Resource Title

Making A Difference! – Young People Participating to Change their World

Summary

Making a Difference! – Young People Participating to Change their World is an education resource exploring the issue of youth participation. It asks what participation means to young people in Ireland and around the world and what impacts it has on young people locally and globally. The resource also examines possible barriers to young people’s participation and presents positive examples (under the framework of the Millennium Development Goals, for example) of the many different ways in which young people participate around the world.

Resource Details

Description

Making a Difference! is aimed at young people from 6-12 years. At 35 pages in length it is divided into three sections. The first section introduces the idea of participation in a general way. The second section aims to increase young people’s understanding of why youth action is necessary by exploring global connections and the causes and effects of global inequalities. The third section uses real-life examples of youth participation from around the world to explore young people’s attitudes and experiences of participation and to encourage them to get involved in action for a more just world.

The resource contains activities, facts and statistics, case studies, information sources and action ideas to support youth leaders and workers in engaging young people in learning and action for local and global change. Activities include simulation games, role plays, art work, stories, ranking exercises, quizzes and group tasks.

Big Ideas in this Resource

  • Youth participation is about young people having the right, means, skills, confidence, support and space to influence decisions and take part in actions which contribute to a more just and equal world for all
  • It is important to ask what participation means to young people in Ireland and around the world and what impacts it has on young people locally and globally
  • Young people exploring the barriers to participation is essential for thinking about the positive examples of the many different ways in which young people participate around the world.

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