Each month we're going to feature a 'Badge of the Month' that members of The Hive can try together. The idea is that even though we're an online group, we can still all come together to do the same thing and share our experiences, tips and thoughts on it.
For our fifth Badge of the Month, we are going to focus on ‘Voting’, which is a Rangers interest badge. This is a particularly good badge to do in November, as 2-8 November is UK Parliament Week!
We've set out the syllabus below and would love it if you gave it a go and updated us with your progress - you could send us a blog about your UK Parliament Week activities (and earn a lovely The Hive badge, too!)
1. Create your own party
Political parties are made up of people with similar beliefs, and a shared vision of the future.
There are some large and well-known ones out there, but imagine if you could create your own party from scratch…
What would your ideal political party look like? Be inventive with the way you record your ideas – take a look at this page for suggestions.
Decide:
- What will your party be called?
- What level of politics will it function within (local, regional, national)?
- What are its top three issues?
- Who, if anyone, will lead the party?
- What is its logo and slogan?
- How would you run an election campaign?
- Who would want to become members and how would you recruit them?
- Which parties would be your main rivals?
2. Tackle voter apathy
The right to vote has been hard-won over many generations. However, voter apathy – lack of interest in voting – is still high. And voting turnout for younger people is often poor.
Your challenge is to come up with a way to tackle voter apathy.
You could create a resource for young people about political parties and leaders, or a campaign to encourage people to register to vote. Create a presentation, video, social media campaign or even hold an event to encourage young people to get involved in politics. The choice is yours!
3. Get registered
You don’t have to wait until you’re old enough to put an ‘x’ on the ballot paper to actually register to vote.
Find out if you’re eligible to vote and how old you have to be to register. Are you old enough? Get registered! If you aren’t old enough yet, wait and register at the earliest opportunity. You have to register to vote before you can complete this badge.
Now, your task is to get as many young people as you can to register to vote. Use the resource you created in challenge two to help you.
Read the full syllabus and get some more tips on the Girlguiding website here.
Need some more ideas? Check out the UK Parliament Week website for inspiration.
Got an idea for our next Badge of the Month? Let us know on our Facebook and Instagram!
Happy badging!