This activity has the students in small groups, each with a set of blank post-its and pens. They brainstorm, writing their ideas on the post-its and then sticking them onto a large piece of paper for display.

To emphasize the idea that it is their rights and their responsibilities a volunteer lies on the ground and is drawn around. The ideas are then stuck onto an image of a school councillor.

The first brainstorm is for rights. The second is for responsibilities.The results are grouped onto the display and shared with everyone.

Some people use the idea of responsibility to deny that children have rights. They talk as if rights and responsibilities can be disentangled and that somehow if people have rights and no responsibilities it will result in chaos.

By doing a list of rights and responsibilities separately, and by not necessarily looking at the different types of responsibilities that will come up, it could reinforce the view that rights are gained through being responsible. Having rights is different from being an active citizen?

A different way of approaching it is to list rights, and then make a second list of the requirements that would allow the rights to work (what do the rights need?).

Drawing a school councillor. Rights 1.mov

Thinking about rights. Rights 2.mov

Posting the ideas. Rights 3.mov

What does responsibility mean. Rights 4.mov

Thinking about responsibilities. Rights 5.mov