SHORT SUMMARY: Youth Worker in Kuressaare Educational School has tried out one
activity explained in the handbook “European Perspectives and Good Practices on Youth
Work in Schools and Educational Institutions. Inspiration and Approaches for Youth
Workers”. He has made a blog text about the where he talks about all the steps he made
during this practice experiment. He gives an overview of the effects and changes that testing
this practice had on young people. Also what kind of difficulties he had turining testing this
practic. He is opening his thoughts about the importance of a youth worker in school.
Our school participates in Erasmus+ project “Youth work in schools” (YWIS). Kuressaare
Educational School in Saaremaa, Estonia. It is an elementary school in a small town. It is up
to the 9th grade with students from 7 to 15 years old. In total here studies approximately 700
students. One house with 5 floors and another house for the students with special educational
needs, outdoor stadium and different opportunities for ball games.
Good practice
We chose to try one of Four Democracy Education Practices in one School, student body
activities. Theme of the good practice is democracy education.
The purpose of the activity was to organize over school election for the new candidates to
student council. Students with most votes are new members of the student council which can
make decisions in school life, organize events, stand for student rights and come up with new
ideas to make school life more interesting.
Process
Process can be divided in four stages – preparation, campaign period, election and aftermath.
To simplify the procedure, you can follow steps below:
Preparation for the candidates:
- Prepare form for candidates to apply. You can use Google Forms or other similar platforms.
Students need to fill up following information: name, class, contact, interests, goals in the
student council and/or promises, photo of the candidate with recognizable face. You can also
add extra information boxes in necessary. - Spread information about the possibility to run for place in student council. Set up number
of candidates that will be elected and also from which class or age you can candidate. Use
social media, homepages, posters and talk to children from face to face. - After application deadline, print posters and make pdf and/or jpg files for online. You can
already ask candidates to make their own posters and use them or you can use information
and picture from form and make similar posters for all candidates. You can use canva.com
website for making them.
Campaign of the candidates: - Put up the posters in hallways at school, to the homepage and to social media platforms you
already use. Candidates can share your posts and ask everybody to vote for them. Share
information about one week. Don’t forget to mention election date.
It’s possible to organize rallies for candidates to meet the students and ask them questions. In
elementary school children might be more afraid of public speaking and due to that decide not
to candidate. It’s up to youth worker do decide if it’s necessary or not.
Election:
- Make voting papers with all candidate names. You need to make as many papers as there
might be voters! Voters can be all school students from first grade to the last. Younger
students can come to vote all together with teacher. - Make signature papers where all voters can sign before getting voting paper. Use class lists
on different papers to find names faster. - Set up election desk, pens and box for collecting votes.
- Call everybody to vote. Use loudspeakers and tell students to call friends.
Declare new members: - After voting read and sort all votes. Check who got the most votes and are selected to
student council. - Publish new members as soon as possible. Call them together for future discussions so they
can already feel as part of decision makers in school. Try to get together weekly.
Influences and changes
There are lots of influences to school everyday life through elections like that.
First of all, after elections all students are more aware of the student council purpose and its
members as they have voted for suitable candidates and for his or her ideas. Students can
more easily talk along in school life through the members of student council.
Also selected student council should cooperate with school management to introduce
themselves and their ideas. It helps to make better decisions for students and management can be more aware about the problems that students have.
Youth worker can help teachers with visiting social study classes. You can explain principles
of democracy or structure of election and call people to participate at the same time.
Youth worker must also have lots of contacts with students to explain the idea of student
council and call students to candidate. It’s good to explain why it’s important now and also for
your future to be part of the decision makers.
Difficulties
There might be some unexpected difficulties while organizing the elections.
On election day there should be no other major events. As we had running competition in
town at the same time some students were absent and we couldn’t get their votes.
If you have less boys (or girls) to candidate, other boys (or girls) will vote for them and some
other active student might not get enough votes to be part of student council. You can try to
explain that vote for the candidates who identifies most to your interests
Conclusion
Youth work is already part of our institution, appreciated by the students and teachers. As a
youth worker I´ve realized that young people need to speak to somebody who doesn’t take
them as students but more like a person to share thoughts, emotions and feelings with.
Through youth worker and student council students can feel being part of the decision making
at school.
Elections give active students opportunity to speak out their ideas, participate in school life
and in decision-making process. Selected students can also feel that they have trust among
other students. As all students can apply voluntarily, they have motivation to participate in
organizing school life. They make connections for their future life and improving their social
skills.
To make it happen, you need a good preparation. Think trough all you need to share with
students and how you serve it to them. Ask help if you need it with digital tools or
advertising. Try to make election day as a special event so both candidates and voters can feel
the importance of the voting. Keep everybody up with the information. You will be rewarded
with the great group of active students who will help you and their fellow students.
Arti Allmägi
Youth Woker
Kuressaare Educational School
Estonia
