The Association of CSPE Teachers (ACT)

Supporting Citizenship Education in Ireland

Over several weeks, third year students were exploring the concept of Interdependence. I used methodologies suggested in
* Exploring Interdependence: CDVEC Curriculum Development Unit 1998
* Go Bananas: A Photoset and Activities pack. Oxfam
* The Truth about Bananas: An Information and Activity pack. Banana Watch 2000.

Students wondered if they could do anything, or be of any influence. They came up with lots of suggestions, which came together when they decided that their Action Project would focus on organising An Awareness Raising Campaign on the Rights of Banana Growers.

They broke into five groups:
* Surveying what others knew about the working conditions and lack of rights;
* Designing posters to create awareness around the school;
* Producing and distributing leaflets with questions and answers on the topic;
* Organising a petition throughout the school to send to Kofi Annan and Mary Robinson;
* Researching information which fed into the other four groups.

All aspects were then brought together with a display in a prominent position in the school. The students were delighted with the impact of their campaign as initially they had worried - "What good can we do?"

Being third years, the students were experienced enough to run with a lot of the work themselves, in their own time. This was a particular issue for me, as I see the class for the CSPE period only, each week.