This page provides summaries of secondary school classroom activities which explore the issues related to Governance. A link to the full details of each activity is also provided and this is in pdf format.

The activities draw on and develop issues raised through the secondary school poster set and a series of case studies. Unless otherwise stated, the activities have been developed by Leeds Development Education Centre

Talking Children’s Rights
An activity in which young people explore what rights they think they should have and compare these with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This is followed by a sorting activity to classify the rights in terms of Survival Rights, Protection Rights, Development Rights and Participation Rights. The discussion focuses on which of these rights are upheld and denied in both the UK and Africa.

The activity is suitable for the whole of the secondary age range and the discussion generated by the activity can be adjusted to the ability of the class. Click here for full details of the activity (105KB).

For the full text of the Convention on the Rights of the Child click here
For a summary of the Convention from UNICEF click here (PDF format 393KB).

The Right to Participate
A diamond raking activity in which groups of young people explore the reasons why they think they should have the right to participate in making decisions that affect their lives. The Commission for Africa report emphasises the need to involve young people in decision making to ensure they are part of the development process.

The activity is suitable for the whole of the secondary age range and the discussion generated by the activity can be adjusted to the ability of the class. Click here for full details of the activity (101KB).

Murder Mystery
An information and evidence gathering activity in which groups of young people investigate why a refugee from Zimbabwe was found dead near a hostel. The groups have to visit several information stations around the classroom to gather their evidence and build a profile of the victim. Through discussion issues around why people from Africa seek asylum in the UK can be explored, together with the impact on Africa of educated and skilled people leaving the continent. The activity highlights both the Investing in People and Governance and Capacity Building themes in the Commission for Africa report.

The activity is suitable for the whole of the secondary age range and the discussion generated by the activity can be adjusted to the ability of the class. Click here for full details of the activity (586KB).

Zimbabwe Elections – March 2005
An activity based around the Zimbabwe Elections case study which explores how leaders are elected and how elections could be unfair. Groups of young people identify what makes a good leader and decide which presidential candidate they would vote for in the Zimbabwe Elections. The following discussion raises questions about how free and fair the elections were. The activity reflects some of the concerns raised by the Commission for Africa about how to build the capacity of governments to ensure they are democratically elected.

The activity is suitable for the upper end of the secondary age range and the discussion generated by the activity can be adjusted to the ability of the class. Click here for full details of the activity (207KB).