Activities to help you write a Plan of Action

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Activity 1: How can we improve this plan of action?
Read the plan of action below and identify five ways we can improve this plan of action.

We the youth of the international community affirm on this day,

As 30% of the world’s population and as the future leaders, we believe that our ideas, concerns and opinions should carry weight in the decisions that our current leaders make.

Encourage media corporations to break alliances with governments and their agencies to eliminate national bias. All forms of media should be unconditionally objective, fair and balanced in both content and presentation,

That the international community, including United Nations officials, national governments, and adults at large, must work to include youth as defined by the rights of the child (i.e. under 18 years of age) representation in a greater number of governmental decisions and/or government sponsored youth programs, and to actualize the ideals of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the following ways:

1. Promote tolerance through education by showing effects of intolerance; such as gross measures of intolerance that have existed over any period of time.
2. Tolerance education at an early age (grade school).
3. Increase non-violent conflict resolution among cultures by promoting dialogue among people of different cultures.
4. Promote education of worldwide religions. Require that teaching is purely objective and unbiased, and require the creation of interdenominational programs for youth.
5. Encourage the separation of religion and politics on a local and international level by enforcing religious freedom.
6. Acknowledge the difference between race and economic status although the two factors may be related.
7. Provide anti-discrimination education about other cultures, socio-economic status, ethnicities, religions and sexual orientation.
8. Encourage governments to provide equal opportunities for healthcare as well as education.
9. Recognize that AIDS is a threat to much of the world.
10. Endorse coverage that is free of specific ideology, opinion, nationalism, religious influences, or political favoritism.
11. Media, in all its forms, is readily available to everyone. All sides and/or points of view within a specific event or conflict must be fairly represented. Further, differing positions regarding international events should be equally available, regardless of national opinion.
12. Promote equal opportunity regardless of socioeconomic status by requiring equivalent education with a particular emphasis between education and success as well as enforcing equal opportunity in employment and government settings.
13. Reinforce racial and ethnic tolerance through the public education system as a means of eliminating prejudicial, ethnic, and racial discrimination.
14. Acknowledge freedom of sexual orientation and increase awareness of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
15. Acknowledge the worldwide violations of the Convention of the Rights of the Child, so that countries cease utilizing children as laborers, soldiers, and sex objects.
16. Recognizing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its efforts in proclaiming that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, or other status.

Activity 2: Write a sample Plan of Action

1. Review the how to write a plan of action.
2. Research a controversial issue in your community or from the newspaper.
3. Draft a sample plan of action.
4. Have a teacher or another student review your plan of action and list ways to improve your plan of action.