Forming a political party

STARTER: What is a political party?

L.I To form our own political party and decide on policies to do with youth issues.

Is it like a tea party?

What is a political party?

This definition comes from Wikipedia. Try to rewrite it in your own words.“A political party is a political organisation that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to get them into political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns and have a vision supported by specific goals.”

Can you recognise the logos of these NZ political parties?

Youth Issues

What are some of the issues, decided by the government, which affect the lives of young

people?

Hitting cigarette sales

Age for leaving school

• Principals back rise in school leaving age• Jo Moir | Monday, February 4, 2008 5:00• A green light to raise the school leaving age to 18-years-old would reduce the number of

pupils leaving school without qualifications, says principal of Makoura College.

Student loans

• Prime Minister John Key says chasing up unpaid student loans is a step in the right direction for the country’s finances.

• Student loans in New Zealand take, on average, 4.6 years to pay back.

• Once someone travels overseas, that jumps to 14 years.

What key youth issues would you like to focus on? Write down four or five.

Forming a political party

• Your political party will have 4 or 5 people in it.

• You will need to think of an effective and appropriate name for your party

• You need to decide between you which youth issues you will focus on. You must choose at least three, but no more than five.

What do you have to do?

Over the next week or so your party must produce the following:• An A3 size poster promoting your party and a

brochure or pamphlet promoting your party and its policies

• OR a website giving information about your party• AND give a presentation to the class designed to

convince people to vote for you. In your presentation you will present your policy ideas.

YOUTH ISSUES

L.I To discuss and research current policies on our selected youth issues

STARTER: Think of some ideas for a name for your political party

TODAY• Decide on your party name and which youth

issues you are going to focus on. If there is time you might like to design a party logo.

• Decide who is going to be in charge of the poster and the brochure OR the website, and the presentation (although all members must participate in the presentation)

• Research what the laws are at the moment regarding the issues you have chosen. Each group will need at least one person with a digital device.

• Find out what NZ political parties (e.g Labour, Maori, Greens) think about this issue. Do they support the existing law? Do they think it should change? What new ideas do they have?

Debate your ideas to firm up what your party thinks

Elections should be about maximum debate. In theory at least, the campaigns are a time during which the parties put forward their different visions for running society, and an informed citizenry makes a choice.