Tool "The Train Line"

Language: English

Project Featuring This Tool: All Together Against Climate Change

Themes:Campaigning Environment

The participants play the roles of young people from different towns who want to plan a campaign for a new train line connecting these towns.

Time 90 minutes
Approximate number of participants 9 - 30 minutes
Age 10-15
Date published 3 Feb 2012, 15:32

Objectives

To learn about the different steps necessary to plan a campaign
To realise that different target groups need different approaches **
**To learn to formulate smart objectives

Materials

Flipchart paper, markers
Other materials to make presentations (coloured paper, scissors…)
Copies of the town descriptions for each group (Appendix II)
Copies of the map for each group (Appendix III)

Setting

Copy the map and town descriptions for each group.

Step-by-step instructions

** 1.** Explain the following:
All participants will play the roles of young people who live in the same region, but in three different towns:
Unitown, Banktown and Oldville. There is a regional council with elected delegates from all three towns. The council takes decisions that concern the whole region. Some delegates have proposed to build a train line between the three towns. All of you really like this idea! Unfortunately lots of council delegates are against it, because they think it’s too expensive. You want to make a campaign in favour of the train line in your towns. It is now September, and the decision will be taken in January.
2. Split the group into three smaller groups (or six smaller groups if you have more than 15 people in total). Each group represents one town. Hand them out their town description and the map.
3. Explain that they now have time to plan a campaign appropiate for their town, but that they have to follow some specific steps. Remind them of their aim: The regional council should vote in favour of the train line in January. They need to convince people from their town. Write the first three questions on a flipchart. They should answer them in writing.
4. After 20 minutes, all groups meet at a ‘regional planning meeting’ for all ‘pro train campaigners’ in the region. All groups should present their answers to the other campaign groups. They can ask questions and give feedback to different ideas to strengthen all the campaign plans (ca 20 minutes).
5. Give them question four. Again they should take sufficient time to answer the parts of the question. They should prepare a creative presentation to present their plan to the other groups (this can be a creative poster, a theatre play or another creative format).
6. The groups present their campaigns.

Debriefing

Are you satisfied with your ideas? Do you think you could be successful in your campaign?
What was the most difficult step to decide on?
What will be the most difficult step in the realisation of your plans?

Tips

You can find the appendix in the attached file

Attached files