Hello, everyone.

My name is Miss Wyatt, and I'm so pleased that you could join me here today for our lesson.

Welcome to today's lesson on "How can we campaign and influence change?" from the unit: "How can citizens bring about change?" By the end of this lesson, you will be able to describe what campaigning is, identify successful examples of campaigns and explain ways to lobby.

We will be using the following keywords today in our lesson.

These keywords are: campaign, campaigning and lobby.

A campaign are actions or events organised by an individual or a group of people to achieve an aim.

Campaigning is the process of persuading people to support a campaign or to change their behaviour.

And lobby is when an individual or a group tries to persuade someone in Parliament to support a particular policy or campaign.

Lobbying can be done in person, by sending letters or emails or via social media.

Some of these words may be new to us today, but please don't worry as I'm here to guide you through our lesson.

Our lesson is broken up into two parts today.

We're starting by looking at "What is campaigning?" and then we will move on "How do you lobby?" So when you are ready, let's have a look at "What is campaigning?" How can you persuade your parents to let you have something they aren't sure you need? Let's just think about that for a minute.

Maybe we've been there in that situation before.

Have we ever had to persuade your parents or guardians or carers to let you to have something that they're not too sure that you need it? Hmm? Another way to describe trying to change a person's mind is to try and influence them.

In Citizenship, when we talk about having influence, we mean making positive difference or change in communities or wider society through our campaigns and actions.

There are many different methods people can use to influence people with power.

You may know some influencers and these people try to change a person's mind and try to influence them into something.

But when we're in Citizenship, we're talking about these influencers making a positive difference or changing our communities or wider societies.

One of the most effective methods to influence people in power is by campaigning, which remember was one of our key words.

Campaigning is the process of persuading people to support a cause or to change their behaviour.

A campaign includes any actions or events organised by an individual or a group of people to achieve an aim, typically, a political or a social one.

Campaigning is the verb and campaign is the noun of the same word.

They are both of our keyword.

So let's have a go at filling in the missing words to these sentences.

It says, blank is the process of persuading people to support a cause or to change their behaviour.

A blank includes any actions or events organised by an individual or a group of people to achieve an aim, typically a political or social one.

So let's pause the video and let's have a think about what these missing words could be.

Okay, so it's time for answers now.

So our first missing word is campaigning.

So campaigning is the process of persuading people to support a cause or to change their behaviour.

A campaign includes any actions or events organised by an individual or a group of people to achieve an aim, typically a political or a social one.

So well done if you recognise that our missing words were campaigning and campaign.

Have you heard of any campaigns, either past or present? Let's just have a think now.

Do we know of any campaigns, either ones that are happening right now or ones that we might have learned about in certain lessons like history? Throughout history, there have been groups that have campaigned for change.

Both the Chartists and women's suffrage movements campaigned for equal voting rights.

The aim of the Chartists was to gain political rights and influence for the working classes, and the women's suffrage movement was to campaign for women rights and for women to have the vote.

Women have campaigned for equal pay, and more recently there have been campaigns focused on climate change and free school meals.

So how can we campaign for change? There are many different methods and ways to conduct a campaign, and it's important to think about the right one for the campaign.

You would also need to think about who the right people are to contact.

This would depend on whether it's a local, national, or global issue.

So there's lots of different ways to go about making a campaign, and you need to be able to think about what is the right action for this campaign? Who does it need to reach? Who do I need to get into contact with? There are many campaigning methods to choose from: lobby your Member of Parliament, or MP, or peers in the House of Lords.

So writing to or meeting with them to try and influence them to look at your issue.

You could visit your MP at their constituency office; send a letter or email to a peer or MP; start a petition, so get lots of signatures; boycott a certain product, service or business, so stop or refuse to use a service; write a blog or social media post.

You can get involved in campaigning by joining the youth section of a political party, a campaign, pressure group, protest group or social movement, a school council or the Youth Parliament.

So you can see that there's lots of different ways and methods to get involved with campaigning.

So let's check our understanding.

Which is not a campaign method? Is it A: join a pressure group.

B: email your MP, C: start a petition, or D: boycott something? Which is not a campaign method? Pause the video and make your decision from this list.

Okay, it's time for answers.

So which is not a campaign method? Hopefully we said joining a pressure group.

Joining any sort of group is not a method.

You may campaign as part of a pressure group, but the group is not the method.

It has to use them.

Andeep says, "I am on the school council; we ran a campaign that raised awareness about road safety and wrote to the local MP about street lighting.

It worked! We got a brand new set of streetlights for the road leading to the school." So Andeep's on the school council and they've run a campaign that raised awareness about the road safety and wrote to the local MP about street lighting.

Now because they did this, they now have this new set of streetlights for the road leading to school, which makes it a lot safer to be on that road.

Sofia says, "That sounds like a good local campaign, Andeep.

I'm a member of the Youth Parliament.

We did a global campaign to encourage recycling and the reusing of materials.

We boycotted single-use plastics." So they stopped using single-use plastics in order to try and raise awareness of recycling and reusing materials.

There are many examples of successful campaigns.

For instance, in 2024, Liverpool City Council's 24 Magic Months campaign focused on early childhood development, emphasising the critical first two years of a child's life.

So how did the 24 Magic Months succeed? The initiative provided resources and support to parents and caregivers, promoting activities that foster cognitive and emotional growth.

By collaborating with local health services and community organisations, the campaign ensured widespread reach and impact.

It also inspired other councils to do the same.

So how was this campaign recognised? This a comprehensive approach led to the campaign's recognition as the Campaign of the Year at the 2024 Local Government Chronicle, the LGC Awards.

The LGC Awards recognise outstanding initiatives, strategies and programmes implemented by local councils and authorities.

So those initiatives, those are campaigns that go above and beyond.

The LGC awards run across various categories, like community engagement, housing, health, environment, and education.

So why did the 24 Magic Months win Campaign of the Year? Is it A: it worked alone to ensure complete control over the initiative, B: it collaborated with local health services and community organisations, or C: it inspired the UK government to implement the initiative country-wide? Which one do we think it is? Let's pause the video and have a think.

Okay, so why did the 24 Magic Months win Campaign of the Year? Hopefully we said.

B: it collaborated with local health services and community organisations.

It got the right sort of people locally involved.

Well done if you got that correct.

So what is online campaigning? Recently, social media and online methods of campaigning have become more important to those wanting to create change.

So what is a good example of online campaigning? One organisation well known for online campaigning is 38 Degrees.

It involves more than 2 million people from every part of the UK.

On their website, you are able to set up online petitions, which are shared with thousands of people to reach huge numbers of signatures.

They use social media to share new petitions, email representatives, and crowdfund groundbreaking research.

Now crowdfunding is the practise of raising money for a project or a campaign by asking some people to contribute small amounts, so donating money.

They also support citizens in meeting politicians face-to-face to lobby them about important issues across the UK.

So true or false? One organisation well known for online campaigning is 48 Degrees.

Is that true or is it false? Hopefully we recognise that it is false.

Why is it false? One organisation well known for online campaign is 38 Degrees, not 48.

It has over two million people as part of its online community.

Well done if you recognised that.

What I would like us to do now is have a go at writing one paragraph explaining what campaigning is.

Try to include five methods of campaigning and an example of a successful campaign.

Lucas says, "The best responses will also include definitions for both campaign and campaigning." So our two keywords.

So let's have a go at writing a paragraph now to explain what campaigning is.

Remember, we need to try and include five methods of campaigning and an example of a really good one.

So pause the video here and have a good go at writing one paragraph explaining what campaigning is.

Enjoy.

Okay, hopefully we've had enough time now to write one paragraph about campaigning.

So your answer might include some of the similar ones that we have written about.

A campaign is a series of actions or events organised by individuals or groups to achieve an aim.

And campaigning is the process of persuading people to support the campaign or to change their behaviour.

People can campaign in many ways, such as visiting an MP at their constituency office, sending a letter or email to a peer or MP, lobbying an MP or peer, joining the youth section of a political party or joining a pressure or protest group.

A great example of a successful campaign is the 24 Magic Months initiative in Liverpool, which raised awareness about the importance of a child's first two years of life.

By working with local health services, sending resources to parents and carers and holding community events, this campaign improved early childhood development and inspired other councils to follow its lead.

So we said what campaign was, we said what campaigning is.

We said that the ways that they can do it, the different methods of it, and we've given them an example of the 24 Magic Months in Liverpool.

So well done if you also did the same.

We have now looked at the first part of our lesson, which is "What is campaigning?", and we're now going to explore the question of "How do you lobby?" Lobbying is an important campaigning method for creating change.

Lobbying is when someone tries to influence politicians to support their cause.

An individual or group of people can lobby an MP or peers over any particular issue.

This could be connected to their local area or constituency, which they represent, or it could be something that affects everybody across the country.

Okay? So lobbying is really, really important when it comes to campaigning.

It's a really important campaigning method to try and create change.

So it's when you try to influence politicians to support a cause.

So an individual or a group of people can lobby an MP.

Lots of charities provide advice on how to lobby your MP, offering guidance on how to write to them and what to do in a meeting.

Organisations like Amnesty International, Age UK, ActionAid UK, and Friends of the Earth rely on people supporting their cause and lobbying their local MPS to get more support for their campaigns.

So who can you not lobby? Is it MPs, judges or peers? Who can we not lobby? Pause the video and have a think about this question and make an answer.

Okay, we can't lobby judges.

Aisha says, "Judges and courts have to be fair and impartial and cannot be influenced by lobbying." MPs and peers though, you can do.

So well done if you got that right.

Lobbying is an essential part of effective democracy and is a great campaign method.

There have been many campaigns that have used lobbying as the main method of campaigning.

For example: The Say Pants to the Tax campaign by Marks & Spencer in 2024 raised awareness about the tax added to reusable period underwear.

This initiative successfully lobbied for the removal of 20% VAT on period pants, highlighting the financial burden on people who menstruate.

So Say Pants to the Tax campaign by Marks & Spencer's did actually raise awareness about this 20% VAT on period pants, which then highlighted the financial burden on those that do menstruate and ended up successfully removing that 20% VAT.

Another example is the Rural Powerhouse campaign by the Country Land and Business Association aimed to unlock the economic and social potential of the countryside.

This campaign effectively lobbied for policies supporting rural development.

Another example is the Stop Climate Chaos coalition, which was established in 2005.

So this coalition of non-governmental organisations or NGOs has used lobbying to influence UK climate policies and advocate for substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

So let's have a go at matching the campaign title with its aim.

So we've got Say Pants to the Tax, Rural Powerhouse and Stop Climate Chaos.

They're our campaign titles.

Now we need to match them to their aim.

So let's pause the video and have a go at matching the campaign title across to its aim.

Good luck.

Okay, so hopefully we've had a good go at matching the campaign title to its aim now, and we're gonna go through the answers.

So we had Say Pants to the Tax, which was the Marks & Spencer's campaign.

Which one did that match to? Hopefully we said the removal of VAT on period pants.

Well done if we got that right.

Then we had Rural Powerhouse.

Hopefully we said that this matched to the introduction of policies supporting rural development, that's what their aim was, which then obviously leaves us with Stop Climate Chaos to influence UK climate policies.

So different campaigns with different aims, and well done if you got them right.

What methods can we use to lobby an MP then? Where we could write a letter or email and clearly express our concerns or the changes you'd like them to support? Be concise and respectful, including specific requests or actions.

So when you are writing this letter or an email to an MP, we need to clearly write down our concerns and our issues and the changes that we'd like them to support.

Now when we're doing this, we need to be pretty straight to the point because they're busy and they've got other issues and other people sending in issues that they want to campaign about.

So we need to be pretty straight to the point, concise, and we need to be respectful with it as well.

We could also arrange a meeting.

So visit your MP at their constituency office or surgery it's called, with a trusted adult to discuss the issue face-to-face.

This is a powerful way to share your perspective and build a personal connection.

So maybe you could do this with a trusted adult or you could do it with a group with a trusted adult.

Maybe your school has something like a school council.

You could also start a petition: so gather signatures to demonstrate widespread support for your cause and present it to your MP to strengthen your campaign.

Use social media with a trusted adult: engage with your MP on social media platforms where you can publicly raise awareness and tag them in posts about your cause.

Alex says, "I think writing to your MP would be a good idea because then they would have the time to think about the idea before responding.

Also, I'm not old enough yet to use social media to campaign." So maybe some of you are in the same position as Alex right now.

Jun says, "I think a meeting with my MP would be more effective because it's face-to-face and I'd be able to get my points across better.

I'd also take a petition to show how much support I had for my issue." So you might be siding with Jun now and thinking, actually, I would rather sit down with someone and be face-to-face with them.

So which of these is not a method of lobbying? Is it A: using social media, B: writing to your MP, C: starting a petition, or D: voting in elections? Which of these is not a method of lobbying? Pause the video and make your decision.

Okay, it is time for answers.

So we should have said D.

Voting in elections is not a method of lobbying.

Sam says, "Voting expresses your opinion on who should hold office but doesn't directly influence specific policies or issues.

Whereas using social media with a trusted adult, writing to your MP and starting a petition does actually express your opinion on the campaign." Well done if you got that right.

You have been asked to lobby your MP about an issue that concerns you in your local community.

So what issue would you like to lobby for? Can you explain why? And what two methods would you use? Try and explain why with this as well.

So Izzy says, "I think I'd lobby for more activities for young people to do in my local community." And Laura says, "I'd lobby for better services for the elderly so they don't feel lonely in my community." So think now, you are in your local community, you know your local community best, and you've been asked to lobby your MP about an issue that concerns you about your local community.

So we need to write down what issue we would like to lobby for and why, and what two methods we would use when lobbying and explaining why.

So pause the video and have a good go at this task now, and I hope you enjoy it.

Okay, good job, everyone.

So your answer might have included some of the following, but remember all of our local communities are different and so there might be very different answers and that is fine also.

So I would like to lobby my MP for safer and better maintained public parks in my local area.

Many parks have broken play equipment, litter and poor lighting, making them less safe and less welcoming for families and young people.

Parks are important community spaces that promote exercise, social interaction and wellbeing.

So improving them would benefit everyone in the area.

Firstly, I would arrange a meeting with my MP face-to-face.

Meeting with my MP would allow me to present the issue in person, supported by photos of the parks and feedback from local residents.

And this personal approach would help highlight the urgency of the problem and suggest actionable solutions, like allocating funding for repairs.

Secondly, I would start a petition signed by local residents.

This would demonstrate that improving parks is a priority for the community.

Presenting the petition during the meeting would also show my MP the strong local support for change, making the case more persuasive.

So we've said that improving the park is what we would like to have a go at lobbying on.

And the way that we would do this is we would arrange a meeting with an MP face-to-face and we would start a petition signed by the local residents and give the MP this petition when we meet them.

So you might have used maybe the same methods and you might have also said that, unfortunately, maybe your park needs improving in your local community.

But you might have also said different and that's fine too, as long as we've identified an issue that we'd like to lobby on, and the two methods that we would use to do this.

So well done if you have done that.

"Lobbying MPs and peers is an important right when trying to create change." Do you agree with this statement? Can you give reasons for your answer? So Andeep says, "It's important to think of the benefits of lobbying and give reasons for why you agree or disagree so your opinion is clear." Okay, so someone said this random statement: "Lobbying MPs and peers is an important right when trying to create change." Now do we agree? So let's give reasons for why we might agree or disagree so that our opinion is really clear.

So when we're ready, let's pause the video and have a go at this task.

Okay, so your answer might have included some of the following: So, "I agree with the statement because lobbying MPs and peers allows people to raise important issues directly with decision makers.

It is a key democratic right that ensures citizens' voices are heard in shaping policies.

Methods like meeting MPs at surgeries or sending letters can highlight community concerns effectively.

For example, successful lobbying campaigns, like ones run by 38 Degrees, show how engaging with representatives can lead to meaningful change benefiting society." So we agreed with this statement and we gave the reasons why.

Alternatively, your answer might have included: "I disagree with this statement because lobbying MPs and peers doesn't always lead to real change.

Often decisions are influenced by factors like party politics or funding, making it hard for individual concerns to be heard.

While it's a useful right for advocacy, lobbying can sometimes feel ineffective, especially if MPs don't take action or prioritise issues that benefit their constituents.

Other forms of activism, like demonstrations can sometimes have more impact." So this person has said that they disagree with it because it doesn't always lead to real change.

Now there is no right or wrong answer with this task.

It's just whether you agreed or disagreed with the statement and were able to support yourself with your reasons.

And if you've managed to do that, you've done a good job.

We have now come to the end of our lesson on "How can we campaign and influence change?" So campaigning is the process of persuading people to support a cause or change their behaviour.

It can involve actions or events organised by individuals or groups, like boycotts or petitions.

Online campaigns are also powerful tools.

They often use social media and websites to raise awareness and gain support.

Lobbying is a method of directly influencing decision makers, such as MPs or peers, to take action on an issue.

This can be done by writing letters, meeting MPs, or starting petitions.

Lobbying can lead to changes in policies or local improvements.

Both campaigning and lobbying are important rights that allow people to participate in democracy and create positive change.

So I've really enjoyed today's lesson on "How can we campaign and influence change?" I hope you've learned a lot today and I'd like to thank you for your efforts.

I hope to see you in the next one.

Bye-bye.