Hello, everyone.

My name's Miss Wyatt.

And I'm so glad that you could join me here today for our Citizenship lesson.

Welcome to today's lesson on how do grassroots campaigns operate, from the unit What Tools Can We Use to Challenge Injustice in Our Communities? By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain how people start grassroots campaigns and give examples of how these campaigns have made a positive difference in communities.

We will be using the following keywords throughout today's lesson.

And our keywords are grassroots campaign and advocate.

Grassroots campaign is when a group of people come together to pursue a common goal, largely on a volunteer and non-profit basis, to serve a local need in their community, often called a community-led project.

Advocate is a person or a group that defends or maintains a cause or proposal.

Some of these words may be new to you today, but please don't worry as I am here to guide you.

Our lesson on how the grassroots campaigns operate is broken up into two parts today, with the first part exploring how do people start grassroots campaigns and then looking at how grassroots campaigns have changed communities.

When you're ready, let's begin today's lesson.

Grassroots means when something starts from the bottom up, just like how grass grows from the ground.

So can you imagine it? Growing bottom up.

Aisha says, "A grassroots campaign is when ordinary, local people work together to make a difference in their local community.

Anyone can start a campaign, even young people." Izzy says, "Grassroots campaigns are important because they give ordinary people a voice and power to create change and solve issues that directly affect their lives." Alex wants to start a grassroots campaign to raise awareness and tackle the issue of homelessness in his local community.

Alex says, "I don't think anyone will listen to me because I'm a young person." Now grassroots campaigns give ordinary people power and a voice.

So actually, how Alex is feeling right now isn't right because anyone, ordinary, they can get power and they can have a voice through grassroots campaigns.

So true or false.

Grassroots campaigns start from the top down.

Have a think about this question and make a decision.

Hopefully we have said this is false.

It's false because grassroots campaigns start from the bottom up, by ordinary, local people, not leaders, or people in government, or people that have power.

Well done if we said false.

Izzy says, "Grassroots campaigns operate much like the active citizenship cycle." So here, we've got the active citizenship cycle.

So we start with get planning, then you take your action, and then you look back and measure the impact, what went well, what didn't go so well, and how can we progress it? Sam says, "One key difference is that the issues are specific to the local level.

However, they can grow and develop to be a national or an international level." But they just start locally.

There is limited mental health support for young people in Sam's local community.

Sam says, "No one cares about local issues because they aren't considered as important as national or international issues." So Sam's saying that these local issues are too small, and therefore they're not as granted as much importance as the big international issues.

But people do care about local issues because this is directly affecting their lives and where they live in their community.

Andeep says, "The first phase in starting a grassroots campaign is the planning stage." So firstly, you need to identify a local issue, so something within your area and community.

Then you research who is affected and who has the power to change it.

Then you set a clear goal.

What do you want to achieve? Then you decide on what campaign methods to use.

And then finally, build a small team or support group to advocate for the issue.

So this is all about the planning stage.

Alex says, "An example of a local issue is a lack of youth services.

There are no safe spaces or activities for young people in the community." Now, what other examples of local issues are there? Let's just pause for a second and think about this question.

So other examples of local issues will depend on the area that you live in.

But we might have said things like Lucas has said, like poor public transport.

So buses are infrequent and they don't serve certain areas very well.

Sofia says there's unaffordable housing in my local area, so local residents struggle to find safe, affordable places to live.

Maybe these are similar issues to what is going on in your local community.

Sam says, "The second phase in starting a grassroots campaign is the action stage.

So an example of a campaign method is a petition." So what other examples of campaign methods are there? What else do we know other than a petition? Maybe we've said things like write to or meet with local decision-makers, like Lucas has said, or Sofia has said hold a community meeting or event to raise awareness about this issue.

Izzy says, "The third stage in starting a grassroots campaign is measuring impact.

For example, statistics gathered about the number of people who attended events." You know what I'm gonna ask you.

What other examples of measuring impact are there other than gathering statistics? Okay, maybe we've said things like Lucas has said.

So how many shares or likes did our social media post get? And Sofia says, "What, if any, policy changes were made?" Now, for this task, I would like us to fill in the missing words to the sentences that we have here.

Now, I'm not gonna read through it, but I'm gonna ask you to pause the video and have a go at working out what the missing words are.

We will then join back together and go through all the answers.

Good luck.

Okay, it's time for our answers, so let's go through it together.

So a grassroots campaign is started from the bottom up by local people who want to make a difference in their community.

An example of a local issue is a lack of youth services.

Sometimes, grassroots campaigns can grow and develop beyond the local level into national or international levels.

Just like the active citizenship cycle, a grassroots campaign has three stages, planning, action, and measuring impact.

It is vital to build a team or support group who advocate for the issue.

So well done if you accurately got these missing words in the right gaps.

For this task, we need to explain how people start grassroots campaigns.

So we need to include why grassroots campaigns are at a local level, who can start a grassroots campaign, why they're important, and a focus on the planning stage, okay? So when you're ready, pause the video and have a good go at this task.

Okay, so how does your answer compare to what Laura has said? Laura has said, "People start grassroots campaigns by identifying a local issue that affects their community.

Anyone can start a grassroots campaign, even young people.

Grassroots campaigns are important because they give local people a voice and power to make a positive difference in their community.

In the planning stage, campaigners research the issue, set a goal, choose ways to raise awareness, and identify advocates who can support their campaign." So I wonder how your answer compares to Laura's.

So we have now explored how people start a grassroots campaign, and now we're going to look at how these grassroots campaigns have changed communities.

Sam says, "Grassroots campaigns have changed communities in many ways." Izzy says, "For example, they have helped create safer spaces, protect public services, and raise awareness of local injustices.

There are lots of grassroots campaign studies." Parkrun is a grassroots campaign that promotes community health and wellbeing for all ages and abilities through free weekly five kilometre runs.

So I wonder if any of you lot have taken part in these Parkruns.

Maybe you've got some in your area.

Maybe you've heard of them before.

But that's an example of one.

Paul Sinton-Hewitt started the campaign with volunteers in 2004 in his local park in Teddington, London with just 13 runners.

Now, today, it has grown into an international movement, with over 10 million participants registered worldwide.

Parkrun is an example of a grassroots campaign that has positively impacted their physical and mental health, built stronger communities, and promoted inclusivity through accessible exercise.

So Sam says, "How does Parkrun show the power of local people to create change?" Well, Parkrun shows the power of local people to create change because it began with just 13 runners and volunteers in a London Park, and it has grown into an international movement that improves community health and wellbeing.

So Izzy says, "Why is Parkrun considered a grassroots campaign?" Well, it's considered a grassroots campaign because it was started by a local resident and local volunteers, showing how ordinary people can lead positive change in their communities.

So let's check our understanding here.

Why is Parkrun considered a grassroots campaign? You've got four options.

Read through them and make a choice.

Okay, so Parkrun is considered a grassroots campaign because it began with local volunteers and it grew through community support.

It wasn't created by a major fitness brand.

It wasn't created by the government.

It doesn't just include people like elite athletes.

Anybody can take part in Parkrun.

So well done if we said b.

In 2012, the government planned to close Lewisham Hospital's A&E and maternity services as part of a wider NHS cuts.

Local people, NHS staff, and Lewisham Council came together to form the Save Lewisham Hospital grassroots campaign.

Over 25,000 people marched, and campaigners used protests, public awareness, and legal action to protect their local hospital.

In 2013, the high court overturned the government's decision and the hospital was saved.

By 2023, the hospital's A&E department had been used more than 1.

1 million people, showing how important it is to the local community.

Sam says, "How did the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign help the local community? Izzy says, "What does the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign show about the power of grassroots campaigns? What do we think? Well, the campaign helped the local community by stopping the closure of the Hospital's A&E and maternity services.

So it's protected access to local healthcare and brought people together to stand up for their needs.

Therefore, people in this local area still have an A&E and maternity service.

And it also shows that grassroots campaigns can have the power to change decisions.

Local people, NHS staff, and the council worked together, and their efforts led to a High Court decision that saved the hospital.

So true false.

Grassroots campaigns have helped protect local services and raise awareness about important issues in communities.

Let's have a think about this and say whether we think it's true or false.

Okay, hopefully we have said true.

They have helped protect local services.

We've just heard about the Lewisham Hospital.

They've saved the A&E and the maternity service there.

In 2016, Zyahna Bryant from Charlottesville, USA led a grassroots campaign at the age of 15 to remove a Confederate statue from her city.

She wrote a powerful speech and petition calling for change, arguing that the statue was a symbol of racism and inequality.

Her actions sparked national debate and encouraged others to speak out.

Zyahna showed how young people can lead grassroots campaigns and challenge injustice in their communities.

So Izzy says, "Why is Zyahna Bryant a good example of how young people can start a grassroots campaign?" Well, Zyahna Bryant is a good example of how young people can start a grassroots campaign because she was only 15 when she took action to remove a Confederate statue in her city that had been there years.

She used her voice through a speech and petition to raise awareness, showing that young people can lead change and challenge injustice in their communities.

This went national.

So how do grassroots campaigns help people advocate for change in their communities? Is it a, raise public awareness to demand action, b, encourage people to wait for government solutions, or c, focus on individual opinions rather than community action.

Which option sounds best? Hopefully we've said a.

They help people advocate for change in their communities by raising public awareness to demand action and change.

Well done.

For this task, I would like us to explain how grassroots campaigns have changed communities.

Now, within that, we need to make sure that we include general examples, like bringing the community together.

And I would also like us to include a case study.

So think about what we've looked at and what we've heard about in the last few minutes.

Pause the video and have a good go.

Okay, so how does your answer compare to this one? So grassroots campaigns have changed communities by helping local people come together to address local issues and give power and a voice to people who may not usually be heard.

The Save Lewisham Hospital grassroots campaign is a successful case study.

In 2012, the government planned to close parts of the hospital, but local people, NHS staff, and the council organised protests and took legal action to save it.

Their campaign stopped the closure and protected vital health services.

This shows how grassroots campaigns can bring real change by uniting communities and challenging injustice.

I wonder if you used the same case study as we did, as Save Lewisham Hospital, or whether you used a different one.

Well done anyways on your efforts.

We have now come to the end of our lesson on how the grassroots campaigns operate, and I'm going to summarise it for us.

So grassroots campaigns are started by ordinary, local people who want to make a difference in their community.

They begin when someone notices a local issue, gather support, and take action.

Grassroots campaigns can bring real change, such as saving public services, for example, save Lewisham Hospital campaign, or raise awareness like Zyahna Bryant's campaign to remove the Confederate statue in her city.

Anyone, including young people, can start a grassroots campaign and be an advocate for change.

Grassroots campaigns are important because they target directly and impact local communities.

They might start small, but they can grow and gain a national and international support, just like with the Parkrun grassroots campaign.

Thank you so much for joining me in today's lesson.

I hope you've learned a lot.

I hope to see you in the next Citizenship lesson.

Bye-bye.