🗳️ Democracy in Class: Voting, Rights and Responsibility

Hello! Today we will see how a class makes a decision together: voting, rights and responsibility. We call this democracy.

Mia’s class is going on a trip, but everyone wants a different place: the zoo, the science museum or the nature park. There are 10 children in the class. Who should decide? The fairest way is a vote.

One by one, everyone goes behind the curtain and writes their vote on a slip of paper. They fold it and drop it in the ballot box. This is called a secret ballot. Nobody sees who voted for what, so everyone can choose freely. Each person has only one vote.

Now it is time to count! We keep a tally for every vote. The zoo got 6 votes. The science museum got 3 votes. The nature park got 1 vote. Six plus three plus one makes exactly 10 votes: nobody’s vote was lost.

Half of 10 people is 5. The zoo got 6 votes, which is more than half. This is called a majority. In a democracy, the decision of the majority is carried out. Also, every vote is equal: one person, one vote.

The vote is over, but our work is not. 4 of our friends wanted a different place. Their idea was valuable too. In a democracy, the majority decides, but we listen to people who think differently and respect them. Maybe we can visit the museum another day!

The class president is chosen in the same way. There are two candidates: Sam and Alex. A candidate is a person who wants to be chosen. Out of 20 votes, Sam got 12 and Alex got 8. Sam became president. A president does not represent only the people who voted for them, but the whole class.

In a democracy, everyone has rights, but next to every right there is also a responsibility. We have the right to share our ideas, and the responsibility to listen to our friends. We have the right to play, and the responsibility to tidy the toys. We have the right to education, and the responsibility to be ready for lessons.

Children all over the world have rights. They are written in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The right to education, to be healthy, to be protected, to have a say and to play are some of them. A child has these rights wherever they live.

A school has a council too: the school council. Each class chooses a representative. The representatives meet and share their classes’ ideas, such as planting trees in the playground or setting a library hour. They talk it over together, and then take it to the school leaders.

To sum up: in a democracy everyone has a vote, and the vote is secret. The majority wins, but people who think differently are heard too. The person who is chosen represents everyone. Next to every right there is a responsibility. Now try it in the game!