Have a look at the examples of different types of action below and then complete the task at the bottom of the page.
| Action | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| RUNG 8 – Youth initiated shared decisions with adults: Youth-led activities, in which decision making is shared between youth and adults working as equal partners. | ➢➢ | A group of students have found an organisation that will install solar panels for schools. The students consult with adults in school and jointly decide that the possibility is worth pursuing. Together the adults and students initiate discussions with the organisation to get a quote and follow the process through. |
| RUNG 7 – Youth initiated and directed: Youth-led activities with little input from adults. | ➢➢ | A group of students suggest an ‘environment’ week in which form time is given over to climate change education. This is given the go-ahead by adults and the students organise and deliver the sessions. |
| RUNG 6 – Adult initiated shared decisions with youth: Adult-led activities, in which decision making is shared with youth. | ➢➢ | A teacher suggests to a group of students that they could monitor energy use in school. They discuss the idea and agree how it should be done. Once the monitoring has taken place, the students put forward their findings and jointly with adults, decide on what should be done to make energy savings in school. |
| RUNG 5 – Consulted and informed: Adult-led activities, in which youth are consulted and informed about how their input will be used and the outcomes of adult decisions. | ➢➢ | The Student Council is consulted about plans to reduce the amount of meat consumed from the school canteen. They design a questionnaire to consult with other students in school, the results of the questionnaire are taken into account and all students are clear on how the results will affect the decisions on how to proceed. |
| RUNG 4 – Assigned, but informed: Adult-led activities, in which youth understand purpose, decision-making process, and have a role. | ➢➢ | An adult runs a series of lunchtime sessions with a group of students on climate change. He asks them to lead an assembly to introduce to other students what they can do. The students have some input into the assembly planning. |
| RUNG 3 – Tokenism: Adult-led activities, in which youth may be consulted with minimal opportunities for feedback. | ➢➢ | A teacher brings the student council a plan to plant trees in an area of the school and asks their opinion. The students have some opinions on how this could be done better, which the teacher hears – however, there are no different options given so there is really only one possible course of action. |
| RUNG 2 – Decoration: Adult-led activities, in which youth understand purpose, but have no input in how they are planned. | ➢➢ | The teacher told the form group they were going to run a campaign in school on climate change and showed them a petition. She told them to get other students to sign it and then she sent it to the Minister for the Environment. |
| RUNG 1 – Manipulation: Adult-led activities, in which youth do as directed without understanding of the purpose for the activities. | ➢➢ | The Head of Year 7 told all the students to come to school with a green top. He organised a photo of Year 7 in the playground with the students standing inside the shape of a word. Many students weren’t sure why they were doing this and couldn’t remember afterwards what the word was. |