Supporting active citizenship
Over a year in development, the Passport to Democracy class kit has finally arrived. We are very excited to present our suitcase of goodies including teacher guide, student workbooks, voting screen, ballot box and more.
To request a sample pack send your postal address to education@vec.vic.gov.au. Alternatively, download the course materials here.
The students and teachers at Strathmore Secondary have been a great help in piloting Passport to Democracy. Here’s some feedback from one of their teachers, Sue Coxsedge…
Strathmore Secondary College has enjoyed the chance to participate in the Passport to Democracy program. Students in Year 10, studying Australian Society, took part in the program.
Passport to Democracy gave participating students a better understanding of the democratic process, their role in shaping society and helped to demystify political processes and institutions. They were able to see how decisions that affected them were made.
Perhaps the most important part of the program was the group based research and formulation of action plans, which were then shared with the rest of the class. This allowed students to pursue issues that were of interest to them, to formulate recommendations, then promote their strategies to the rest of the class. It made for some lively discussion and debate.
The resulting elections, on the proposals, were often hotly contested. Often the most effective action plans were those that focussed on local issues such as the provision of recreation facilities or skateboard parks. Many students were then able to follow through and make a change as the actions were within their grasp.
Other issues that grabbed the imagination of students were things like animal cruelty, where they could see that their actions in refusing to buy products that had been tested on animals, may have an effect. The key to the success of the program seemed to be in making it manageable and directly linked to students’ own lives.
Sue Coxsedge
Welcome to the Passport to Democracy blog. On this site you can download the course materials, order a class kit or book an Outreach Officer to come to your school.
You can also share your experiences of delivering Passport to Democracy in your school, and show off your students’ fabulous work! To post on the blog sign up here: www.edublogs.org.
