Lesson video

Hello, my name's Ms. Ikomi, and I'm gonna be guiding you through today's lesson.

Thank you for joining me.

We've got a lot to get through, so we're gonna get started.

Today's lesson is going to be on how are we connected in the UK? It is part of the unit.

What are our identities and our communities? By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to explain how UK communities are connected and why this is important.

So let's get started.

The key words that we're gonna come across in today's lesson are community, a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.

Our next one is connection, a relationship in which a person or thing is linked or associated with something else.

You've probably heard this one before.

Lastly, democracy, a system or of government in which citizens vote in regular, fair elections for representatives who then make laws and decisions on their behalf.

Keep an eye out for these key words as we move through today's lesson.

To get started, we're going to think about how are communities connected? I'm gonna put up a few objects on the screen.

Have a look at these objects.

Laura is asking, "What can you make with them?" What do you think you can make with them? Jacob can tell us what it makes.

It's a bike.

Is that what you got? Much like our bike, all of these pieces that we saw form together to make a bike.

Individually, they don't do much.

The wheels don't really work without the handlebar and vice versa, but together, they function better and provide us a service.

They support each other and form connections, working together, they become our bike.

This is just like a community.

Without each other, without other people, there are no connections and no interactions.

That means that much like our bike, the things aren't going to work as they should.

We need to have connections between people to find support, friendship, and help within the community much like we need our wheels and handlebar to be connected for our bike to work.

Connections allow people to achieve their goals more easily, and this means the community becomes more inclusive.

That means that we include lots of people, even if they're different to us.

And also peaceful because everybody is involved in making it better for everyone.

Let's check what we can remember from before.

How is a bike like a community? A, it's made up of the same parts which work together, but do not achieve a good result.

B, it's not connected with enough parts to serve a purpose or achieve a common goal.

Or C, it's made up of different parts which form connections to serve a purpose and achieve a goal.

Pause the video and choose your answer.

Let's check our answers.

The correct answer was C.

It's made of different parts which form connections to serve a purpose and achieve a goal, much like our bike.

Within a group or community, we're connected by our similar values or beliefs.

We might have similar interests or hobbies, or we might be connected by the area we live in.

Sophia says that connection is a relationship in which a personal thing is linked or associated with something else.

She knows that we are going to form thousands of different connections in our life, so they're really important.

Let's try and match the word to the correct definition.

A, a relationship in which a person or thing is linked or associated with something else.

B, to give assistance to, or C, a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.

Which of our words do you think match up with those definitions? Pause the video and see if you can check.

Let's check our answers.

A community is a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.

Connection means a relationship in which a person or thing is linked or associated with something else.

That means that support is to give assistance to.

Well done if you got those right.

We are connected to our community in lots of different ways.

For example, potentially we share community spaces.

Shops provide us with food.

The post office gives us services like checking passports.

School gives us an education.

Places of worship, if you are a member, become a place where you can come and connect with people.

Sports centres, if you go there, are a place people can practise their hobbies.

Doctor's surgery helps you if you are ill.

And lastly, community centres where some people go to make connections with each other or to do their hobbies.

Alex says, "Is it just the places in our communities that we are connected to?" Aisha is saying, "You can feel connected to a place, but it's more often the people in communities that you are connected to and you can get support and help from.

Now let's check what we can remember.

True or false? Places are the most important things we are connected to within our community.

Pause the video and decide if you think that this is true or false.

The correct answer is false.

The reason for this is that for most people, it's the people within communities and its places that you form a deeper connection with as they offer you help support and comfort or just good companionship.

So although places can be important, what's more important is the people and those connections that make up our community.

Alex is asking, "Are all connections the same?" Aisha responds, "No.

Schools, park, shops and places of worship bring people together.

Families, friends and neighbours help each other, while local services like doctors, firefighters and the police work to keep everyone safe.

Community events like festivals, sports or charity fundraisers also help people form connections because people enjoy similar activities." So although they all play a similar role, they might all look quite different in how they're playing out, just like Aisha says.

"What about social media?" "Even social media can let people stay in touch and share ideas.

All these connections help build strong care in communities where people support one another and work together.

Many communities have social media pages which let them communicate and help each other, whether it be finding a local takeaway or offering something for charity." So therefore we can think about how communities stay connected, not just face to face or in real life, but how that can also happen online and how a positive impact that can have.

Okay, let's check what we've understood.

Which of the following statements are true? A, connections within communities are all different.

B, people can form connections with people and places.

C, connections within communities are all the same.

Or D, people form connections with only people.

Pause the video and choose.

Let's check which of these statements are true.

Connections within communities are all different.

This one is true.

People conform connections with people and places.

This one is also true.

Connections within communities are all the same.

This one is not true.

And lastly, people can conform connections with only people.

This one is also not true.

Let's do a task.

I'd like you to imagine a community with our rising costs.

I want you to draw a mind map showing how four different places might be connected through trying to solve this issue.

Andeep has an example below.

"For the first three parts of my mind map, I would choose the Gurdwara, the homeless shelter, and the food bank.

I'm connected to the Gurdwara because I'm a Sikh and every day we cook and give food to the homeless shelter in our community.

Lots of people donate food to us and anything we do not use to cook, we donate to the food bank.

This helps feed the people in our community that are struggling and provides them with a warm meal and support.

Here we can see an example of Andeep's mind map for his community places.

We can see the Gurdwara that he mentioned on there being connected to the supermarket because the supermarket donates food and it's also connected to the community centre where students volunteer.

This is a great example that shows us how communities are connected and how they come together to solve specific issues.

Pause the video now to have a go at doing your own mind map, connecting some places.

Now we're gonna think about why are connections important? Connections are important because they help shape our identity.

Without other people, we wouldn't know who we were.

Our connections with our family, our friends, and our community help shape who we are by influencing how we think, how we feel, and how we act.

If we didn't have those connections, we wouldn't necessarily know how to do any of those things.

The relationships and connections that we build teach us values.

Values are things that we hold to be important.

It gives us support and help to understand the world.

The people around us build our personality, and ultimately, how we see ourselves in each other.

Okay, let's check what we can remember.

True or false? Connections help to shape our identity.

Pause the video and choose.

The correct answer is true.

Let's see why.

Connections help to shape our identity by having an impact on how we think, feel, and act.

They us understand the world we live in and ourselves.

Connections within communities are important because they bring people together and help to support each other.

When we work together, we can solve problems. Every community has problems. What strong communities do is make connections to see how we can improve those communities from the inside out.

Feeling connected in a community gives us a shared sense of belonging, that makes us feel safe and cared for, which makes our community strong.

Jacob says he encouraged his friends not to shout loudly in the street when playing football, in case people who do night shifts are sleeping.

This helps and supports everyone and shows how our community works together by being connected.

This is a fantastic example of why connections are so important.

Izzy is also doing her bit within her community.

"Our community had a problem with littering, so we all worked together to organise a litter pick to clear up the community.

The connection we formed together improved everyone's lives and encourage others to stop littering." Okay, let's see what we can remember.

What did Izzy's community do to solve the issue of littering? Was it A, put more bins on the community streets? B, organise a litter pick in the community, or C, find community members for dropping litter? Pause the video and see what you can remember.

The correct answer was B, organise a litter pick in the community.

Well done if you got that right.

It's so important that we have connections between communities within the UK because this helps to build a united, fair and supportive society.

When different communities make connections, they understand and work together, that means that they can share ideas more easily.

They can celebrate diversity within those communities, so that means differences, and also solve problems that might come up more easily.

This helps reduce conflict and makes the country stronger and more inclusive.

It's much easier to fix issues if we will talk to each other rather than trying to do it separately.

Okay, what can we remember? What do connections between communities reduce? Is it A, peace, B, conflict, C, pollution, or D, friendship? Pause your video and check your answer.

Okay, let's see which one's right.

The correct answer was B, conflict.

Well done if you got that right.

Okay, time for another task.

I would like you to read Lucas's story and highlight why he plays chess.

"I have made lots of connections in my local community.

I have a powered wheelchair and I love games, so I've joined a chess club near where I live, which is accessible to me.

It's great.

Not only do I meet new people, but I can also ask for support and help from the people I've met there that also have a disability." Pause the video and highlight the reasons why Lucas plays chess.

Okay, let's check our answers.

Have you highlighted in Lucas's story the following parts? Lucas plays chess because he loves games.

Also because the chess club is near where he lives and is accessible to him.

It also gives him an opportunity to meet new people, and lastly, it gives him a chance to ask for support and help from people who he's met there, that also have a disability.

Well done if you got those.

Let's do a bit more thinking about connections and why they're important to Lucas.

I would like you to explain why these connections are important to Lucas, giving examples from what Lucas has told us.

Pause the video now and answer the question.

Okay, let's check our answer.

Your response might have looked a little bit like mine.

Lucas's story shows that connections are important to him because they provide both social and emotional support.

By joining the chess team in his community, he has made friends, met people who understand his experiences and challenges and been able to access a game he enjoys.

These connections allow him to seek help, share advice, and feel included.

Playing the sport also brings him joy and a sense of belonging, which helps him stay active and engaged.

Overall, these connections make his life more fulfilling and enjoyable.

Now we're going to think about how different communities connect in the UK.

Different communities often work together across the UK to encourage change.

This means that if something is going wrong, maybe there's crime or maybe there's issues within the local environment, communities use their connections to try and tackle those issues.

Young people also get involved in their communities, particularly tackling issues that are going to have an impact on them and their future.

So things like climate change or something that's very important to young people.

They might influence or make this change through protesting or potentially hosting events to spread the message.

Okay, let's check what we've learned.

True or false? Young people do not work together in communities.

Pause the video and check your answer.

Okay, let's check.

The correct answer is false.

Well done if you got that right.

Why do we think this is? This is because young people often work together to tackle issues both in their local and national communities.

Just because you're young, doesn't mean you can't make a difference.

Another example of how some young people choose to take part is through the UK Youth Parliament.

Much like adults Parliament, Youth Parliament gives people a chance to be represented and their issues be brought to the forefront.

Young people are voted into Youth Parliament every two years by other young people.

Over 70% of the constituencies in the UK have a Youth Parliament representative.

In Youth Parliament, the young people elected discuss and debate issues and work with different organisations and try and bring these issues to the adult Parliament's attention.

As we live in a democracy, which if we can remember from our keywords, is a system of government in which citizens vote in regular, fair elections for representatives who then make laws and decisions on their behalf.

The Youth Parliament is an example of that democracy.

We vote for the people to represent us, and then they bring our issues both to Youth Parliament and then maybe to adults Parliament.

So Youth Parliament is a really good example of democracy and the democratic process.

Sam is telling us that democratic processes allow all the people within the democracy to have a say in what happens in their local, national, and global communities.

It brings people together over issues or decisions that need to be made.

Let's see what we can remember.

We're going to try and match the words with the correct definition.

First definition is A, allows everyone to have a say in what issues are important.

B, the process of choosing officials or policies by casting a ballot or C, a system of government in which citizens vote in regular, fair elections.

Pause the video and try and match up the words with the definitions we just read out.

Let's check our answers.

Democracy, the correct definition for the democracy was, a system of government in which citizens vote in regular, fair elections.

Next one, voting.

This is the process of choosing officials or policies by casting a ballot.

Last, we have democratic processes.

These allow everyone to have a say in what issues are important.

Well done if you got those right.

UK Youth Parliament helps young people between the ages of 11 and 18 represent themselves democratically.

This means they can bring forward issues that are important to them.

This isn't a new idea, and UK Youth Parliament has been running for over 25 years.

It helps young people to get involved in their local, national, and global communities, and this is gonna help them to make more connections.

It allows young people to make a positive change and gives them a chance to use their specific skills and ideas as a group.

Just like we need all the different items to make a bike, we also need to have lots of different skills to successfully make change happen within communities, whether that's to do with picking up litter or whether that's to do with other issues that are important.

Every two years, the UK Youth Parliament run a vote for all 11 to 18 year olds in the country.

This is called Make Your Mark.

Young people are invited to tell the government what matters to them and what issues need to be focused on at a national and local level.

This is giving young people a voice.

Unfortunately, the British Youth Council that organised the UK Youth Parliament closed in March, 2024.

However, because of its importance, the government appointed the National Youth Agency to run UK Youth Parliament from May, 2024.

Okay, let's see what we can remember.

What does Make Your Mark give young people? A, a guarantee, B, a solution, or C, a voice? Pause your video and choose your answer.

Okay, let's see which one's right.

The correct answer is C, a voice.

Well done if you got that right.

The Make Your Mark vote helps the UK Youth Parliament see which issues matter to young people in the communities.

That means that they can then focus on those issues, particularly building connections between communities.

This is a great example to show how the different communities connect in the UK.

Jacob is gonna ask, "What issue did they vote for in 2024?" Let's see if we can find out.

In 2024, more than half million young people voted in the Make Your Mark vote.

They chose issues that were most important to them.

These are the options of issues they could choose from, climate and the environment, transport, health and wellbeing, young people's services and youth work, jobs, economy and benefits, rights, equality and democracy, culture, media and sport, crime and safety, international relations, education and learning.

Which of these is most important to you? Do you think that's gonna be the same as what people voted for in 2024? Let's see what the top three issues were in 2024.

The top three issues that people voted for were health and wellbeing, crime and safety and culture, media and sport.

Aisha says, "The UK Youth Parliament members work within their own communities and make connections with others to tackle these important issues on a local and national level.

They take their findings and concern to Parliament." Okay, let's see what we can remember.

Which topic was the most important issue in 2024's Make Your Mark vote? Was it A, education and learning? B, crime and safety? C, health and wellbeing? Pause your video and choose your answer.

Okay.

Let's see.

The correct answer was health and wellbeing.

Well done if you got that right.

Oka, let's put this into practise.

The UK Youth Parliament wants to know what you think is the most important issue in your community.

I would like you to write to the UK Youth Parliament explaining what the issue is, why this issue matters, and how they can help to fix it.

Izzy has some tips for us.

"Select the issue from the options for the Make Your Mark vote on slide 43.

Can you try and include the words community and connection in your answer?" Pause the video now and complete this task.

Okay, Let's feedback.

Your letter might have looked like this.

Dear UK Youth Parliament, I want to highlight a crime and safety issue in our community.

Speeding is a huge problem, especially near the school gates, where pupils often have to dodge fast cars when walking in and out of school.

Accidents will happen if this important issue isn't addressed.

Please help by contacting the necessary authorities to instal signs reminding drivers to slow down.

You could also contact other communities who have successfully reduced speeding to learn from their successes, or you could raise the issue with Parliament.

Thank you for your concern in this matter.

This answer is good because it has included some of our key words.

Why don't you look at yours and see if you managed to get some of our keywords from our lesson into your answer.

Okay.

In summary, today we have been looking at how we are all connected in the UK.

We have learned that communities are tied together by group of connections.

We're connected through our families, friends, neighbours share characteristics and interests.

Through those connections and through talking to each other, communicating, people can find support, guidance, and motivation to change things for the better.

Communities work together across the country to make the UK a better and safer place to live.

In 2024, over half a million young people voted in the UK Youth Parliament and the majority said that they were most concerned about health and wellbeing in their communities.

That's the end of today's lesson.

Thank you so much for taking part with me.