Yr11: Pressure Groups + Protest Campaigns

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Lesson 3 pressure groups from DB3igs

Protest campaigns are launched every day about all sorts of issues, from the future of our planet to the rage against the X Factor domination of the pop charts!
We're looking at citizen-led campaigns and pressure/protest groups, though big business is quick to mimic the tactics and style of such campaigns, as this list of 20 of the most innovative Facebook campaigns, and this list of 10 top Facebook campaigns, demonstrates.

As a starting point, to demonstrate how campaigns can attract wide attention, consider the various x for Number One campaigns that sought to keep Simon Cowell's latest X Factor protegy off the Xmas number one spot - how many of these campaigns can you name?

Here's music magazine Q's list of their top 5 such campaigns.

TASK ONE: 2010 STUDENT PROTESTS

Were you aware of these taking place - or over the issue that sparked the protest?
Did the student campaign raise your awareness?
Did you ever talk about it, or hear anyone talking about it?

We're going to watch a BBC News report on this. As you watch, consider:

• what forms of protest are available to students (you need to write down any ideas for a later task)
• what barriers do students face when seeking to protest
• how likely are students to receive favourable, positive media coverage
• was this protest effective
• is raising awareness of an issue enough to call a campaign a success, or does it need to have its goals met fully?

Watch the video and see the BBC News report at www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11831453.

2015 UPDATE: POLICE PROVEN WRONG?

2015 PROTEST - HAS ANYTHING CHANGED?
See this Guardian article/video, and this contrasting Daily Mail article.

TASK TWO: BRAINSTORM PRESSURE GROUPS + ISSUES

Write down the names of as many pressure groups as you can think of! As you do, also note the types of issue that inspire pressure groups to campaign, eg Friends of the Earth - environment

Once you're finished, a brief browse at the wiki of UK pressure groups will give you some idea of just how many there are, and on what a wide range of issues inspires such groups to be created! Note though that even this is really very, very far from being comprehensive!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_pressure_groups

SUMMARY: HOW DO WE DEFINE WHAT A PRESSURE GROUP IS
This 2 minute video provides a digestible summary.

You can also find guides on the BBC website, here (Prof. Berrington for BBC Parliament) and here (BBC Bitesize).

TASK THREE: CREATE YOUR OWN CAMPAIGN + PREPARE TO PUT FORWARD YOUR ARGUMENTS

You're going to be in competition with the other groups in the class: you have a few minutes to work in a group to pick an issue or cause and then brainstorm the points you will raise to win support for this cause. Everyone in the group needs to have written down the same list of points so that each of you can contribute equally to the presentation of your chosen arguments.
We will decide which campaign put forward the most convincing arguments after we've heard from each group.

TASK FOUR: MINI ESSAY PLAN! "PRESSURE GROUPS ARE GOOD FOR DEMOCRACY"...

This is an example of a Citizenship exam question. It also adds to the question: 'Do you agree with this statement? Give reasons for your argument.'
Think about what points, arguments (and counter-arguments) you could put forward to address this question.
Time permitting, you will peer assess each other's work on this.