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The Minto Project - A participation case study

In 2002 students at Sarah Redfern Public School learnt about advocacy.

The Commission ran four sessions with teachers and community workers to help them develop a 10-week lesson plan that formed the basis of the advocacy training. The Commission's TAKING PARTicipation seriously kit was used as the basis for these sessions.

The community workers and teachers used this lesson plan to run practical advocacy classes to teach students how to run their own advocacy project.

Students were asked to think of a project that would help kids in the local community, such as getting more trees in the school or more play equipment in local parks. The project was developed and implemented during the following school year. Students who completed the classes also became members of the Student Representative Council and received leadership training.

 

 

In mid 2001 the Commission started to work with the Minto Under 12s project. This project aims to provide activities for children under 12 years of age in the Minto area, particularly around the housing estates.

The project asked the Commission to help create a Kids' Council at Sarah Redfern Primary School. The Council was one way the project wanted to support children to become advocates for their community. It was also a way to have kids participating more in the Under 12s project.

The Commission agreed to help Minto teachers and community workers develop an advocacy course for Year 5 students that they could deliver. Building relationships between local workers and the students was considered an important outcome of the training.

Meetings were held with teachers and workers on a series of topics.

 

 

1. What skills Year 5 students need to be 'good advocates'
2. What the school and community are already doing to give children these skills
3. Where are the gaps?
4. How to find out what students want to have included in the training
5. Identifying viable educational projects
6. Common project features
7. Steps to achieve the participation of children in these projects
8. Project plan with a time line.

 

Stages:

 

Background