Geographical Association

The activities on this page help students explore the principles of a sustainable community and how these ideas can help to improve their local areas.

Activity One: Image Theatre

For the geography classroom, this activity would benefit from contextualisation.

Aims

• Develop visual ideas of community
• Encourage students to think about how communities can be improved

Instructions

Create (10-15 mins):

Students should work in groups of approximately five.

Give four or five 'Image Theatre Playing Cards' to each group.

Download: Image Theatre Playing Cards (PDF, 854k)

The cards describe a community problem relating to one of the sections of the Sustainable Communities Wheel.

Tell the groups to create a frozen image, like a still picture, that demonstrates the problem written on the cards. Students need to create a separate image for each card.

They may want to take it in turns to be a 'sculptor' and direct the other members of their group into position. It may be advisable to talk about appropriate and inappropriate body contact.

Allow students approximately 10-15 minutes to devise still images and explain that they will need to perform the images.

Perform (5 mins):

The groups perform these images as a sequence for the rest of the class. You could clap every time you want the group to move onto the next image. You should advise students to hold each image for five seconds before changing to the next.

Change (20 mins):

Ask the groups to perform the images again - this time holding the images for longer and asking the audience, 'what's happening?'. Now invite students in the audience to become sculptors to physically change the images, transforming them from negative community images to positive ones. For example, a scene depicting bullying can be changed to a scene depicting friendship.

The sculptor must describe or show how they want the image to change physically. Members of the audience may want to join the scene to help improve it.

The images created can be recorded throughout with photographs, which can then be used in follow up sessions.

Activity Two: Create an ideal citizen

For this activity, try to present students with a realistic context and multiple perspectives. It could also lead on nicely to Activity Four.

Aims

• Collaborative and group work
• Identify skills and qualities needed to create sustainable communities
• Explore roles of an active citizen and how young people can contribute to their community

Instructions

Create (20 mins):

Students should work in groups of five or six. Give each group a large sheet of paper and marker pens. The group must draw round one person to create the outline of a character who will be their 'ideal citizen'.

To create the 'ideal citizen' ask questions and tell students to write down their responses on the character outline.

Download: Possible Questions about the ideal citizen (PDF, 37k)

The 'ideal citizen' can then be saved or displayed on the wall to provide a focus for following sessions.

If the students are working on this in smaller groups, it is a good idea to get each group to hold up their 'ideal citizen' and feedback to the other groups about their display.

Activity Three: Stick it on the wheel

Try to give students more detailed visual stimulus that they are likely to be familiar with.

Aims

• Explore the Sustainable Communities Wheel and the eight sections that are important in creating sustainable communities
• Identify problems in communities and suggest ideas for improvement

Instructions

For this activity you'll need to project the Sustainable Communities Wheel where it is visible and accessible. You'll also need two packs of different coloured sticky notes.

Download: Sustainable Communities Wheel (PDF, 212k)

Give students some sticky notes and ask them to write down as many positive things they can think of about their community. Ask them one at a time to read out one of their positive things to the rest of the group and then place their sticky note on the relevant section of the wheel. For example, 'we have really good places to play sport' would go in the environment, cultural or services sections.

Next, give students another sticky note in a different colour and ask them to think of activities which would improve their community further. Ask them to read out their best suggestion and place the note on the section of the Sustainable Communities Wheel it relates to.

Discuss the contributions as a class, perhaps starting by looking at which areas of the wheel have the most positive statements in them, and which students think they have the most influence to change. Ask them what they think are the barriers stopping them from improving their community.

Activity Four: Who can help?

Aims

• Raise awareness of the jobs people do to help make sustainable communities
• Highlight potential career paths for young people

Instructions

Discuss (10 mins):

Students should work in groups of five. Distribute three or four careers cards to each group. The cards illustrate career profiles of people who work in the community.

Download: Career Cards (PDF, 2.12M)

Ask students to read the profiles and discuss as a group which of the problems posted on the Sustainable Communities Wheel they may be able to help with. Ask students to record their ideas on a large sheet of paper.

Present (5 mins):

The groups present their ideas to the class.

Next page: Plan an activity