How can we engage in local democracy?
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what local democracy involves and how Youth Councils help local democracy.
Key learning points
- Local democracy refers to the participation of citizens in decision-making at a community level.
- Young people can engage through democratic processes such as consultations, campaigning and meetings with councillors.
- Youth Councils are formal bodies led by young people to represent youth perspectives in local governance.
- Participation in Youth Councils encourages civic responsibility, political literacy and leadership development.
Keywords
Local democracy - a system of government in which citizens vote in regular, fair elections for representatives in their geographical area
Youth Council - a group set up, led and shaped by young people to represent the views and interests of other young people in a democratic way
Common misconception
Local democracy only happens during elections.
Local democracy is happening all the time. It occurs in council meetings, Youth Councils, local campaigns and anytime that people speak up about local issues. You do not need to wait for local elections to take part.
Teacher tip
Throughout the lesson, regularly ask pupils to relate the examples back to their own local area. For example, 'Do we have a Youth Council in our community or have you seen any local campaigns recently?' This helps make the content more real and relevant to your local community and your pupils.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match each sentence to its concept.
active citizen
pupil voice
decision-maker
Q2.The UNCRC says that pupils have the right to share their views and these are taken so schools can improve.
Q3.Which is the correct fourth step to influence a change in school?
Q4.Being an active system is an important part of which political system?
Q5.Who is most likely to be one of the main decision-makers in a school?
Q6.Put these actions in the correct order for influencing a school decision-maker about improving lunchtime activities.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the word with its definition.
a system of government in which people vote in regular, fair elections
a group set up to represent the views of other young people
a governing body responsible for providing public services locally
Q2.Which of the following is not a way that young people under the age of 16 can take part in local democracy?
Q3.Match the start of the sentence with its ending.
by making sure youth views are heard by decision-makers.
by discussing issues that matter to people in their area.
by acting on behalf of the whole nation.
Q4.Put these stages of local democratic action in the right order.
Q5.A Youth Council allows young people to stand for elections and lead local projects, often called ...
Q6.Which of the following statements is correct?
To help you plan your 9 citizenship lesson on: How can we engage in local democracy?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 citizenship lesson on: How can we engage in local democracy?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 citizenship lessons from the How can young people play an active role in democracy? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.