Ideas for student action
Forums
- Organise a local forum of young people (possibly from several schools) to discuss, debate and decide on issues affecting young people.
- Ensure that the outcomes of this forum are presented to appropriate local, state or federal authorities and followed up with action or ongoing participation in decision-making structures.
- Arrange for students to attend an appropriate local (or state or national) conference in a support role.
- Students could take minutes, produce a conference newspaper, establish a conference web page or report on the conference for radio. Examples: students have been involved in the Australian Curriculum Studies Association Conferences as reporters.
School governance
- Have a politics, civics or SOSE (Studies of Society and Environment) class examine the decision-making structure of the school, and organise to set up structures or processes to increase student participation in this area. Examples: the politics class at one school established the Student Representative Council; Civics and Citizenship Education initiatives provide many current examples and possibilities.
Research
Research skills are basic to many subject areas and there are important and vital research tasks to be carried out in all communities.
- Arrange for a community organisation or local government, for instance, to commission a specific research study. This could involve the production of a report or results that can be presented to an 'outside audience'. Examples: students have carried out real and purposeful community-based research on issues such as community safety (Student Action Teams), youth homelessness, work and use of railway stations.
- The research skills of students can be used within the wider community to carry out studies of youth needs such as recreational, health and transport. If such a local youth needs survey is proposed, support a class to bid for the contract to carry out the research, either alone or in association with other consultants. Alternatively, initiate an approach to the local youth development worker to find out whether such a study would be useful.
- The school provides a valuable base for investigation of education issues. Organise a class to carry out a 'destination study' of school leavers (following up students through informal contacts to look at movements over several years). Examples: a group of students researched local education options and responses to these. In another study, truanting students were employed to carry out research on truancy.
Peer support
- Set up a 'buddy' system in which older students form groups to support younger students in the school and in the community. This can occur around discussion of specific issues and extend to more general 'connectedness' to the school, particularly for new students.
Peer mediation
- Train students to be able to mediate in disputes around the school and in the community. This could occur around resolution of conflict generally, around sex- or race-based issues, or around instances of bullying or harassment. Some programs have used the phrase 'intervene to reconcile'.
- Examples of peer support include the method of shared concern, the no blame approach, restitution, community conferencing and the formal apology. These methods empower students to recognise, challenge and support each other in addressing discriminatory behaviours and other social problems as powerful participants rather than passive consumers.
Media production
- Produce a community newspaper, dealing with community issues. Investigate current community papers, needs and gaps. Examples: the student-run five-language paper Ascolta operated from a group of schools for more than ten years; in many other areas the school provides a centre for production of community news.
- Approach local community radio for an occasional or regular time slot for presentation of a student program. Students carry out interviews in the school or community around themes and compile a radio program. Examples: many schools (primary and secondary) have arranged their own programs (e.g. the Ascolta Radio Group and the Goulburn Valley network); have taken part in the 'Talk Back Classroom' project; or have set up their own radio studio or station.
- The advent of community television provides a similar outlet for student video productions. Approach groups associated with community television to negotiate access for students both to broadcast school-made videos and to be involved in overall production. Set up a 'video magazine' with items from school and community groups - produced by students.
- Publication through the World Wide Web enables low-cost dissemination of useful student research, writing and production. Negotiate with local organisations (e.g. tourist office) to produce, review or supplement web pages. Students would need to investigate local facilities, needs and gaps - and decide on the 'image' they wish to project.
- Link with local musicians to write and publish a music CD-ROM. This can build on issues such as cultural diversity or environment, and both present musical accomplishments within the school, and also provide a productive focus for consideration of pertinent topics.
Peer education
- Organise for school and community programs to commission students (and other non-student young people) to provide information to other young people. Programs could involve face-to-face, telephone advice or the production of written information for other young people. This has frequently occurred in health related areas, including smoking, alcohol and other drugs, and sexuality, but has sometimes extended into areas such as science or vocational education.
Find out more about these ideas
Bullying. No way! Spotlight on Student voice
Bullying.No Way!
Information sheet:
Evidence-based responses to incidents such as method of shared concern and no
blame approach and social problem-solving methods.
Practitioner profile - Peta Blood
is an international contributor
to the field of restorative practices. She talks about how
these approaches can contribute to sustainable practice
and better relationships in schools.
Practitioner profile - Peter Ross
is a primary school principal whose school focuses on building positive human
relationships using the technology of restorative practices.
School case studies
A multicultural metropolitan primary school has adopted preventive and restorative approaches to bullying.
An inner city primary school with a student population of diverse backgrounds has used restorative practices across the school to build a powerfully caring, supportive, respectful and inclusive community.
A primary school of 400 students combines the Friendly School and Families program with Shared Concern and restorative practices to achieve a comprehensive approach to creating positive relations across the whole school.
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