Young people and politics

Introduction

In this lesson, learners will discuss how  young people can get involved in political issues. They will read an article about political activism and successful campaigns created by young people. There is  a focus on vocabulary, and finally learners will  plan their own campaign to raise awareness about a political or social issue.

Teachers will need to display/copy a reading text for this lesson. A student worksheet is provided, but there are alternatives in case it cannot be displayed/copied.

Note: The topic of this lesson may be sensitive for some learners and teaching contexts. Please read and check before using. 

Learning outcomes

•    Participate in a discussion about young people and politics
•    Read and identify the main points of an article about young people and politics
•    Infer the meanings of unfamiliar words using context 
•    Plan how to raise awareness about an issue and give a presentation

Age and level

13–17, Adults (B1+)

Time

Approximately 70–90 mins

Materials 

Materials can be downloaded in PDF format below. 

• Lesson plan
• Reading text
• Student worksheet

Lead-in (10 minutes)

• Write these questions on the board:
  o    Do you think young people are interested in what's happening around the world? Why? Why not?
  o    Do you think young people are involved in social and political causes? Why? Why not?
• Learners discuss them in groups or as a whole class. If learners work in groups, get feedback from some of the groups after their discussions. 

Task 1: Pre-reading discussion (10–15 minutes)

• Explain that learners are going to read an article about young people and politics. 
• Refer learners to Task 1 on the student worksheet. Explain that these phrases are the subheadings for each paragraph in the article. Check that learners understand the subheadings and explain any unfamiliar vocabulary, e.g. connected, inspiring, issues. 
• Put learners into small groups and tell them to discuss the questions under each subheading.  
• Get feedback and write any new vocabulary on the board. Don't say if their ideas are in the article or not. They will read and find out. 
• If you're not using the student worksheet: Write the subheadings (phrases in bold below) on the board. Check learners understand vocabulary. Discuss the questions below the sub-headings as a whole class. Write any new vocabulary on the board. 
  Always connected
  o    How are young people 'always connected'?
  o    How is this related to the title of the article: 'Young people and politics'?
  Taking action
  o    How can young people take action?
  o    Can you think of any examples?
  Using technology
  o    How can young people use technology to take action?
  o    Can you think of any examples?
  Inspiring young leaders
  o    Do you know any inspiring young leaders? 
  o    How are they inspiring?
  Caring about issues
  o    What issues do young people care about?

Task 2: Reading (15–20 minutes)

• Refer learners to Task 2 in the student worksheet. Tell them to read the article. As they read, they should compare their answers with the information in the article. 
• Hand out/display the Reading text. Give learners some time to read the article. 
• After reading, put learners into pairs to discuss if their ideas are similar to the information given in the article. 
• Read out the questions from Task 1. Ask learners to give answers based on information in the article. As you check answers, you can review any unfamiliar vocabulary, e.g. boycotting, petition.
• Finally, you could ask learners for their opinions about the article, for example: Does the article reflect their experience? Are they surprised by anything?
  Answers: 
  How are young people 'always connected'? Smartphones can give them access to the internet 24/7.  
  How is this related to the title of the article: 'Young people and politics'? They can find out what's happening around the world at any time. They are aware of problems. 
  How can young people take action? Boycotting companies; attending protests; signing petitions 
  How can young people use technology to take action? Organising boycotts/protests/petitions; uploading videos to social media; participating in online movements
  Do you know any inspiring young leaders? How are they inspiring?
  Inspiring young leaders mentioned in the article are Greta Thunberg (protesting climate change); Licypriya Kangujam (clearing up waste from Taj Mahal); Lesein Mutunkei (planting trees); Malala Yousafzai (campaigning for girls' education and for peace).  
  What issues do young people care about? Climate change, plastic pollution, reducing inequality, defending peace, improving education and employment opportunities 

Task 3: Vocabulary (10 minutes)

• Refer learners to Task 3 in the student worksheet. Individually or in pairs, they match the words to the definitions.
• Explain that '(p.2)' means that the word is in paragraph 2 (or whichever paragraph is indicated). If necessary, do the first example with the whole class. 
• When most learners are ready, check answers. 
• If you're not using the student worksheet: If you have lots of time, you could dictate the definitions for learners to write in notebooks. They then find the words. Alternatively, make the activity competitive. Read out the definitions aloud, then see which pair of learners can find the word first!
  Answers: 1 harm, 2 estimate, 3 straw, 4 inequality, 5 petition, 6 ban, 7 be engaged, 8 awareness, 9 boycott, 10 single-use 

Task 4: Planning an awareness-raising activity (15–20 minutes)  
 

• Ask learners which issues are mentioned in the article that concern young people (climate change, plastic pollution, reducing inequality, defending peace, improving education and employment). Write them on the board. 
• Ask them if there are any other issues that young people are concerned about – they could mention global or local ones here. They can be political or social. Add them to the list on the board. 
  Examples: local environmental issues; better physical/mental health information/facilities for young people; ending student debt; lowering voting age; supporting refugees; promoting positive body image, etc. 
• Put learners into groups of four. Tell them to choose an issue that they feel passionate about (alternatively, you can assign issues).
• Explain the task: they should plan how they could raise awareness of and engage other young people in their chosen issue. 
• Brainstorm some examples and write them on the board, e.g. social media campaigns; local events; online discussions; petitions; competitions; starting a school club; interactive challenges; making a website, etc. Encourage learners to be as creative as possible.
• Give groups a time limit to make a plan for raising awareness/engaging other young people in their chosen issue. Monitor and help where necessary. Tell them they should prepare to give a presentation. 

Note: Some issues might be sensitive, so if you prefer, you can select/assign issues depending on the age of your learners and the teaching context. 

Task 5: Presentations (10–15 minutes)

• Groups present their plans. If you have a smaller class, they can present to the whole class. With a larger class, put two pairs/groups together and they can present to each other. In this case, choose a couple of groups to present to the whole class at the end. 
• After each presentation, learners should say what they think about the plans. Would they be engaged by them?
• Give overall feedback, saying what learners did well.

Follow-up

• If your learners are interested in the topic, they could research a young person who is taking action and making a difference. They could write about/present the person to the class. You could display the information at school or online. 

Reading text

Youth and politics

Always connected
Young people today get news in ways that are different from their parents and grandparents. Many young people have smartphones, and those that do are always connected and can use social media, search engines and news sites to find out what's happening around the world 24/7. They are aware of problems, and many want change. But unlike previous generations, these people are less likely to turn to government to make changes. Many take action themselves. 

Taking action
While young people are less likely to be engaged in formal politics, many are engaged informally. In fact it is estimated that 70 per cent of Generation Z, which includes today's teenagers and young adults, are involved in a social or political cause. This might involve boycotting companies (for example, because they're worried that a company is harming the environment), attending protests or signing petitions. And these methods can work. Two teenage sisters from the UK organised a petition to ban single-use plastic in the UK. The campaign led to a ban on single-use plastic straws and other items. 

Using technology
Technology makes it easy for young people to organise boycotts, protests and petitions. They can also use digital spaces to share news and opinions (by uploading a video to a social media platform, for example) or they can participate in online movements. In 2019, people began adding the hashtag #TeamTrees to their social media posts, with the aim of planting 20 million trees by the end of the year to fight climate change. The campaign is still going strong, and over 24 million trees have been planted so far!

Inspiring young leaders
The internet inspires many people to take action, and it helps them to feel that their voices matter. And people are being inspired at younger ages than past generations. Greta Thunberg began protesting against climate change when she was 15 years old, and many others have followed. Licypriya Kangujam was 10 years old when she began to take action. She led a campaign to clear plastic waste from the area around the Taj Mahal in India and raised awareness about the issue of plastic pollution. Lesein Mutunkei, a keen footballer from Kenya, was just 12 years old when he set up Trees4Goals. Eleven trees are planted each time he scores a goal! 

Caring about issues
Climate change and plastic pollution are just two of the issues that encourage young people to act. Young people also care about reducing inequality, defending peace, and improving education and employment opportunities. Since the age of 11, Malala Yousafzai has campaigned for girls' education and for peace around the world. Young people are not just watching what's happening around the world, they're taking action and changing the world that we live in.