Democracy in action
Make a decision for the scout group using our modern democratic processes. Scout will have an overview of how decisions are taken, they will learn to listen to opposing points of view and make up their own point of view, they will practice explaining their opinions in a concise and convincing way.
Make a decision with your Scouts by using organised democracy.
- With your Scouts, find something important that needs a decision. Depending on the age of the Scouts, it might go from “what will be the next game we play?” to “what will be the destination of our next camp?”.
It will be easier if it is a yes or no suggestion, rather that various options to choose from. For example: “Should we play volleyball?” instead of “what game should we play?”.
If you just want it to be fun, it does not have to be a real situation or suggestion. Don’t hesitate to use silly suggestions that will require creativity from the Scouts during debate (for example: “let’s have our next camp on the moon). - Organise an assembly, where everyone sits in a semi-circle.
A leader acts as a chairperson, maintaining order, and giving the floor to the Scouts who wish to speak. Another leader or a Scout acts as the secretary, keeping time and counting the votes. - The person who had the main idea will come to the front of the assembly and explain their suggestion in one minute.
- Then, the Scouts will have four to five minutes to think about the topic, maybe discuss it informally.
- Once the idea is presented and everybody has gathered their thoughts, you gather back in a semi-circle and open the floor for any other Scout who wants to say something in favour or against the idea. They each have 45 seconds to say something to try and convince everyone. Even if you have a silly topic, encourage them to build proper arguments, always saying why they think it is a good or a bad idea.
- After a few people have spoken, you will proceed to a vote, where every scout will have one vote, they can raise their hand for or against.
- At the end of the activity, the chairperson will formally close the assembly by announcing officially the decision taken, by how many votes.
The leaders really have to encourage the Scouts to think about:
- What they know about it, and if they don’t know much, find out some things.
- What they think of it, if they are for or against, and why.
- The consequences of that suggestion for the group, the community, the environment, etc.
Consequences can be positive or less positive. - If the suggestion is feasible or not, does it require a lot of effort and are they willing to put in those efforts?
With this activity, the Scouts have an example of how democracy works in our societies. If the session is well chaired, they will learn to listen to different perspectives and take them all into account when taking a decision. They will also try giving arguments and articulating and communicating their ideas.
Challenge Code
The challenge code for this activity is: GDCOA