideas for the questions.

Our Action Plan