DAY 1: Taking the Lead

Activity 1: Playing Favourites [4 points]

Barack Obama was the President of the United States of America (USA) from 2009 - 2017. He made history as the first African American person to be elected President of the USA.

Barack Obama was born in Hawaii. His father was from Kenya, Africa and his mother was American. His parents divorced when he was young and his father died in a car crash when Barack was 21 years old. As a young man Barack studied law at university which is where he met his wife, Michelle.

Together, Barack and Michelle have spent much of their adult lives helping others and giving back to their community. When they are not at work, they can be found doing their favourite things, including spending time with their family, playing with their dog, or going to the gym.

What do you like to do for fun? Do you also enjoy spending time with family? Do you have a special pet?

Dr Jessa Rogers (Metuamate) is a Aborignal Australian and a leader in indigenous education. She grew up in Queensland, Australia, and when she had a baby while she was still at school, it seemed like her education would suffer. However, Jessa not only completed her high school education, but she went on to University and completed several degrees, including a PhD which means she is called Dr Rogers!

Dr Jessa Rogers became the first school principal (and youngest Aboriginal principal in Australia) of the Cape York Girl Academy, a school in far north Queensland for young indigenous mums and their babies. For her work on improving indigenous education in Australia, she won the NAIDOC Youth of the Year award in 2010, has gone on to win many more awards and write several books.

Dr Rogers is a proud member of the Wiradjuri people, an Indigenous community in Australia, and has a strong connection to New Zealand. In fact, her husband is affiliated with two iwi in New Zealand - Ngāti Kauwhata, Ngāti Raukawa, and he is also of Cook Island and Tahitian decent. Jessa is currently working at the University of Canberra as an assistant professor.

Activity 3: ‘Dear Jacinda’ [6 points]

The Right Honorable Jacinda Ardern is the current Prime Minister (PM) of New Zealand (NZ). You might have heard of her because she’s in the news a lot! Did you know that she is the second youngest person and the second woman ever to be elected PM of NZ?

As PM, Jacinda Ardern makes a number of important decisions every day. Before she makes these decisions, she meets with many people to hear their ideas and get their perspectives (views) on issues.

Let’s imagine you were to write a letter to Jacinda Ardern about an issue that is really important to you, and to ask her for help. It could be something serious to do with education, health or welfare, or it could be something more fun and crazy - you decide!

DAY 2: Taking Action

Activity 1: A Long Walk to Freedom [4 points]

Nelson Mandela was an activist and civil rights leader who was born and raised in South Africa. For over 40 years (1948-1991), the country of South Africa had a political system called ‘apartheid’. This meant that there were different rules for people who had white skin than for those who didn’t. Nelson Mandela felt that this was very wrong and he fought for many years to change the law. Eventually he became the President of South Africa and ended apartheid, but not before spending 27 years in prison.

In Robben Island prison (where Mandela spent 18 years), life was very tough. Mandela had a tiny, damp, concrete cell, with only a straw mat to sleep on. During the day he was forced to work in a quarry, breaking rocks into gravel. He was only allowed to see one visitor and receive one letter every six months. At night, Nelson read and studied to be a lawyer.

Activity 2: School Strike for Climate [4 points]

You may have heard people talking about an issue called ‘Climate change’. Climate change refers to an increase in the temperature of our planet. Warmer temperatures can cause natural disasters (floods, storms, droughts, bushfires, hurricanes, etc), rising sea levels, and the extinction (disappearance) of plants and animals.

Many people in New Zealand (and overseas) are worried about climate change, including Greta Thunberg, a 16 year old girl from Sweden. She believes that climate change is not only real, but that it is a “crisis”. She is upset that adults, particularly governments and powerful people, are not taking climate change seriously. In 2018 she began protesting outside the Swedish government buildings every Friday instead of going to school. She inspired the School Strike for Climate protests and, in 2019, spoke to the United Nations about her concerns. Not everyone, however, is convinced that climate change is really happening.

Activity 3: “I Have a Dream” [6 points]

Martin Luther King Jr was a Christian minister in the United States of America (USA) in the 1950s and 1960s. He spent much of his life fighting for equality (equal rights) for people of colour. At the time, there were laws that kept black and white people separated - they went to different schools, used different toilets, and even sat in different parts of a bus and ate in different areas of a restaurant. This was called ‘segregation.’

Dr King did not agree with these laws and he led many protests against them. He was joined in his protests by many people, including an African American woman named Rosa Parks. In 1955, Rosa boarded a bus in Alabama (USA) and when the bus filled up with people, she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger. You can read about this famous incident here and watch a video about Rosa Parks here.

The brave actions of people like Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa Parks were instrumental in changing the way that African Americans (people of colour) were treated in the United States.

DAY 3: Women’s Rights

Activity 1: The Right to Vote [4 points]

Kate Sheppard was a very famous and important New Zealander. In the late 1800s, she fought for women to have the right to vote in elections. She did this by creating petitions (lists with the names of people who supported her), running public meetings, writing letters to the newspaper, and talking to politicians.

As a result of her hard work, women in New Zealand (NZ) were first granted the right to vote in 1893. This made NZ the first country in the world to give women the right to vote. We call this right ‘women’s suffrage’.

In honour of Kate Sheppard’s work, the NZ government has put her image on the current $10 note.

Activity 2: The Right to an Education [4 points]

Malala Yousafzai is a woman who was born and raised in Pakistan. In 2012, she was shot and wounded when traveling home on the bus from school. At the time, girls (and women) living in Pakistan were not encouraged, or even allowed, to go to school. It is widely believed that Malala was attacked because she (and her father) did not agree with this idea and they felt that women had the right to an education.

Once Malala recovered from her injuries she continued to advocate (fight) for the rights of all women to receive an education. For this work, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 - the youngest person to ever receive this prestigious prize. You can read more of her story here.

As well as giving speeches in front of many very important and influential people, Malala has written books about her own life. She has also written a book for children called Malala’s Magic Pencil.

Activity 3: Belle of the Ball [6 points]

Emma Watson is a movie star who started acting in films when she was just nine years old. You might recognise her as Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter films or ‘Belle’ from the Disney adaptation of Beauty and the Beast.

When Emma is not acting, she spends a lot of time giving speeches and advocating for the rights of women and girls. In 2014 she launched the HeForShe campaign which encourages men and boys to actively support women and girls by speaking out about gender equality - the idea that males (men) and females (women) have the same rights. Emma is also an avid reader who started her own worldwide book club!

Let’s imagine that Emma has just emailed you and asked for your help. She needs a recommendation for a great book for her book club. She also needs you to prepare a short review of the book to share with her readers.

DAY 4: Indigenous Rights

Activity 1: Guiding Principles [4 points]

Hōne Heke was a rangatira (chief) of Ngapuhi iwi in Northland. He was a strong and fearless warrior, and also an intelligent leader who fought for Māori rights during the British colonisation of Aotearoa, New Zealand. He was baptised a Christian in 1835 and had much respect for the missionaries that came to New Zealand. Hōne Heke supported Te Tiriti o Waitangi - the Treaty of Waitangi - and was the first rangatira to sign it in 1840.

However he soon realised that under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Māori rangatira were losing their authority (power). In protest, he cut down the flagpole that flew the British flag at Kororareka (Russell) four times. He must have been very frustrated and angry.

Sometimes when we feel strongly (frustrated, angry, happy, excited, in awe…) we find it hard to put our feelings into words. Many cultures have sayings, proverbs or metaphors that can help people to explain their feelings or describe specific things. In Te Reo Māori, some people may use a whakataukī.

Activity 2: Celebrating Diversity [4 points]

There are between 370 and 500 million Indigenous Peoples currently living in 90 countries around the world. Together, they represent over 5000 different cultures and speak 4000 different languages. That is pretty amazing ‘eh?! I wish that I could speak 4000 languages!

Indigenous People is the term used to describe the people who were the first inhabitants of a land. In Aotearoa, Māori are Indigenous. Indigenous people have rich and vibrant cultures that make the world such a fascinating, varied and enriching place to live.

Activity 3: Wise Words [4 points]

Sir Āpirana Ngata and Dame Whina Cooper were both influential leaders who fought for Māori rights. Āpirana Ngata was a lawyer and politician. He worked hard to give rights to Māori land owners, and he also spent a lot of his career encouraging Māori to preserve the culture - haka, poi, whakairo (carving), waiata (song), sport and the construction of more marae around Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Whina Cooper was the first president of the Māori Women’s Welfare League, which worked on improving health, education, housing and welfare for Māori women in New Zealand in the 1950s. She led the Māori land hikoi (march) from Northland to Wellington to protest against the loss of Māori land. She was nearly 80 years old at the time. Both of these individuals are examples of wise, inspiring leaders and role models.

DAY 5: Humanitarian Heroes

Activity 1: Everyday Heroes [4 points]

Every day, the men and women in the Emergency Services provide help and support people in New Zealand and around the world. At times, they have to risk their lives in order to save others.

Common Emergency Services include the Fire Service, the Police Force and the Ambulance Service. Other related services include the Air Ambulance, Search and Rescue, Coast Guard, Surf Lifesaving, and the Civil Defence (amongst others).

In Australia, Fire Services are currently fighting more than 150 wildfires burning in New South Wales, a province on the east coast of the country. The wildfires started in November 2019 and are not expected to stop for many weeks. It is a very challenging time for the men and women serving in the Emergency Services in Australia.

Activity 2: Leading by Example [4 points]

Mother Teresa and Princess Diana were both people who wanted to do things to help others. They were very different people, however they both had a significant impact on the world.

Mother Teresa was born in Eastern Europe but decided at a young age that she wanted to be a missionary (a person who gets sent somewhere to share their religious faith and do charity work). She moved to India where she worked hard and cared for those who needed her the most. Her work was recognised by the Catholic Church, which gave her the title of ‘Saint’ Teresa.

Diana, while not officially a saint, was a real-life princess. In her role as a princess, she travelled the world raising awareness about a number of important issues. Through her work, Princess Diana helped the world to see that all people, including those affected by illness and disease, needed love and respect. Princess Diana and Mother Teresa both led by example with acts of kindness towards others.