To be good at making change happen, you first need to have a good understanding and appreciation of yourself as a group and of those around you. We may know each other well socially, or have strong assumptions about each other. But how well do we know each other when in a tight spot, defending something that is important to us, having awkward questions fired at us by a newspaper reporter or local councillor? This unit helps you explore how you as a group see each other and can develop your skills in speaking out for other people. These are the essential building blocks for working well together to make change happen: to get access for young people at that community centre, to get the cost down for using the bus, to get accessible play equipment in the local park, to take effective action to stamp out bullying in the school, to get that skate park built, or to campaign against climate change.

• Understanding each other better
• Appreciating and respecting other people
• Representing other people

Listen Up! is the name of a group of children and young people who come together from across London to share their issues and concerns and what they are doing locally. While many of the groups are active in their own area, Listen Up! recognises the importance of them coming together as a whole group to get to know each other better, to learn from each other and use that as a platform to plan joint events and campaigns. Supported by Children and Neighbourhoods in London, a project run by The Children Society, the young people ran conferences and workshops, mounted campaigns for a child-friendly London, and produced newsletters and videos. But their starting point was investing time together to get to know and understand each other better, appreciating and enjoying their similarities and differences, their range of cultures and backgrounds.

Below are the three aims of the unit. Use activity sheet 1 to rate your current knowledge. Give yourself a personal score on the scale 1-2-3-4-5. 1 is low and 5 is high. What proof do you have? Refer to the list in the Introduction for examples of what might be good sources of evidence. This is particularly important if you are using this unit to gain credits toward an award. What score would you give yourselves as a group?

Download the Unit 1 - What Do We Know worksheet

1.1 Understanding each other better

• 1.1(a) My Passport
• 1.1(b) Our Passport
• 1.1(c) Our Best Team

1.2 Appreciating and respecting other people

• 1.2(a) Who Gets Heard?
• 1.2(b) Whose Priorities Count?
• 1.2(c) Agree – Disagree

1.3 Representing other people

• 1.3(a) Did You Hear What I Said?
• 1.3(b) Putting The Case
• 1.3(c) Remotesville - Different Angles

Unit Review