5. Planning and managing

Learner outcome	Planning and managing
Development activity for outcome: Action for social justice
Duration	Two hours
Room requirements	Possibility to work in small groups. Access to computers and internet.
Learning aim	Young people plan and manage activities which support social justice or democratic engagement. Young people use project management techniques to identify and plan activities, consider potential achievements and identify successes.
Description of activity (step by step)
	This activity enables learners to plan action for social justice. It aims to provide clear guidelines about how to proceed over the course of a campaign or other action for social change in order for learners to fulfil their aims and enjoy the process. Explain the purpose of the session to the whole group and then explain the process to them. Tell them that they need to follow the steps you’re going to outline. Write the steps on a board or flip chart as you go along and ask the group questions to check their understanding. You could project the planning templates (see below) onto a board and refer to them as you go along. Explain the following steps: Define the action. Tell them they will decide in their groups what they are going to do. Prepare a list of activities, decide what is feasible (consider cost and resources), and prioritise. What will they need to do to achieve their aims? How much will it cost? What resources do they have available? What are their priorities? Prepare a list of activities, decide what is feasible (consider cost and resources), and prioritise. What will they need to do to achieve their aims? How much will it cost? What resources do they have available? What are their priorities? Identify key stakeholders, as successful implementation depends on buy-in from relevant stakeholders. Explain what a stakeholder is and give some examples. Discuss with the class how to win them over. Break activities into discrete, measurable steps. It helps to write the projected actions as separate tasks that are both realistic and attainable. (Use the template below for this.) Make sure to identify the individual and/or organisation responsible for each task. Create a timeline with major milestones. Monitor the progress of the activities Evaluate the process at the end of the action Tell the class to split up into small groups and start working on their plans. Walk around the groups and offer help and suggestions when appropriate.
Materials	Flip-chart or board, markers, laptops, copies of templates and tables (below) for learners to use on their laptops or computers.
Training aids & equipment	See the tables below

Action Planning Template

Title

Objectives
These should be SMART (Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-Bound)

Description
What you are going to do? (Five lines)

Team
What competencies do you have?

name - role

Action
step by step

See template below

Budget
example

Item	Unit Cost	Quantity	Total Amount
Print Flyers	€0.15	50	€7.50
Hire a room	€50.00 per day	One day	€50.00

Communication
The action should be communicated both before and after the action.
Remember:

Use relevant logos

Article in school magazine
Facebook event
Post on the SFYouth Youth Wall
Letter to the local authority
Press release

Evaluation

See next section

Follow-up
What do you do next?

Title of Action:_______________________________

Date	What needs to be done?	Who’s responsible?	Who else is involved?	What’s the deadline?	What happens next?

Learner outcome	Planning and managing
Evaluation activity for outcome: Scoring action plans
Assessment criteria (these statements are written in the first person but could be used for teacher assessment of learners as well as for self-assessment by learners).
Early	Developing	Secure
I can use timelines to identify and plan activities in order to reach a goal.	I use techniques to plan, sequence and manage activities. I can think though my choices of action and pick the most effective one. I recognise what I want to achieve and can identify successes.	I adopt a structured approach to managing activities that support social justice or democratic engagement. I can think though my choices of action and pick the most effective one. I use techniques to plan, sequence and manage activities. I recognise what I want to achieve and identify can success.
DURATION	Up to two hours
Room requirements	This could be done in small groups or as one class.
Evaluation activity description (step by step)
Materials	Scenario Action Plan Scoring Grid Action Planning Template
Description	Explain to learners they will be working in groups to plan an activity with a limited amount of time to do it (for example, 25mins) Give learners the scenario they need to plan – this can be a real scenario based on a global citizenship issue or on an activity they have already decided to carry out, or you can use the “fake” scenario below. Give learners the blank activity plan template (electronically or on paper). Explain that the first task is to add headers which they think will be appropriate to help them plan. Then ask learners to use the rest of the grid to make a plan to carry out the activity given, imagining that the learners in the group are all going to participate in carrying it out. After the set period of time is finished, ask groups to swap their plans and use the scoring grid to mark each other’s plans. Based on the scores, and also your observation of the learners during the activity (for example, the sophistication of the conversations, who was leading and saying the most) determine whether you think the learners individually and collectively are at an early, developing or secure stage with this competence.
Comments	Rather than use peer marking, you could take the activity plans in and score them yourself as the teacher. Rather than carry out this activity as in groups, it could be done individually. The scoring grid is only suggestive – you can modify as you see appropriate to your class.

Scenario for Activity Plan

You are going to organise a community event in your school. This is to raise awareness of global food issues and how small-scale farmers in poorer countries can be supported. You will give a presentation about the issue and you will also have a “global food cafe” with food made by learners of the school from around the world.

Activity Plan Scoring Grid

Scoring criterion for the activity plan	Score (points per criterion)
Group has included headings which are similar to the activity plan template.	2 points
Group has separated out the tasks into smaller “sub-tasks”.	1 point
Group has given deadlines for each sub-task.	1 point
Group has put the sub-tasks into a logical order.	1 point
Group has shown who is responsible for different activities.	1 point
Group has shown what materials or support will be needed for the task.	1 point
Group has included an activity which is about evaluating how it went.	1 point

TOTAL	/12