In session 1 pupils look at problems in their school, neighbourhood and own personal lives, selecting one or two problems to focus on. In session 2, they are taught 'brainstorming' as a way of coming up with as imaginative as possible ways of tackling these problems. In session 3, they draw up an action and evaluation plan, so that they will know at the end of the term to what extent they have succeeded, according to their own criteria. Thereafter, the pupils carry out their plan, sometimes working hard between sessions, and often ending up with striking projects. The following items describe some of the workshops.
They made colourful placards with pictures and messages such as 'I hate dog's mess' and they laboriously sent out a press release announcing the formation of a 'Children's Pooper Scooper Action Squad' - for it was the Parisian technological solution of Pooper Scooper motorbikes that appealed to them, motorbikes with hoovers on the back which go up on the pavement to hoover up the mess.
With the Daily Telegraph, Paddington Mercury and LBC radio in attendance, the children visited Richard Branson's barge near their school with a petition suggesting that he spend some of his clean-up millions - he was then in charge of the government's environmental programme, UK 2000 - on buying some of these pooper-scooper motorbikes. Branson was half way across the Atlantic in his Virgin Challenger 2 at the time, but his staff kindly allowed the children to go all over the barge, and said that Branson would like to call in at their school on his return.
The class teacher, Isla Robertson, was delighted with the workshop, as the Westminster Council subsequently made a special effort to clean up around the school. 'You can't imagine what a disaster it is,' she pointed out, 'when you have 20 young children out on an expedition and one of them falls in dog's mess, there's no way to get them clean.'
This project won a Social Inventions Award in the Youth category. There are presently some 120 'Pooper Scooters' motor-bikes at work in Paris.
Ten non-academic fourteen year olds in my social inventions workshop at Raines Foundation School, Bethnal Green, were encouraged to brainstorm on problems to do with school, the community and their personal lives. Two major problems areas were identified: experiencing school as a 'prison' and getting into trouble, especially with the police. Further brainstorming for solutions to these problems produced the idea of going out of the school and making a drama documentary film that could be used to teach younger children how not to get into trouble.
Under my guidance and that of their teacher Carolyn Hallohan, the pupils set about outlining a film script and enlisting information and help from relevant sources. A video camera was organised by one of the pupils. Welfare Education Officer, Mr Waters, gave valuable preliminary information on legal aspects of juvenile crime and also accepted an acting role as social worker. Sergeant Jackie Hunt and PC Russell Taylor from the Bethnal Green Police Station not only agreed to come to talk to the class but also to take part in the dramatised 'arrest' scene complete with police van and its flashing lights. Furthermore, they arranged for the use of the Arbours Street Magistrates Court so that scenes in the charge room, courts and cells could be shot.
- This Acton High School project won a Social Invention Workshop Award in the Youth category.
- 'Social Invention Workshops - A manual' designed for teachers or other group leaders, is available from the Institute for Social Inventions, 20 Heber Road, London NW2 6AA (tel 081 208 2853; fax 081 452 6434) for L2-50. The Institute pays for and provides Social Invention Workshop leaders for state schools, mainly in the London region.