UK Parliament Week Resource

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2 Notes for Leaders What is P? A programme of events and activities that connects people with the Parliament and democracy. Girlguiding North West England has partnered with Parliament week and developed this resource for the Units within our Region. This resource is focused on Parliament and democracy, not politics although the two are closely linked. Isle of Man The Isle of Man is one of Girlguiding North West England s 17 Counties, but it is governed differently to the Counties based in the. The Isle of Man is a Crown Dependency and has a separate Parliament to the, called the High Court of Tynwald. The High Court of Tynwald has many similarities to Parliament; it has a President of Tynwald and it has twelve constituencies, each of which are represented by two MHKs (Member of the House of Keys), who are elected every five years. To find out more, visit: All of the activities in this resource are suitable for members in the Isle of Man and can be adapted to the High Court of Tynwald, rather than Parliament, if units wish to do so. How to use this resource We have included suggestions for the sections each activity is suitable for; however these are just guidance. Some girls will have more or less understanding of the areas covered depending on the opportunities they have already had, and Leaders can be flexible with the activities they offer to suit the needs of their group. Activities in this resource fit into the Girlguiding programme: Learn for Rainbows; Community for Brownies; Skills and Relationships and Celebrating Diversity for Guides; Independent Living and Personal Values for The Senior Section. The activities should ideally be carried out during the P, which takes place 13th to 19th November 2017, or as close to this week as possible. Make sure to take a picture of your unit taking part in the activities with the P logo and tweet using #PW17 or send your pictures to our or northwesthq@girlguiding.org.uk We suggest that all sections should complete a minimum of 1 challenge from Explore, and ideally 1 from each section: Explore, Engage and Empower. Explore: This section will help you to learn about what democracy is and how the Parliament is structured. Engage: This section will help you to understand how you can engage with Parliament and parliamentary democracy Empower: Put your understanding of democracy to the test and have your voice heard in your own unit. Use the suggestions on pages 11,12 & 13 or create your own ideas. Page 2

3 Notes for Leaders Setting ground rules Some of the activities in this resource may lead to girls sharing views which are different from each other s. It is important to set ground rules before starting any of the activities to avoid any member of the group feeling uncomfortable or unwilling to voice an opinion. If your unit already has Unit Guidelines, just remind your girls what these involve at the start of the session. If your unit doesn t have any guidelines in place, we would recommend putting them in place just for these activities or putting them in place for the rest of the term. Badge Once you Girlguiding have North completed West England - this Parliament resource, Week - Badge girls Design can receive a P badge. Simply fill in the link from Parliament with your details and you will receive the badges in the post. #PW17 Girlguiding North West England Appendices Pages in the appendix may need to be photocopied so they can be used as templates. Page 3

4 Explore Rule your own Island This activity is suitable for all sections. The aim of this activity is to make you think about how countries are run, as well as some of the choices that have to be made. You can do this activity in small groups, or as a unit. Equipment: Rule your own Island Cards (Appendix, Page 16) Estimated Time: minutes Method: 1. Imagine you are going to be shipwrecked on a desert island. As your ship is sinking, you and your friends must choose which items to take with you from the ship to start a settlement but you can only carry six! On each card is one item that is on your ship - which ones will you choose? Questions to think about as a group when carrying out the activity: How will you decide what to take? Should one person decide or should everyone have a say? How will you resolve any disagreements? 2. Once you have chosen your six items, explain your choices - which item did you choose first and why? 3. As a unit, have a discussion about the decisions you made and whether you took everyone s opinions into account. Was it fair? Guides and The Senior Section: What similarities and differences can you see between the way you ruled your island and the way the is governed? Were your decisions easy to make? Did everyone agree? What happens when people disagree about national issues? Page 4

5 Unit Parliament Explore This acitivity is suitable for all sections. Different role cards are provided for Rainbows and Brownies, and for Guides and The Senior Section. The aim of this activity is to learn about how Parliament works and who does what. Equipment: Chairs arranged in rows facing each other, with one chair at the head, facing down the aisle (alternatively, you can just sit on the floor!) Parliament Roles Cards (Appendix 2, Page 17 & 18) Estimated Time: 30 minutes Method: For this activity you will create a mock Parliament in your unit. 1. Choose one person to be the Speaker of the House of Commons. She should sit in the chair at the head, facing down the aisle. 2. Next choose a Prime Minister and a Leader of the Opposition. They should each sit on the front row, on opposite sides, facing each other. 3. The Prime Minister should then choose a few people to serve in her Cabinet. Each of these people will be responsible for something different; for example education, health or transport. 4. The Leader of the Opposition should also choose a number of people for her Shadow Cabinet. 5. Everyone else should sit behind either the Prime Minister or the Leader of the Opposition. They have become Backbenchers. 6. Everyone should then be given a Parliament Roles card, relevant to the role they have been given. 7. The Speaker should begin by reading out her card explaining her role. She should then call on other members of Parliament. In turn, each member should stand up and address the Speaker by saying Madam Speaker, before reading their card explaining their role. Where there are multiple Backbenchers, one should be nominated to read out the card explaining their role. Guides and The Senior Section: Did you know that there are eight remotely controlled television cameras in the House of Commons? Watch footage from Prime Minister s Questions to see Parliament in action. Page 5

6 Explore Parliament: true or false? stations This activity is suitable for Rainbows and Brownies. The aim of this activity is to find out more about how Parliament works. Equipment: Question Sheet (Appendix 3, Page 20) A spacious room with a true corner and false corner (you may wish to make signs) Estimated Time: minutes Method: 1. Stand in the middle of the room 2. Your Leader will read out statements about how Parliament works 3. If you think the statement is true, run to the true corner. If you think it is false, run to the false corner. Try to make up your own mind and not just copy your friends! 4. Your Leader will tell you the correct answer - are you surprised by any of the answers? Page 6

7 Explore Parliament quiz This activity is suitable for Guides and The Senior Section. The aim of this activity is to find out how much you really know about how the is run! Equipment: Quiz Questions below Estimated Time: 10 minutes Method: You can either answer the questions individually, or as part of a group. Once everyone has completed their answers to the questions, your leader will read out the correct answers. Why not write your answers down and swap them with another member of your unit who can score them for you? Questions: 1. The Houses of Parliament are in the Palace of.? 2. How many MPs are there? 3. Who is the Foreign Secretary? 4. What is our voting system called? 5. What colour are the seats in the House of Commons? 6. How many female Prime Ministers have we had? 7. What are the two Houses of Parliament? 8. What is your local MP called? Take it Further: Find out what the difference is between the two Houses of Parliament and what the process is for passing a bill into law. Answers: (See Appendix 3, Page 19) Page 7

8 Engage What would you do? This activity is sutible for all sections. The aim of this activity is to help you to find out about how to get your voice heard in Parliament. Challenge yourself with real life scenarios and choose a way (or two!) to be heard. Equipment: What would you do? Cards (Appendix 4, Page 20) Estimated Time: 15 minutes Method: You can undertake this activity in groups or as a whole unit: 1. Ask one member of your group to read out each scenario in turn. 2. As a group, agree which of the actions you would need to undertake for each of the scenarios; there may be more than one. 3. Have a discussion with the rest of your unit to see if you have come up with the same actions. If not, can you agree which should be the correct one(s)? Guides and The Senior Section: Why not invent your own scenarios and agree the actions you would take? There are some additional actions for your sections in Appendix 5, Page 21 at the back of this pack. Page 8

9 Engage Get to know your MP This activity is sutible for all sections. The aim of this activity is to learn what MPs do, so you can better understand how they can and do support you. Equipment: Pens and Paper Details of your Local MP Research into an MP s day Estimated Time: 30 minutes Method: 1. You should first find out who your local MP is and how you can contact them.write a letter to your MP, from your unit, inviting them to visit you, ideally during P, as part of your unit activities. Find who your local MP is here: 2. Prepare questions for your MP s visit; you could do this as a unit, or in groups. What s your day like?, How much time do you spend in London? and What s Parliament like? are some suggestions. 3. Alternatively, if your MP cannot visit, discuss what tasks you think an MP does and what their most important tasks and priorities are. You can research this beforehand and find out what issues your MP has worked on, or even voted on. Page 9

10 Engage Raise an Issue This activity is sutible for all sections. The aim of this activity is to encourage you to take action on an issue that s important to you. Equipment: Template Postcard (Appendix 6, Page 22 & 23) Pens and Paper Video-making equipment such as a camera or phone Estimated Time: 20 minutes Method: You can undertake this activity as a unit, group or individual. 1. First, choose an issue that you care about (some ideas include: Disability Support, School Meals, Education, Public Transport, NHS) 2. Once you have completed your message, send it to your MP and await a response. Rainbows and Brownies: Why not use the blank postcard to draw a picture relating to your issue before adding any text to the back? Guides and The Senior Section: Make sure that you cover the following points: What is the issue? Why is it important to you? Why is it important that your MP addresses it? What would you like your MP to do? Why not look at relevant online petitions and sign one, or you could even create your own! Page 10

11 Empower Have your say This activity is sutible for all sections. Use this election to make a decision in your unit. You could vote on your next unit badge, activity or game, or elect a new Sixer, Seconder or Patrol Leader. Equipment: Ballot box (tip you could use a jar/shoebox/hat in place of a ballot box) Pens Paper or Ballot Slips Estimated Time: Minimum 20 minutes Method: Explain to everyone the reason for the vote, and the different options that will be on the ballot. If you are voting for a Sixer/Patrol Leader, the candidates could give a speech about why you should vote for them. When everyone is ready, hand out the ballot slips and find a space where you can vote in private remember, your vote should be a secret! When you have voted, put your ballot slip in the box/hat/jar and wait for the outcome to be revealed! Guidance for Leaders: If there are lots of options (e.g. lots of badge suggestions), you may wish to narrow them down and only include a handful of suitable choices on the ballot slip. Page 11

12 Empower Mock Election This activity is sutible for all sections. Equipment: Ballot box (tip you could use a jar/shoebox/hat in place of a ballot box) Pens Paper Ballot Slips Estimated Time: Minimum 30 minutes Method: In your group, make a list of everything you would do if you were elected as the Prime Minister. You might want to ban homework, lower the minimum age to vote, have chocolate in schools, or improve public transport. Your group will have a chance to present your ideas to the rest of your unit, and listen to the ideas of the other groups. Once everyone has had their say, hand out the ballot slips and vote for your new Prime Minister! Guidance for Leaders: You may wish to have a rule that you cannot vote for your own group to make sure that the vote is fair. Page 12

13 Empower Have a Debate This activity is sutible for Brownies, Guides and The Senior Section. Equipment: Optional Benches/chairs and tables Pens Paper Estimated Time: Minimum 20 minutes (depending on topic) Method: As a unit, decide on a topic to debate, e.g. school uniforms, or the minimum driving age. You will be split into two groups one group will argue for, and the other against your chosen topic. In your group, come up with as many ideas and arguments as you can and make sure to write them down! The two groups should sit on opposite sides of the room, facing each other. You will take turns sharing your arguments with the other team make sure everyone has a chance to speak. At the end of the debate, your Leader could decide the winning team, or you could take a vote. Guidance for Leaders: To make sure that everyone is heard, you could use a ball or other object, and say that only the person holding it can speak. Make sure the topic is suitable for you unit and remind everyone of the unit guidelines they all agreed. Page 13

14 Take it Further Members of The Senior Section Advocate Advocate are a group of Girlguiding members aged who discuss the issues girls care about and aim to make positive changes. The 17 Advocates speak up about what they are passionate about, and they seek change by talking to MPs and in Parliament, being media spokespeople for Girlguiding, running sessions in their local guiding units, and speaking at Girlguiding events. They also help to direct Girlguiding s own research, advocacy and campaigning work. Find out more: Express! Youth Forum Express! is Girlguiding North West England s Youth Forum, made up of members of The Senior Section. Each of the 17 guiding Counties within the Region is represented on the forum by their County Express! Representative. The forum meets 4 times a year to discuss and improve issues that are important to Senior Section members within the Region. They also produced a resource - Express! Your Voice - for Senior Section members, focusing on real role models and body confidence. Find out more by talking to your County Commissioner or on the Express Youth Forum facebook page Youth Parliament The Youth Parliament enables young people aged to use their energy and passion to change the world for the better. There are 369 seats for elected Members of Youth Parliament (MYPs). They are usually elected in annual youth elections all over the country. Any young person aged can stand or vote. MYPs organise events and projects, run campaigns and influence decision makers on the issues that matter most to young people. All MYPs have the opportunity to meet once a year at the Youth Parliament Annual Sitting in the House of Commons Chamber. Find out more: British Youth Council The British Youth Council (BYC) represents the views of young people to the Government, decision makers and the media. BYC is an umbrella body and is made up of a large number of youth groups; including uniformed organisations, political parties, youth clubs and the National Union of Students. As the largest uniformed organisation in the, Girlguiding sends a full delegation to BYC meetings. The delegation is made up of Senior Section members selected from each Country and Region. Find out more: Page 14

15 If there is a project or cause you are particularly interested in, why not use it towards a badge or an award? The following all contain community action or advocacy elements: Rainbows: Look, Learn Brownies: World Issues Guides: Community Action, World Issues, Commonwealth Award, Go For It Take Action, Go For Streets Ahead and Go For It Be the Change The Senior Section: Look Wider Community Action, Look Wider Personal Values, Commonwealth Award, Chief Guide s Challenge, Queen s Guide Award Page 15

16 Appendix 1 RULE YOUR OWN ISLAND CARDS Matches Water Purification Tablets Tarp Knife Fishing Rod Chocolate First Aid Kit Firewood Dog Tent Compass Rope Cooking Utensils Torch Gas Stove Page 16

17 Appendix 2 PARLIAMENT ROLES CARDS (RAINBOWS AND BROWNIES) SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS I am the Speaker of the House of Commons. It is my job to make sure that MPs are polite to eachother and take turns to speak. PRIME MINISTER I am the Prime Minister. I have been chosen as a leader and it is my job to make important decisions. I am in charge of the Government. LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION I am the Leader of the Opposition. I ask the Prime Minister questions about what the Government is doing, to make sure they are doing a good job. CABINET MINISTER I am part of the Cabinet. The Cabinet is a group of Ministers. We help the Prime Minister to make decisions about important things. SHADOW CABINET I am part of the Shadow Cabinet. The Shadow Cabinet is a group of MPs. We help the Leader of the Opposition to make sure that the Prime Minister is doing a good job. BACKBENCHER I am a Backbencher. Backbenchers are Members of Parliament who do not hold extra important roles. We can still ask questions and talk about important matters. BACKBENCHER I am a Backbencher. Backbenchers are Members of Parliament who do not hold extra important roles. We can still ask questions and talk about important matters. BACKBENCHER I am a Backbencher. Backbenchers are Members of Parliament who do not hold extra important roles. We can still ask questions and talk about important matters. BACKBENCHER I am a Backbencher. Backbenchers are Members of Parliament who do not hold extra important roles. We can still ask questions and talk about important matters. Page 17

18 PARLIAMENT ROLES CARDS (GUIDES AND THE SENIOR SECTION) SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS I am the Speaker of the House of Commons. It is my job to keep order, preside over debates and decide which MP may speak next. Although I am an MP, I am not allowed to be a member of a political party. PRIME MINISTER As the Prime Minister, I am the head of Her Majesty s Government, and I am in charge of all Government departments. I am the leader of the party with the support of the majority of MPs. LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION: I am the leader of the main opposition party in Parliament. It is our job to hold the Government to account. One way we do this is by asking the Prime Minister questions, every Wednesday, during Prime Minister s Questions. CABINET MINISTER: I am a member of the Cabinet, which is a group of Ministers who are the most senior in the Government. We make important decisions that affect everyone in the country, and we are appointed by the Prime Minister. SHADOW CABINET: I am part of the Shadow Cabinet, a group of MPs who make sure that Cabinet Ministers are doing their jobs properly. We are appointed by the Leader of the Opposition, to help him to hold the Government to account. BACKBENCHER: I am an MP who isn t in the Cabinet or Shadow Cabinet. Although I don t have additional responsibilities, such as a Government department to run, I still work hard to represent my constituents and to make laws. BACKBENCHER: I am an MP who isn t in the Cabinet or Shadow Cabinet. Although I don t have additional responsibilities, such as a Government department to run, I still work hard to represent my constituents and to make laws. BACKBENCHER: I am an MP who isn t in the Cabinet or Shadow Cabinet. Although I don t have additional responsibilities, such as a Government department to run, I still work hard to represent my constituents and to make laws. BACKBENCHER: I am an MP who isn t in the Cabinet or Shadow Cabinet. Although I don t have additional responsibilities, such as a Government department to run, I still work hard to represent my constituents and to make laws. Page 18

19 Appendix 3 PARLIAMENT: TRUE OR FALSE? STATEMENTS 1. The Queen makes important decisions (FALSE) 2. Adults vote to choose who represents them (TRUE) 3. There are 1,000 members of Parliament (FALSE) 4. The Prime Minister is Theresa May (TRUE) 5. Men and women can be MPs (TRUE) 6. You have to be 21 to vote in elections (FALSE) 7. The Houses of Parliament are in London (TRUE) 8. Being an MP is a full time job (TRUE) 9. The has a President (FALSE) 10. The Prime Minister lives at 10 Downing Street (TRUE) PARLIAMENT QUIZ ANSWERS 1. Westminster Boris Johnson 4. First Past the Post 5. Green House of Lords and House of Commons 8. Page 19

20 Appendix 4 WHAT WOULD YOU DO? CARDS You want a different Prime Minister or MP You want the North West to become its own country You want to know about the future of your school You feel strongly about a political party You want to support a campaign for free school meals for everyone You are an expert on wildlife and there is a national project that is jeopardizing a species An urgent human rights issue affects you You disagree with a law to make trains pink You want your local park to have a new set of swings Your local bus station is closing and it will stop you from being able to get to school You want to become an MP in the future Other You decide! Vote in elections Vote in a referendum Question an MP Become an Election Campaign Volunteer Sign a petition Create a petition Attend a protest/ demonstration Other You decide! Page 20

21 Appendix 5 ADDITIONAL - GUIDES AND THE SENIOR SECTION Give evidence at a Select Committee Ask your MP to raise an issue in Parliament (Early Day Motion) Your MP raises a Bill in Parliament (Private Members Bill) Give your opinion to your MP on Bills in Parliament Page 21

22 Appendix 6 TEMPLATE POSTCARDS House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Page 22

23 House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Page 23

Get your voice heard: a guide to campaigning at Westminster

Get your voice heard: a guide to campaigning at Westminster 2 Get your voice heard: a guide to campaigning at Westminster Get your voice heard: a guide to campaigning at Westminster A Member of Parliament