Introducing the Community Project

How should we start the community project?

The presentation below can be used to introduce the community project (CP) to students and staff. Coordinators are welcome to use and adapt.

4MB

Community Project Managebac Slides.pptx

Ideas to introduce the community project and motivate students

The community project is an amazing way to empower students to take action about something they feel passionate about.

Sometimes students struggle to either find a passion about a topic or to find a particular community in which to participate. Students need opportunities to explore both through brainstorming and research-based inquiry.

Community Project Exploration Fair

While not a specific requirement, spending time to allow students to explore local and global organizations can significantly improve the motivation of students and help them discover issues in which they are passionate. This fair would occur at the introduction of the project, during the 'Investigating' phase.

• Set a date and time for the fair, typically a 1.5 - 3 hour period depending on the amount of participants.

• Set up stations that revolve around the global contexts. Contact local community organizations to see if they are willing to send in educational materials, or even a representative to speak. Laptops can be set up on various pages of websites, or printouts can be laid on tables of both local and global organizations.

• Students circulate with a brainstorming sheet to collect ideas for their project. Include on the sheet and area for them to begin their research.

• After the fair, have students reflect and consolidate their ideas down to their goal.

If your school is virtual or you do not have the space for a fair, this could be done virtually in a website scavenger hunt.

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

The most paramount issue of the world today is...?

Students love debatable questions. Another great way to motivate students to become passionate about an issue is to have them debate the most important, timely, impactful (insert word of choice here) issue. Begin first examining their local community through the global goals and follow up by examining the most important world issue or vice versa. There is no one right answer, however students inquiring about these global goals in a debate are bound to become passionate about one of them.