There are many different ways of organising a society. In some societies there is a king or a leader who is born with a certain power and certain privileges; in some societies there is an authoritarian leader or president who can do whatever he wants, in some societies there is a process of electing their leaders for a certain number of years. In some countries the inhabitants can say what they want, including criticising the leadership; in other societies you may be put in prison for organising a small demonstration, etc. In some societies the older people have the power, youth are supposed to listen and do as they are told. In other societies young people organise their own political parties and use the opportunity to criticise their elders whenever they feel like it. Some people define democracy as a multi-party system, others argue strongly that there may be many different ways to achieve a society where the inhabitants have a real say and the right to participate in decision-making.
Group work
What characterises a good organisation?
Aim: to raise awareness about organising and leadership.
The time it takes: 15 minutes in the groups, 15-20 min. in the plenary
How: Divide the participants into groups of 5-7
Question to the groups: What characterises a good organisation?
These answers might come up:
- Democratic leadership
- The organisation gets things done
- The organisation has interesting activities
- The org. has influence in the community
- The org. has a good mix of men and women
- Being a member is fun
In the plenary: Decide on the five or six most important characteristics, write them on a flip chart and hang it on the wall.
Group work
How do we want to organise our community?
The aim: to find good organisation models.
The time it takes: 60 minutes
How: Divide the participants into groups of 5-7:
This is the situation you present to the participants:
You are passengers in a plane which crashes over the ocean.
You land on an island were there are no other people, no laws, no government. The climate is warm and pleasant, and the soil is fertile. There is plenty of fish in the sea. You have no boats, no way of escaping from the island.
You will need a system so that the fifty people who are stranded will be able to live together without too many conflicts. You will need a system which will make everybody feel protected, where people are able to use their talents and the leadership is fair.
Try to design a government system for these people on this island.
Remember that this group will have to live there forever; they will have children and grandchildren; you will need a system which will function well for the community for a long time.
Present the results in the plenary and discuss the different solutions.
You may want to ask questions like these:
- Will this model give the people in the community the opportunity to participate in decision-making?
- Will women and men have the same rights and responsibilities?
- Will this model create a leadership with too much power? Too little power?
- Will this model make it possible for the community to get rid of an authoritarian leader or a weak leader?
