How+Student+Council+Works

=**Generating Ideas, Making an Agenda and the Democratic Process ** =

Your class will need to choose one idea for your representatives to bring along to student council meeting.

To get going on that, here’s what we are going to do:

1. As a class, have a quick recapping brainstorm session on some of the things that you would like to change, improve or add to our school. (5 minutes)

2. Next, make **//your own//** list of **//three//** ideas that you would like taken to council meeting. (Your ideas do not need to be from the class brainstorm list)

3. Step 3, is to cross out two of your ideas so that you are left with just one. When deciding which idea is best, it is good to remember that although some ideas might be brilliant, they might also be impossible, or very difficult to achieve. For example, maybe you think that your grade should have P.E. every day of the week. Well that’s a nice idea, but it’s just not going to happen because of the space in the gym! On the other end of the scale, some ideas may be so simple that you don’t //need// to take them to council. For example if your idea is that the library needs more Harry Potter books, do you need to take that idea to council? Why not just go and see Mrs Meeks yourself? Of write a letter asking for more Harry Potter books, and get lots of kids to sign it. Remember student leadership is about //everyone// having a chance to contribute to the school!

4. Next, pair up with two other people, and share your ideas. (If the class can’t have groups of three, regroup as needed but try to keep an odd number). When everyone in the group has shared their ideas, you need to as a group choose **//one//** of those ideas as being the best. However, maybe as you were talking about the ideas, some new ideas came up, or you found a way to improve one of the ideas, or combine two of them. That’s fine, just as long as your group has one idea to share with the class. If you can’t decide which idea is best, you will need to have a vote in your group. A good rule is that you can’t vote for your own idea.

5. When your group has chosen the idea you like best, write it down on the “//Items for the Agenda//” sheet, which should be pasted on the whiteboard. You need to fill in the cells “//Agenda Item//”, “//Presented by (your names)//” and “//Brief Description//” An //agenda// is the list of things that are to be discussed at a meeting.

6. Once all groups have written their idea down on the ‘Items for the Agenda’ sheet, you are ready to have a meeting, share the ideas and choose one to be taken to council.

7. Once you are all on the carpet, each group can have a turn to present their idea. The groups present their ideas in the order that they are listed on the “//Items for the Agenda”// sheet. After each group has presented, you can have a short class discussion about the idea and ask the group questions.

When all items from the agenda have been discussed it is time to vote on which idea you liked best, The result of the vote should be recorded on the //Items for the Agenda// sheet.

Your class reps will then bring along the Items for the Agenda sheet to the council meeting and share the idea that your class liked best.

=****The Democratic Process** ** =  So what happens now?

Well, you have chosen a great idea no doubt, but before we do anything about your idea, we have to find out if the rest of the classes in your council like it.

Your representatives will present your idea at the next council meeting, and then all the other class reps will get to hear it too. They will then take back your idea and explain it to their classes in their class meetings.

All the other classes will then vote whether they like your idea or not. If more than 5 classes like the idea, then the council will try and make the idea happen. If less than 5 classes like the idea, then I am afraid that the idea will not be followed up.

Of course your class will also get to vote on the ideas from other classes as well.

This process where everyone gets to have a say and a vote is called the ‘democratic process’.