Session 1: Topic Selection (60 minutes)

By the end of this session, your class will be split into groups with a defined campaign objective each. Everybody in the groups should at least be able to use the minority language to explain which topic they chose and articulate why it is important to them and their community.

• Start off the lesson with an individual reflection (10 minutes)
  • Explain that they will be working on a project where they will be asked to use the minority language to talk about critical issues that they care about. You can also introduce the topic with an example of a local issue that you think may be particularly relevant for the class.
  • Have students write down 2-3 issues they care about and why these issues matter to them. Get them to consider these topics from a positive point of view and to think optimistically about how they would like their communities to change for the better. You may want to take this opportunity to ask them to write down their thoughts in the minority language.
• Facilitate group sharing (20 minutes)
  • Create a sharing circle or small discussion groups and guide them to identify which topics might resonate with the school community.
  • Depending on your students’ proficiency, you can ask them to have the full discussion in the minority language or just to summarise their conclusions.
• Form working groups (30 minutes)
  • Let students naturally cluster around shared interests. For this project to stay manageable, we recommend getting started with two or three groups.
  • Have each group narrow broad topics into manageable projects. Depending on their interests and proficiency level, you might need to help them narrow down the topic as they might be overambitious with their campaign at this stage.

Session 2: Campaign Planning (60 minutes)

By the end of this session, the groups will have developed a plan for their campaign and will have chosen which channels they want to campaign through. As a minimum, they will have written up their plans in the minority language and they will be able to articulate which actions their going to take as part of the campaign. For the purpose of this guide, we will use the example of a campaign to make more healthy food available at the school’s cafeteria.

1. Message development
   • Guide each group through these questions, scrutinising their ideas to make sure that they’re using their critical thinking but also being realistic:
     • What exactly do you want to change? [Eg: “We want more options of fruits and whole foods in the school’s cafeteria so we can make better choices at lunchtime.”]
     • Who needs to hear your message? [Eg: “The headteacher and the cafeteria staff will need to hear our message and the reasons why we think this is important.”]
     • What information do you need to support your message? [Eg: “We will need to know if more students and parents like our idea and what resources are necessary to make it possible.”]
     • What would be the ideal outcome of your campaign? [Eg: “The school’s management listens to our campaign and makes an effort to accommodate our needs. If everything goes well, fruit and whole foods will become part of the offer at the cafeteria for everyone to enjoy.”]
2. Communication planning
   • Work with groups to identify:
     • Channels of communication that are transparent and have credibility. [Eg: The school’s bulletin, a social media account with adecuate mediation, a reliable online survey…]
     • Key phrases that work well in both languages.
     • Timeline of activities.
     • Potential challenges they might encounter. This is especially important as not all campaigns will succeed. At the end of the project everyone will be expected to reflect on the challenges they have experienced and this is a good opportunity to anticipate any problems and how to address them.
3. Resource planning
   • Help groups create lists of:
     • Materials needed [Eg: printing, computer room, cameras…]
     • People to contact [Eg: the school secretary to arrange a meeting, the parents’ representative…]
     • Spaces to use [Eg: school assembly, sticking posters on walls, a meeting room…]
     • Support required from fellow students, families or other school staff [Eg: circulating and filling in a survey, reviewing a proposal…]

The groups should draft their key points in the minority language and submit a plan of their activities with a timeline. We recommend that you set a deadline to complete the activities and that you free up a few office hours for any additional support.

Homework: Content Creation (time commitment dependent on student’s own plans)

• Students will create bilingual materials including posters, social media posts, leaflets, short videos…
• Students should submit the content they create to you as part of their evaluation, as you will want to ensure that the content is authentic and that it follows what they agreed during session 2.

This activity is reserved to students in the 16 to 18 age bracket as they are expected to work independently and with accountability. Not all campaigns will succeed or go as planned. We recommend that you evaluate their work based on the written materials they present, their creativity to give visibility to their language and their confidence when they present their findings.

Session 3: Evaluation and Reflection (40 minutes)

• Have the groups make a short oral presentation in the minority language where they cover:
  • What worked well? [Eg: “The headteacher and cafeteria staff met with us and were receptive to our ideas.”]
  • What was challenging? [Eg: “We didn’t consider that most students bring their lunch from home. For this reason, the offer in the cafeteria is limited to non-perishable items.”]
  • How did they feel using the minority language for the campaign? [Eg: “It was a great opportunity to use our language outside of this class and a few students from other classes asked us about the campaign.”]
  • What would they do differently? [Eg: “We would approach the parents’ association so that they can back us up and continue campaigning to improve the cafeteria in the future.”]