Author: Barbara A. Lewis
Edited by: Pamela Espeland and Caryn Pernu
Grade Level: 5 and up
Summary:
The Kid’s Guide to
Social Action is a book that provides elementary/middle school students
with the tools they need to become social activists about issues they care
about. If children want to make a difference and change the world around them
for the better, it is important for them to know that they can. This book
encourages children to never give up on what they believe in, no matter how
difficult the challenge. Not only does this book provide how-to tips,
information about the government, and who they could contact to create a
change, it also offers inspiration to children by giving real life examples of
kids successfully taking action.
The
Kid’s Guide to Social Action is
divided into five parts. Part 1, “Life Beyond the Classroom,” introduces ten
tips for taking social action, including steps such as choosing a problem,
doing research, brainstorming possible solutions, and never giving up, just to
name a few. Part 2, “Power Skills,” kids are given tips on how to carry out
certain tasks in order to be social activists, such as giving speeches,
successfully petitioning, fundraising, protesting/picketing, and letter
writing. Part 3, “Working with the Government,” proves children with
information about the government. Kids can learn how to lobby, change a local/state
law, amend constitutions, and write resolutions used to change policies on a
local, state, or federal level. There are also examples of “kids in action,”
where kids raise awareness about social issues and try to change it for the
better, such as Kids Against Pollution (KAP). Part 4, “Resources,” provides the
names and addresses of different activism groups/organizations and government
officials, giving students the opportunity to reach out to those who can help
support their cause. Finally, Part 5, “Tools,” provides kids with a variety of
formats/ templates for brainstorming, taking surveys, writing letters, and
many, many more.
Element 6: Taking Social Action:
The
Kid’s Guide to Social Action certainly represents the sixth element of
social justice education, taking social action. It gives students the
opportunity and inspiration to search within themselves, find the issues they
care deepest about, and then act upon them. This book not only helps children
believe they can make a difference by taking social action, but it also gives
them actual resources, tools, and opportunities to take social action towards something
they are truly passionate about. For instance, if a student cares deeply about
the treatment of animals, wants to help and work towards reaching the goal of
fair treatment for animals, he/she can simply go to the “Resources” section and
find the address to one of the many animal welfare groups. They can write a
letter, make a phone call, conduct a survey or interview, thanks to the guidance
of this book. Students can actually do something to fight for what they believe
in. With accurate use of this book, students can turn their passion into
actions and create a change in the world firsthand.
Follow-Up Activity:
There are
several activities for which this book could be used in a classroom. After
teaching a unit on a social issue, teachers can use The Kid’s Guide to Social Action to guide students in creating a
change for that issue. For instance, if the issue is about the environment,
students can use one of the many methods given in the book to elicit a change,
such as creating a petition as a class or writing a letter to a government
official. Personally, I would use this book to help children find what personally
intrigues them. I would use the brainstorming techniques provided by the book
to help students search within and find which issue they would feel most
passionate about. It is my belief that students learn best when they are
dealing with a topic they are truly engaged/interested in, and what better way
to ensure a student is interested than to give them the freedom to create a change
for an issue they chose themselves and are truly passionate about? By using the
methods given within the book, students can take issues learned at school or
from their own personal desires, and create a social change. Then, after
recognizing that they action really can make a difference in the world,
hopefully students will be confident in their power and be encouraged to take
social action in the future towards other important social issues.
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