Justice Conversations – for Schools

What does a just world look like?

The Methodist Church wants to hear views from churches, communities and individuals to help shape its work tackling injustice.  Methodist schools are also being invited to take part and send in ideas by the end of June 2022.

What is the Walking with Micah justice project? 

This short video explains more about it  – but the headline is that the Methodist Church wants children’s views on what matters in a just world. 

This sits really well with the SIAMS expectation that children should be engaged in courageous advocacy and that schools should be looking for flourishing across their wider community.

What do we want schools to do?

The Church would like to hear children’s ideas about injustice. You might do this with a group of children in a lesson or maybe pull out a representative focus group – it could be something a teacher or the chaplain leads. The adults in your school, who know your community’s lives so well, may also have things you wish to contribute – but hearing from the children is particularly important.

Schools will be aware of children in every class who will be impacted in different ways by issues of injustice.  For some this will be personal, possibly traumatic experiences.  Teachers will wish to approach a lesson based on the questions asked above, and the possible issues which might come up, sensitive to the needs of their particular class.

There is an online form where people can submit their answers. You might also wish to video children’s responses or take pictures of their work and upload these.  (These pictures and films will not be shared without your permission)

Visual prompts or starters

This gallery of photos  could be used to help start conversations about justice and injustice, and what a good world looks like.  For example, children could be asked to sort them into “fair” and “unfair” or use them to talk about issues that they are aware of in their communities or on the news.

Children are invited to think about three questions:

1. What would a fair, kind and green society and world look like?
   
   For example, children could complete the phrase “I dream of a world where….”
   
   Children could then vote on the top three descriptions of a just world, and then answer questions 2 and 3 for each one

1. What is getting in the way of this dream of a just future?
   
   For example, children could describe what the biggest problem our society or world faces at the moment

1. What is the most important thing that could be done to tackle this problem?
   
   For example, children could decide what individuals, schools, communities or governments could do to help

What next?

Schools can then submit children’s answers at https://r1.dotdigital-pages.com/p/BVI-WZU/walking-with-micah-methodist-schools-feedback.   Images or short videos can also be uploaded at this address.

The Methodist Church will be using data gathered from schools, churches and communities to help shape its priorities for tackling in justice in the future.

Thank you for taking part!

Additional resources

You can also find  additional resources for conversations about justice here – including a session plan for children and young people