the royal commonwealth society lesson 3 resources1-6 blue

Commonwealth SCHOOL RESOURCES » Lesson 1r2

© Royal Commonwealth SoCiety | www.theRCS.oRg/youth66

Note - This lesson could be split into two for students to have more time to prepare and discuss: activities 1 and 2 in the first lesson, and activities 3 and 4 in the second lesson. Lesson aims/key questions

1 » what do we mean by Common wealth?2 » what are some of the causes and effects of global inequalities?3 » what can the Commonwealth and other global institutions do to reduce global

inequalities and promote global justice and development?

Learning outcomes and key processes

Students will be able to:a » identify different positions people might take on the global economy and global

society (‘Common wealth’) around the Commonwealth.b » analyse some of the causes and effects of global inequalities.c » Recall at least three of the un millennium Development goals.d » evaluate some projects the Commonwealth and other global institutions might be

able to implement in reducing global inequalities, including reference to funding constraints.

e » Formulate, express and justify an opinion on global inequalities and/or development.Key processes: Critical thinking; empathising with others; discussion and debate; arguing a viewpoint other than your own; communicating ideas; listening to others; critically assessing your own view and others’ viewpoints; working with others to solve problems; an interest in global issues and current affairs.

Key words/ concepts / terms

global inequalities | Commonwealth | Development | un millennium Development goals | global institutions

Summary of activities and links to learning outcomes

activity 1 (starter): ‘Ideas of Common Wealth?’ Puzzle (Diagram to cut up and put back together)

a »

activity 2: Global Inequalities: Causes and Effects (match-up task) b »

activity 3: Millennium Development Goals Funding Board (Presentations in groups)

c »

d »

activity 4 (plenary): Values Continuum (Justifying opinions on a values scale) e »

Assessment opportunities

» activity 2 could be assessed by marking the completed cause and effect sheets (3r2). this might be a good opportunity for peer assessment (students marking each others’ work).

» activity 3 could be a group assessment, graded when each group presents to the ‘funding board’.

Differentiation » activity 1: the ‘ideas of Common wealth?’ diagram (3r1) has two forms: Puzzle X is more accessible as it focuses on the general principles, and Puzzle y is more challenging as it identifies ideological descriptors such as ‘authoritarian’ and ‘libertarian’. Questions in the activity are ordered from the more accessible to the more challenging.

» activity 2: Sheet X contains more accessible ideas and Sheet y contains more challenging ideas (3r2).

» activity 3: Students can support and challenge each other in their groups.» activity 4: thorough questioning (level and challenge of questions pitched to needs

of individual students). Statements increase in their complexity from 1 to 10.

Commonwealth SCHOOL RESOURCES » Lesson 3

» Ideas of Common Wealth? Global Inequalities and Development

3 leSSon 3 oF 4

© Royal Commonwealth SoCiety | www.theRCS.oRg/youth 67

» Activity 1 (starter): Ideas of Common Wealth? Puzzle

Cut up the top half of the puzzle sheets (3r1) into irregular pieces and give one puzzle out to each group of 3-4 students. ask students to reassemble the puzzle (which shows an economic/political spectrum illustrating the different ideologies and ideas of ‘Common wealth’). Puzzle X is more accessible and Puzzle y is more challenging in the ideas presented. once students have assembled the diagram ask them to consider the following questions (or simply questions 1, 2 and 7 if you have less time), which are also listed on the bottom half of the sheets (3r1):

1 » Does the diagram contain any ideas you have not come across before? Ring the words you are not sure about. if you can, try to work out what they mean using your group’s powers of logic and links to other ideas on the diagram.

2 » looking at the ideas in the speech bubbles, which ones do you most agree with? why?

3 » looking at the statements in bold and italic to the left and right of the diagram (Money should be distributed according to need; Money should be distributed according to who has earned it), do you think you agree more with one or the other? mark on the diagram where you might position yourselves between these two ideas.

4 » looking at the statements in bold and italic at the top and bottom of the diagram (There should be minimal government interference in people’s lives; Governments should look after the most vulnerable members of society), do you think you agree more with one or the other or both? mark on the diagram where you might position yourselves between these two ideas.

5 » are your combined answers to questions 3 and 4 in the same boxes as your positions in question 2? Discuss why / why not. are these ideas easy to understand and explain?

6 » what do you understand by the term ‘Common wealth’?

7 » what impact might international institutions such as the united nations and Commonwealth have on the ideas presented in this diagram? 3r1

0-15m

» Suggested time allowance for activities

Homework or extension tasks

you could ask students to:» Research and discuss the ideas behind some of the more challenging terms on the

‘ideas of Common wealth?’ diagram (3r1) such as ‘authoritarian’, ‘libertarian’, ‘communitarian’, ‘regulation’, ‘competition’ and ‘unethical’, and the concepts of left and right wing.

» write a resource for primary school children explaining the causes and effects of global inequalities and outlining some possible solutions.

» write a letter to the government asking for more to be done about meeting the millennium Development goals and/or suggesting other ways of reducing global inequalities.

» write a one-minute speech justifying their opinion on one of the statements listed on the values continuum statement sheet (3r6).

Resources needed » activity 1 (starter): ‘Ideas of Common Wealth?’ Puzzle (one per group of three-four students) (cut into irregular pieces for students to reassemble) (3r1).

» activity 2: Global Inequality Cause and Effect Sheets (one sheet each or one per pair of either Sheet X or Sheet y - or both if you have more time) (3r2).

» activity 3: Millennium Development Goal Cards (one set per group of five-eight students) (need to cut out the cards or give students scissors to cut them out if time) (3r3); Funding Board guidelines (3r4); large sheets of paper and thick pens, or space to write on the board; Bundles of fake money (marked $100 million in total) if possible (3r5); stopwatch.

» activity 4: Values continuum statement sheet (3r6), long piece of string and agree/disagree signs if possible, but not essential.

1r2


» Diversity and the Commonwealth continued...

3leSSon 3 oF 4




1r4

» Activity 1 (starter): Ideas of Common Wealth? Puzzle continued...

if you don’t have much time, you could simply present students with the sheets (3r1) without cutting them into puzzles.

if you have more time you could ask students to consider some facts and figures about inequalities around the Commonwealth, for example:

» the top 1% of the world’s adult population owns 40% of the world’s wealth.

» the top 2% of the world’s adult population owns over 50% of the world’s wealth.

» the top 10% of the world’s adult population owns 85% of the world’s wealth.

» the bottom 50% of the world’s adult population owns around 1% of the world’s assets.

world institute for Development economics Research (wiDeR), www.wider.unu.edu 2006, based on data from 2000.

• Canada has an average wealth (GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per person) of around $40,000.

• India has an average wealth (GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per person) of around $3,000. international monetary Fund, www.imf.org world economic outlook, 2010.

• In the Seychelles, the share of the country’s income held by the richest 10% of people is 60%. The share of the country’s income held by the poorest 10% of people is 1.6% world Bank, http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.DST.10TH.10, 2007

• In the UK, the 50% least wealthy households account for only 9% of wealth, while the richest 20% own 62% of wealth. UK Office of National Statistics report, reported in Guardian article, www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/dec/10/ons-report-uk-wealth, 2009

» Activity 2: Global Inequalities: Causes and Effects

give out Sheets X and/or y (3r2) to students, either individually or in pairs (these sheets contain ideas about the causes and effects of global inequalities that students have to match up. Sheet X contains more accessible ideas and Sheet y contains more challenging ideas).

give students six to eight minutes to match up the chains of cause and effect so they can explain some of the main causes and effects of global inequality. if you have time you could go through the answers as a class (perhaps using peer assessment) and discuss students’ responses to the ideas and questions presented on the sheets.

» ask them to consider the impacts international institutions such as the united nations and Commonwealth might have on the causes and effects of global inequalities.

15-25


3r1

3r2

3 leSSon 3 oF 4


» Activity 3: The Millennium Development Goals Funding Board.

ask for three student volunteers. these are members of the millennium Development goals Funding Board. give these students the Funding Board guidelines (3r4) to look through – they have a number of important elements to consider before making their decision. Divide the other students into groups of five-eight and hand out the millennium Development goal Cards (3r3), cut up in advance if possible. each group has to choose three un millennium Development goals (mDgs) and formulate a funding proposal that includes the following aspects:» the three Millennium Development Goals (mDgs) they have chosen.» how their three chosen mDgs are linked together and how they might help to reduce global inequalities.» a programme or project they would start up that would contribute to at least two out of their three

chosen goals if they were given the funding.» How many people their programme might reach across the Commonwealth (which has around two billion

people in it), how much it might cost per person, and the approximate total cost of their project or programme.once they have decided on their goals and programme / project idea, it might be useful for students to divide their group into subgroups to prepare and present the four different elements listed above. give students ten minutes or so to formulate their proposal (or read through Funding Board guidelines if they are the three volunteers). let students know that the Funding Board have very limited time so each group’s presentation can be a maximum of one minute 30 seconds which will be strictly timed – but that they have large sheets of paper and thick pens (or a board) on which to display their proposal which will save them time during the presentations. Set up the room as if the Funding Board are in a formal meeting so that each group can present to the Board in turn.

with all the students watching and the Funding Board seated in their places, ask each group in turn to present their proposal for one minute thirty seconds. Keep time using a stopwatch (or get one of the students from another group to do so) and cut each group off quite strictly if they attempt to run over.

give the Funding Board one or two minutes to decide which projects to fund and how to distribute their $100 million (3r5) and ask them to justify their choice. » if there is time, discuss with students the extent to which these kinds of programmes might help efforts to reduce global inequalities – and the extent to which the money is actually available for such programmes (considering that unaiDS calculates that there is a current 10 billion uS dollar shortfall in funding for aiDS prevention and treatment on top of the 15 billion or so uS dollars currently being spent on this: http://unaidstoday.org. » you might want to share with students the percentage of gDP (or actual amounts) the country they live in currently contributes towards, or receives for, global development as compared to other neighbouring countries. (Donor figures can be found on the un Statistics Division website: net oDa as percentage of oeCD/DaC donors’ gni - http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mdg/SeriesDetail.aspx?srid=568 - and recipient figures can be found on world Bank Data website: net oDa received (% of gni) - http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/DT.ODA.ODAT.GN.ZS). Are they surprised at this figure? » you could also share with students the annual global military expenditure (around 1500 billion uS dollars per year according to the Stockholm international Peace Research institute: http://www.sipri.org/) as compared to the annual amounts spent on global development by the oeCD Development assistance Committee (around 120 billion uS dollars per year according to the oeCD website: http://www.oecd.org) How could we convince governments and businesses to spend less on weapons and more on development?

» Activity 4 (plenary): Reaching consensus

Draw an imaginary line or stretch out a long piece of string across the classroom. tell students that this is a Values Continuum and that one side means ‘agree’ and one means ‘disagree’. Read out a statement from the Values continuum statement sheet (3r6) and ask students to stand in a position on the line in accordance with how much they agree or disagree with the statement. then pick a couple of students (perhaps names out of a hat) to justify why they chose that position on the values continuum. if they give a particularly convincing justification, ask all students whether any of them wish to change their positions accordingly.

Read out as many of the statements as you have time for and get different students to justify their opinions for each statement. talk to students about the flexibility of their opinions – even if they form an opinion today, with more information, dialogue and changing circumstances it is fine to change opinion and this is an important part of diversity, development and democracy. » if you are short of time, you could give out copies of the Values Continuum tick sheets for

students to complete themselves


3r6

3r4 3r53r3


» Introducing the Commonwealth

3leSSon 3 oF 4

View p24-25CommonGround guide

25-50m

50-60m

© Royal Commonwealth SoCiety | www.theRCS.oRg/youth�

» Ideas of commonwealth

ReSouRCe 3r1Page 1 oF 2 3r1



3 » looking at the statements in bold and italic to the left and right of the diagram (money should be distributed according to need; money should be distributed according to who has earned it), do you think you agree more with one or the other? mark on the diagram where you might position yourselves between these two ideas.

4 » looking at the statements in bold and italic at the top and bottom of the diagram (there should be minimal government interference in people’s lives; governments should look after the most vulnerable members of society), do you think you agree more with one or the other or both? mark on the diagram where you might position yourselves between these two ideas.



7 » what impact might international institutions such as the united nations and Commonwealth have on the ideas presented in this diagram?

8 » what is the role of Civil Society (for example charities, faith groups and non-governmental organisations) in speaking up on behalf of people in the Commonwealth?

Fair trade betweencountries should be

promoted as thishelps to stop businesses

from making an unfairprofit through unethical

practices.

Free trade is best foreveryone! If businesses

can develop withoutinterference, in a

competitive market,they will be much moreefficient and innovative

and the whole ofsociety will benefit.

Governments shouldprotect the most

vulnerable peoplefrom being harmed insociety but generally

global trade and competition is the best way to give everyone a

better life.

Business and tradeshould be strictly

regulated (controlled)so that profit is not putbefore people’s needs.

Countries should befully supported in theirdevelopment, including

through appropriateforms of aid.

Money should bedistributed according to

who has earned it.

Governments should look after the most

vulnerable members of society.

Money should be distributed according

to need.

There should be minimal

government interference

in people’s lives.

Ideas of Common Wealth Puzzle X » Resource 3r1


Ideas of Common Wealth Puzzle Y » Resource 3r1

» Ideas of commonwealth




3 » looking at the statements in bold and italic to the left and right of the diagram (money should be distributed according to need; money should be distributed according to who has earned it), do you think you agree more with one or the other? mark on the diagram where you might position yourselves between these two ideas.

4 » looking at the statements in bold and italic at the top and bottom of the diagram (there should be minimal government interference in people’s lives; governments should look after the most vulnerable members of society), do you think you agree more with one or the other or both? mark on the diagram where you might position yourselves between these two ideas.



7 » what impact might international institutions such as the united nations and Commonwealth have on the ideas presented in this diagram?

8 » what is the role of Civil Society (for example charities, faith groups and non-governmental organisations) in speaking up on behalf of people in the Commonwealth?

Fair trade betweencountries should be

promoted as thishelps to stop businesses

from making an unfairprofit through unethical

practices.

Free trade is best foreveryone! If businesses

can develop withoutinterference, in a competitive

market, they will be much more efficient and innovative and the whole

of society will benefit.

Governments shouldprotect the most

vulnerable peoplefrom being harmed insociety but generally

global trade and competition is the best way to give everyone a

better life.

Business and tradeshould be strictly

regulated (controlled)so that profit is not putbefore people’s needs.

Countries should befully supported in theirdevelopment, including

through appropriateforms of aid.

Money should bedistributed according to who has earned it.

Governments should lookafter the most vulnerable

members of society.

Money should be distributed according

to need.

There should be minimalgovernment interference

in people’s lives.

Social Right

Social Right

EconomicLeft

EconomicRight

Individual/Anarchist

Collectivist/Authoritarian

Socialist/Communitarian

Libertarian/Individualist


» Sheet X

Eff

ect

thes

e g

roup

s o

f peo

ple

may

ha

ve le

ss c

hanc

e o

f get

ting

jo

bs

and

loo

king

aft

er t

heir

fam

ilies

tha

n o

ther

peo

ple

in

the

coun

try.

with

out

an

educ

atio

n, it

is

diffi

cult

for

them

to

get

mo

re

hig

hly

pai

d jo

bs

and

the

y m

ay n

ot

be

able

to

sup

po

rt

thei

r fa

mili

es if

the

y b

eco

me

ill.

the

peo

ple

suf

ferin

g fr

om

th

ese

dis

ease

s b

eco

me

iso

late

d a

nd m

ight

lose

the

ir jo

bs

or

not

be

able

to

acc

ess

trea

tmen

ts.

with

out

a p

rop

er

infra

stru

ctur

e, fo

od a

nd

supp

lies

cann

ot

be

tran

spo

rted

to

peo

ple

who

ne

ed t

hem

aro

und

the

co

untr

y.

if th

e g

ove

rnm

ent i

s un

stab

le

it m

ay b

e u

nab

le t

o c

ont

rol

crim

e an

d p

ass

law

s to

hel

p

pro

tect

peo

ple

fro

m h

arm

.

gov

ernm

ents

of t

hese

cou

ntrie

s m

ust

spen

d m

ore

mo

ney

on

floo

d d

efen

ces

and

re

loca

ting

dis

pla

ced

citi

zens

.

Cau

se

Chi

ldre

n m

ight

no

t ha

ve

acce

ss t

o s

cho

ols

or

they

m

ight

hav

e to

wo

rk in

stea

d

to s

upp

ort

the

ir fa

mili

es.

Peo

ple

may

be

frig

hten

ed

abo

ut d

isea

ses

such

as

hiV

/a

iDS.

the

y ar

e sc

ared

to

ta

lk a

bo

ut t

hese

dis

ease

s an

d a

stig

ma

deve

lops

aro

und

su

ffere

rs.

isla

nds

and

low

-lyin

g

coun

trie

s m

ay fa

ce p

rob

lem

s fr

om

ris

ing

sea

leve

ls a

nd

oth

er e

ffect

s o

f clim

ate

chan

ge.

the

gove

rnm

ent m

ay

disc

rimin

ate

agai

nst c

erta

in

gro

ups

of p

eop

le (e

.g. o

n g

roun

ds

of g

end

er, s

exua

lity,

sk

in c

olo

ur o

r re

ligio

n)

may

no

t ha

ve m

one

y to

sp

end

on

infr

astr

uctu

re (e

.g.

road

s an

d p

ublic

tra

nsp

ort

).

Co

nflic

ts b

etw

een

coun

trie

s an

d c

ivil

war

s w

ithin

co

untr

ies

may

cau

se

go

vern

men

ts t

o b

eco

me

unst

able

.

Eff

ect

if p

eop

le b

eco

me

ill w

ho

have

no

t b

een

educ

ated

, th

ey m

ay n

ot

kno

w h

ow

to

ac

cess

med

ical

car

e to

hel

p

them

selv

es g

et b

ette

r.

with

out

tre

atm

ents

, the

se

peo

ple

may

pas

s th

e d

isea

ses

on

to t

heir

child

ren.

th

ey m

ay a

lso

die

mo

re

qui

ckly

and

the

ir ch

ildre

n m

ight

bec

ome

orph

aned

.

man

y pe

ople

hav

e to

leav

e th

eir h

om

es (b

eco

min

g

dis

pla

ced

per

sons

or

refu

gee

s) d

urin

g c

onfli

ct a

nd

may

lose

thei

r mon

ey,

po

sses

sio

ns a

nd li

velih

oo

ds.

they

may

feel

frus

trat

ed

and

dev

elo

p h

atre

d a

gai

nst

thes

e o

ther

peo

ple

; co

nflic

ts

bet

wee

n g

roup

s o

f peo

ple

m

ight

resu

lt.

the

gen

eral

livi

ng s

tand

ard

s o

f all

citiz

ens

in t

hese

isla

nd

stat

es a

nd lo

w-ly

ing

co

untr

ies

go

es d

ow

n.

Foo

d p

rices

mig

ht g

o u

p in

ar

eas

whi

ch a

re n

ot

easy

to

g

et t

o, w

hich

mea

ns p

eop

le

who

can

not

affo

rd t

he h

igh

pric

es m

ight

go

hun

gry

.

Eff

ect

glo

bal

ineq

ualit

y Draw arrows between the appropriate causes and effects of global inequality in chains leading from the left to the right of the page. The first is done for you.

1» D

o so

me

of th

e ef

fect

s fe

ed b

ack

into

th

e ca

uses

, cre

atin

g a

‘v

icio

us c

ircl

e’?

M

ark

dow

n w

here

yo

u th

ink

this

cou

ld

hap

pen

.

2» W

hat e

ffect

s m

ight

glob

al in

stitu

tions

suc

h as

the

Uni

ted

Nat

ions

an

d C

omm

onw

ealth

ha

ve o

n th

ese

caus

es

and

effe

cts

of g

lob

al

ineq

ualit

ies?

3» C

an y

ou s

umm

aris

eso

me

of th

e m

ain

caus

es a

nd e

ffect

s of

g

lob

al in

equa

lity

in

arou

nd 1

00 w

ord

s?

Global Inequality Cause and Effect Sheets » Resource 3r2



Eff

ect

if p

eop

le b

eco

me

ill w

ho

have

no

t b

een

educ

ated

, th

ey m

ay n

ot

kno

w h

ow

to

ac

cess

med

ical

car

e to

hel

p

them

selv

es g

et b

ette

r.

with

out

tre

atm

ents

, the

se

peo

ple

may

pas

s th

e d

isea

ses

on

to t

heir

child

ren.

th

ey m

ay a

lso

die

mo

re

qui

ckly

and

the

ir ch

ildre

n m

ight

bec

ome

orph

aned

.

man

y pe

ople

hav

e to

leav

e th

eir h

om

es (b

eco

min

g

dis

pla

ced

per

sons

or

refu

gee

s) d

urin

g c

onfli

ct a

nd

may

lose

thei

r mon

ey,

po

sses

sio

ns a

nd li

velih

oo

ds.

they

may

feel

frus

trat

ed

and

dev

elo

p h

atre

d a

gai

nst

thes

e o

ther

peo

ple

; co

nflic

ts

bet

wee

n g

roup

s o

f peo

ple

m

ight

resu

lt.

the

gen

eral

livi

ng s

tand

ard

s o

f all

citiz

ens

in t

hese

isla

nd

stat

es a

nd lo

w-ly

ing

co

untr

ies

go

es d

ow

n.

Foo

d p

rices

mig

ht g

o u

p in

ar

eas

whi

ch a

re n

ot

easy

to

g

et t

o, w

hich

mea

ns p

eop

le

who

can

not

affo

rd t

he h

igh

pric

es m

ight

go

hun

gry

.

1» D

o so

me

of th

e ef

fect

s fe

ed b

ack

into

th

e ca

uses

, cre

atin

g a

‘v

icio

us c

ircl

e’?

M

ark

dow

n w

here

yo

u th

ink

this

cou

ld

hap

pen

.

2» W

hat e

ffect

s m

ight

glob

al in

stitu

tions

suc

h as

the

Uni

ted

Nat

ions

an

d C

omm

onw

ealth

ha

ve o

n th

ese

caus

es

and

effe

cts

of g

lob

al

ineq

ualit

ies?

3» C

an y

ou s

umm

aris

eso

me

of th

e m

ain

caus

es a

nd e

ffect

s of

g

lob

al in

equa

lity

in

arou

nd 1

00 w

ord

s?

Eff

ect

Pollu

tion

fro

m in

dus

try

and

m

igra

tion

to c

ities

.

Few

er n

atur

al re

sour

ces

mea

ns t

he p

rices

go

up

.

go

vern

men

ts in

the

se

coun

trie

s m

ight

find

it

diffi

cult

to c

hang

e p

eop

le’s

min

dse

ts a

nd c

ont

rol

dis

crim

inat

ion,

crim

e an

d

vio

lenc

e.

Farm

ers

have

to

gro

w fo

od

an

d o

ther

pro

duc

ts fo

r th

e co

nsum

ers

rath

er t

han

to

feed

the

loca

l co

mm

unity

.

Co

rrup

tion

spre

ads

do

wn

fro

m le

ader

s to

oth

er

po

litic

al re

pre

sent

ativ

es

and

law

mak

ers,

jud

ges

, m

agis

trat

es a

nd t

he p

olic

e fo

rce.

Co

untr

ies

cann

ot

affo

rd t

o

pay

bac

k th

e lo

ans

for

man

y ye

ars

and

just

pay

the

low

est

inte

rest

pay

men

ts p

oss

ible

.

Cau

se

his

toric

ally

, peo

ple

in a

nu

mb

er o

f co

untr

ies

have

b

een

do

min

ated

, ens

lave

d

and

crim

inal

ised

by

colo

nial

p

olic

ies

that

are

har

d t

o

esca

pe

fro

m o

nce

the

coun

trie

s g

ain

ind

epen

den

ce.

go

vern

men

ts m

ay p

ut a

lot

of m

one

y in

to fa

st

ind

ustr

ialis

atio

n.

inte

rnat

iona

l ban

ks a

nd

org

anis

atio

ns m

ay g

ive

hug

e lo

ans

to g

ove

rnm

ents

at

a hi

gh

rate

of i

nter

est.

Co

mp

anie

s tr

ying

to

mak

e a

pro

fit m

ay a

void

go

vern

men

t re

gul

atio

ns a

nd e

xplo

it th

e co

untr

y’s

natu

ral r

eso

urce

s (e

.g. f

oo

d, o

il, g

emst

one

s).

Big

co

mp

anie

s m

ight

buy

up

land

fro

m lo

cal f

arm

ers

to

gro

w a

gric

ultu

ral p

rod

uce

for

cons

umer

s in

ric

her

area

s (e

.g. f

oo

d a

nd t

ob

acco

).

Pow

erfu

l lea

der

s m

ay w

ish

to

gai

n m

ore

and

mo

re p

ow

er.

this

mig

ht m

ake

them

follo

w

corr

upt

pra

ctic

es a

nd a

lso

sa

bota

ge d

emoc

ratic

ele

ctio

ns.

Eff

ect

hea

lth p

rob

lem

s an

d

ove

rcro

wd

ing

in c

ities

; en

viro

nmen

tal d

egra

dat

ion.

Vio

lenc

e, c

onfl

ict

and

in

secu

rity;

hug

e cu

ltura

l, so

cial

and

eco

nom

ic

diff

eren

ces

bet

wee

n co

untr

ies

that

use

d t

o r

un e

mp

ires

and

th

ose

who

wer

e co

loni

sed

.

Con

sum

ers

in ri

cher

are

as

dem

and

mor

e an

d m

ore

prod

uce

and

pric

es g

o up

. C

ompa

nies

mak

e a

big

profi

t bu

t do

not a

lway

s pa

ss th

is o

n to

loca

l far

mer

s.

Poo

rer

peo

ple

in t

he c

oun

try

cann

ot

affo

rd t

he m

ore

ex

pen

sive

nat

ural

reso

urce

s an

d th

ey a

re b

oug

ht b

y ric

her

peo

ple

acr

oss

the

wo

rld.

Co

untr

ies

can

spira

l int

o

deb

t, re

sulti

ng in

less

mo

ney

bein

g sp

ent o

n he

lpin

g ci

tizen

s,

and

eve

n b

ankr

uptc

y.

whe

re o

ffici

als

and

bus

ines

ses

are

corr

upt

and

ste

alin

g

mo

ney

fro

m t

he g

over

nmen

t an

d p

eop

le, t

he w

hole

of t

he

coun

try

bec

om

es p

oo

rer

and

cr

ime

incr

ease

s.

Eff

ect

glo

bal

ineq

ualit

y

Draw arrows between the appropriate causes and effects of global inequality in chains leading from the left to the right of the page. The first is done for you.

1» D

o so

me

of th

e ef

fect

s fe

ed b

ack

into

th

e ca

uses

, cre

atin

g a

‘v

icio

us c

ircl

e’?

M

ark

dow

n w

here

yo

u th

ink

this

cou

ld

hap

pen

.

2» W

hat e

ffect

s m

ight

glob

al in

stitu

tions

suc

h as

the

Uni

ted

Nat

ions

an

d C

omm

onw

ealth

ha

ve o

n th

ese

caus

es

and

effe

cts

of g

lob

al

ineq

ualit

ies?

3» C

an y

ou s

umm

aris

eso

me

of th

e m

ain

caus

es a

nd e

ffect

s of

g

lob

al in

equa

lity

in

arou

nd 1

00 w

ord

s?




» Sheet Y



1» Do some of the effects feed back into the causes, creating a ‘vicious circle’? Mark down where you think this could happen.

2» What effects mightglobal institutions such as the United Nations and Commonwealth have on these causes and effects of global inequalities?

3» Can you summarisesome of the main causes and effects of global inequality in around 100 words?


» Sheet X ANSWERS

Effectthese groups of people may have less chance of getting jobs and looking after their

families than other people in the country.

without an education, it is difficult for them to get more highly paid jobs and they may not be able to

support their families if they become ill.

the people suffering from these diseases become

isolated and might lose their jobs or not be able to access

treatments.

without a proper infrastructure, food and

supplies cannot be transported to people who

need them around the country.

if the government is unstable it may be unable to control crime and pass laws to help protect people from harm.

governments of these countries must spend more money

on flood defences and relocating displaced citizens.

Cause Children might not have access to schools or they

might have to work instead to support their families.

People may be frightened about diseases such as hiV/

aiDS. they are scared to talk about these diseases

and a stigma develops around sufferers.

islands and low-lying countries may face problems

from rising sea levels and other effects of climate

change.

the government may discriminate against certain groups of people (e.g. on

grounds of gender, sexuality, skin colour or religion)

governments may not have money to spend on

infrastructure (e.g. roads and public transport).

Conflicts between countries and civil wars within countries may cause

governments to become unstable.

Effect if people become ill who have not been educated,

they may not know how to access medical care to help

themselves get better.

without treatments, these people may pass the

diseases on to their children. they may also die more quickly and their children might become orphaned.

many people have to leave their homes (becoming displaced persons or

refugees) during conflict and may lose their money,

possessions and livelihoods.

they may feel frustrated and develop hatred against these other people; conflicts between groups of people

might result.

the general living standards of all citizens in these island

states and low-lying countries goes down.

Food prices might go up in areas which are not easy to get to, which means people who cannot afford the high

prices might go hungry.

Effect global

inequality

1» Do some of the effects feed back into the causes, creating a ‘vicious circle’? Mark down where you think this could happen.

2» What effects mightglobal institutions such as the United Nations and Commonwealth have on these causes and effects of global inequalities?

3» Can you summarisesome of the main causes and effects of global inequality in around 100 words?

» Sheet Y ANSWERS

EffectPollution from industry and

migration to cities.

Fewer natural resources means the prices go up.

governments in these countries might find it

difficult to change people’s mindsets and control

discrimination, crime and violence.

Farmers have to grow food and other products for the consumers rather than to feed the local community.

Corruption spreads down from leaders to other

political representatives and lawmakers, judges,

magistrates and the police force.

Countries cannot afford to pay back the loans for many years and just pay the lowest interest payments possible.

Cause historically, people in a

number of countries have been dominated, enslaved and criminalised by colonial

policies that are hard to escape from once the

countries gain independence.

governments may put a lot of money into fast industrialisation.

international banks and organisations may give huge

loans to governments at a high rate of interest.

Companies trying to make a profit may avoid government regulations and exploit the country’s natural resources (e.g. food, oil, gemstones).

Big companies might buy up land from local farmers to

grow agricultural produce for consumers in richer areas

(e.g. food and tobacco).

Powerful leaders may wish to gain more and more power.

this might make them follow corrupt practices and also

sabotage democratic elections.

Effect health problems and

overcrowding in cities; environmental degradation.

Violence, conflict and insecurity; huge cultural,

social and economic differences between countries that used to run empires and those who were colonised.

Consumers in richer areas demand more and more

produce and prices go up. Companies make a big profit but do not always pass this on

to local farmers.

Poorer people in the country cannot afford the more

expensive natural resources and they are bought by richer

people across the world.

Countries can spiral into debt, resulting in less money being spent on helping citizens,

and even bankruptcy.

where officials and businesses are corrupt and stealing

money from the government and people, the whole of the country becomes poorer and

crime increases.

Effect global

inequality



Goal » 1 Eradicate extreme poverty and

hunger By improving poor people’s incomes;

raising employment for all; and reducing hunger.

Goal » 2 Achieve universal primary

education By making sure all girls and boys are able

to complete a full course of primary schooling.

Goal » 3Promote gender equality and

empower women By reducing the differences between the access of men and women to education, employment and roles of political power.

Goal » 4 Reduce child mortality rate

By reducing the under-five mortality rate (how many children die before the age

of five).

Goal » 5 Improve maternal health

By reducing the maternal mortality ratio (how many women die during childbirth);

and improving access to reproductive health (e.g. contraceptives, family

planning and medical care).

Goal » 6 Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and

other diseases By reversing the spread of hiV/aiDS;

improving access to hiV/aiDS treatments and drugs; and reversing the spread of

malaria and other major diseases.

Goal » 7 Ensure environmental sustainability By putting sustainability into government policies; reducing the loss of biodiversity

(plants and animals); improving access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation; and

improving the lives of slum-dwellers.

Goal » 8 Develop a global partnership for

development By developing good systems for global

trading, and poverty and debt reduction; addressing the special needs of the poorest countries and small island states; working with private companies to improve access to affordable and essential medicines and new

technologies such as mobile telephones, computers and the internet.

1 2

3 4

5 6

7

8

Your Task » Try to get the Millennium Development Goals Funding Board to give you funding for your proposed programme or project. You will have one minute and thirty seconds only to present to the board. Your presentation should include the following aspects:

» The three Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) you have chosen.» How your three chosen MDGs are linked together and how they might help to reduce global inequalities.» A programme or project you would start up that would contribute to at least two out of your three

chosen goals if you were given the funding.» How many people your programme might reach across the Commonwealth (which has around 2 billion

people in it), how much it might cost per person, and the approximate total cost of your project or programme.

Once you have decided on your goals and programme / project idea, it might be useful to divide your group into subgroups to prepare and present the four different elements listed above.

3r3

Millennium Development Goal Cards » Resource 3r3

ReSouRCe 3r3Page 1 oF 1


» Millennium Development Goals Funding Board Guidelines

You are the Millennium Development Goals Funding Board. You have $100 million to allocate by the end of this meeting.Your aim is to help reduce global inequalities by contributing towards programmes or projects that support two or more of the UN Millennium Development Goals.A number of groups will present their proposals to you, which should each consist of the following elements:The three Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) they have chosen.How their three chosen MDGs are linked together and how they might help to reduce global inequalities.A programme or project they would start up that would contribute to at least two out of their three chosen goals if they were given the funding.How many people their programme might reach across the Commonwealth (which has around two billion people in it: 2,000,000,000 people), how much it might cost per person, and the approximate total cost of their project or programme.

The Eight UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are as follows:Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger… By improving poor people’s incomes; raising

employment for all; and reducing hunger.Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education… By making sure all girls and boys are able to

complete a full course of primary schooling.Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women… By reducing the differences between

the access of men and women to education, employment and roles of political power.Goal 4: Reduce child mortality rate… By reducing the under-five mortality rate (how many

children die before the age of five).Goal 5: Improve maternal health… By reducing the maternal mortality ratio (how many

women die during childbirth); and improving access to reproductive health (e.g. contraceptives, family planning and medical care).

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases… By reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS; improving access to HIV/AIDS treatments and drugs; and reversing the spread of malaria and other major diseases.

Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability… By putting sustainability into government policies; reducing the loss of biodiversity (plants and animals); improving access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation; and improving the lives of slum-dwellers.

Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development… By developing good systems for global trading, and poverty and debt reduction; addressing the special needs of the poorest countries and small island states; working with private companies to improve access to affordable and essential medicines and new technologies such as mobile telephones, computers and the internet.

please turn over...

2r43r4

Funding Board Guidelines » Resource 3r4

ReSouRCe 3r4Page 1 oF 2

Before watching the presentations, make sure you consider:- Which of the MDGs do you think will have the most impact on reducing global

inequalities and why?- Which ones will be easier to achieve and why?After watching each presentation, your task is to decide which projects to fund and how much money (out of the $100 million) to give to each project. If they have asked for more money than this you can still give them a smaller amount and ask them to modify (change) their project or programme accordingly.Make sure you give good reasons for your decisions to fund or not to fund the different projects presented to you. Your reasons for giving funding might include:• The project or presentation contains all the information you needed to help you make

your decision.• The project is not too narrow (it will help a good number of people, in a range of countries

around the Commonwealth)• The project is not too wide (it is not trying to help so many people that it would not end up

making a difference)• The project is not too short-term (it will not just help people temporarily and have no

lasting / sustainable impact)• The project is not too long-term (it will start making a difference soon rather than many

years into the future when the global situation might have changed)• The project is not too likely to breed corruption (it does not make small numbers of

people so powerful that they might steal the money or use it only to help themselves)• The project (or a modified version) fits into your limited budget ($100 million) and will

make a big difference in reducing inequalities for people around the Commonwealth.

It might be useful to divide these guidelines among the members of the Funding Board so you are each focusing on a few different elements during the presentations. Try to be constructive in your feedback (for example, give suggestions for how they could improve their proposal next time if they didn’t receive funding). Good luck!


» Millennium Development Goals Funding Board Guidelines


Funding Board Guidelines » Resource 3r4

» Millennium Development Goals Funding Board Guidelines continued...



Funding Board Money » Resource 3r5

20 20

20 20

20 20

20 20

2020 2020

2020 2020

£20

mil

lion

£20

mil

lion

10 10

10 10

£10

mil

lion

£10

mil

lion

10 10

10 10

» Funding board money to go with 3r4


5 5

5 5

£5 m

illi

on

£5 m

illi

on

5 5

5 5

10 10

10 10

5 5

5 5

£5 m

illi

on

£5 m

illi

on

5 5

5 5

£20

mil

lion

£20

mil

lion

20 20

20 20

£20

mil

lion

£20

mil

lion

20 20

20 20

£10

mil

lion

£10

mil

lion

10 10

10 10

10 10

10 10

£10

mil

lion

£10

mil

lion

10 10

10 10


Values Continuum Statement Sheets » Resource 3r6

» Values Continuum Statement Sheet

For each statement decide on how much you AGREE or DISAGREE and situate yourself somewhere along the values continuum.

Be ready to justify your decision!

the millennium Development goals will make a big difference in tackling global inequalities

healthcare should be a bigger priority than the environment.

education should be a bigger priority than healthcare.

military defence is more important than global development.

the Commonwealth could be a useful organisation to help reduce global inequalities.

there is nothing we as individuals can do to resolve global inequalities.

giving aid to governments is an effective way to reduce global inequalities.

the debts of poorer countries should all be cancelled.

there should be minimal government interference in people’s lives.

money should be distributed according to who needs it rather than who has earned it.

AGREEDISAGREE IN-BETWEEN

Values Continuum Statement Sheets » Resource 3r6

» Values Continuum Statement Sheet

For each statement decide on how much you AGREE or DISAGREE and situate yourself somewhere along the values continuum.

Be ready to justify your decision!

the millennium Development goals will make a big difference in tackling global inequalities

healthcare should be a bigger priority than the environment.

education should be a bigger priority than healthcare.

military defence is more important than global development.

the Commonwealth could be a useful organisation to help reduce global inequalities.

there is nothing we as individuals can do to resolve global inequalities.

giving aid to governments is an effective way to reduce global inequalities.

the debts of poorer countries should all be cancelled.

there should be minimal government interference in people’s lives.

money should be distributed according to who needs it rather than who has earned it.

AGREEDISAGREE IN-BETWEEN


1 copy per student

the royal commonwealth society lesson 3 resources1-6 blue

Documents

effects of global inequalities

global economy

global issues

global justice

global society common

ideas of common wealth

togethera activity

differentiation activity