More than 1/2 of the world lives in urban areas, and by 2050 more than 2/3 of humanity will. We need to make sure that cities are safe, inclusive, and sustainable for everyone, especially for women, children, and disabled people. It’s not just the responsibility of local governments and city planners, but of individuals to take care of their home neighbourhoods. 

Instructions:  

Split participants into small groups and give each group a set of materials.  

Have the groups create their “Perfect City”, advise them to think about things like; the kind of people who live there, transport system, type of energy used, what food is available and where it comes from, what the homes look like, what kind of jobs there are, laws etc.  

Groups can draw their city or arrange objects to create their city.  

Have each group present their city and have participants discuss which city they’d like to live in most and why. 

Debrief:

• How do you think the area you live in has changed in the last 50 years? 
• How much do you think it will change in the next 50 years? 
• What do you think is the most important thing to think about when designing a city?  
• From the cities people created, what part would you most like to see happen in real life?  

Instructions:

We suggest starting with the ‘Wake Up’ activity “Is my City Accessible?” so everyone in the group is aware of the rules of accessibility in your area.  

For this activity, participants will go outside to investigate how accessible their area is.  

They should choose in advance what type of accessibility they’re looking for and have one or two group members simulate this disability. For example, if a group is checking for accessibility for the blind, have one person in the group wear a blindfold during the activity. 

If they discover issues during the activity they should take a picture and note precisely what and where the issues are.  

At the end of the day, collect together all the information and pictures the group took, and take or send them to the Mayor or local council to make them aware of the problems.  

Instructions:

As a group, choose an area you think needs to be improved, this could be your local beach, park, main street or anywhere else in your area. 

Create a plan for what you will do to tidy this area, what materials do you need? How can you ensure the rubbish you find is disposed of correctly?  

If you want to take on a bigger project or area, consider doing a call out for members of your community to get involved or other Scout or Guide groups in your area. 

Instructions:

As a group or in patrols, discuss ways your area could be improved. You could look at ways to make an area more accessible, make it safer, tidier, more welcoming, anything you think would be an improvement.  

Some suggestions; organise a beach clean up, create a mural, plant some wildflowers, paint over graffiti, repair outdoor furniture.

Once the groups have chosen their projects, they should do research to find out what permission and materials they need for their project. Encourage them to create a step by step plan for how they will achieve their goal, have them think about what steps they can complete alone and what they might need more help with, if they need and funds etc.  

Encourage them to think about the future of their project, what steps can they take to ensure their positive change stays positive and doesn’t return to how it was before the project.