Our Government Our Election

Objective
The effectiveness of involving ourselves in the political process will be explored.

Procedure
1. On the board, create five columns that students can line up in front of. Label columns:

Strongly Agree • Agree • Neutral • Disagree • Strongly Disagree

Read the statement “Government listens when we express our thoughts on how we are governed.” Ask students to stand in the
column with the stance they most agree with. Open class discussion on various stances, then give students the opportunity to change their position. Ask those who moved to share why they changed their
opinion. Ask those who stayed why they were unmoved by other arguments.

2. Read Participating in the Political Process.
KEY QUESTIONS

• What kind of interest groups and political groups exist in the community?
• If you express opposition to a law or policy, should you also propose an alternative?

3. Read Violence and Political Protest. Use questions for individual consideration or class discussion.

4. To demonstrate how citizens engagement can create change, read the case study Saving Saskatchewan Libraries.

5. To broaden understandings of citizen participation in society, have students participate in any of the listed activities in Participating in the Political Process. For example, students could observe a rally, write a letter, speak at a public meeting, volunteer with a community advocacy group, or report on or create posters with advocacy messages.

FURTHER EXPLORATION
6. To learn about the history of plebiscites and referendums in Saskatchewan, check out either The PLEA: Direct Democracy or the full-length learning resource Direct Democracy: Plebiscites and Referendums.