Empowerment

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Definition of Empowerment…

Wikipedia says it “…refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social or economic strength of individuals and communities. It often involves the empowered developing confidence in their own capacities.”

Different levels of being empowered

• For example, you may have a responsibility at home…
• Or a teacher may ask you to do some homework. Ahem…
• Some people sing in the gospel choir, or act, or do street dance with training from different members of staff. All this is empowering you.
• Or you may have some responsibility within the school (e.g. a School Council or Forum).
• Some people act as Young Carers
• Others are empowered to play sport for the school
• You may be empowered to more responsibility at work over time

Games

Get a load of newspaper and tape and they have to make the largest freestanding structure. Remember to get prizes etc. You could even get people doing this as you’re talking so they have a time limit…

Get students up and get them to talk on random subjects for 1 minute. Examples include:

  • The Catalonian dung beetle
  • The nasal hair of the Indian elephant’s trunk
  • The fashion statements found within the Caucasus region of Russia
  • Comparisons of the Geordie accent and the Aberdeen accent
  • A look at time, space and the universe from the perspective of an ant
  • The fascinating changes in weaving and knitting techniques in the 1800s
  • Make up your own random subjects

Video Clip Ideas 

Freedom Writers:

Clip is from ‘Freedom Writers’ – Chapter 12 if using a DVD – ‘Heroes’. 1:21:41 – 1:25:22 (clip runs from the graffiti of ‘Miep Gies’ on wall – to when the camera cuts away from the school).

‘Freedom Writers’ is a true movie story of a school in Los Angeles where the students were helped to succeed by an amazing teacher. This clip is about one of the things the students made happen, with the help of their teacher – they fundraised and brought Miep Gies to their school, the woman who hid Anne Frank from the Nazis to come and visit them. Here’s what happened.

Madagascar 2:

Chapter 21 if using a DVD. (Time 1:12:12, animals lying on the ground hear the waters rushing in 1:16:30 wide shot as they walk off wiggling their backsides / when it fades to black after this)

The key part is when Zuba (the father lion) hands the power to Alex (who’s earned the right to be in the pride). They end up sharing it but hey…

Kung Fu Panda (also talks about belief in a mystical kind of way)

Chapter 13 if using a DVD. (40:48, Master Oogway and Shifu are talking by a true with blue background 43:51 ish). Tai Lung is their enemy and Kung Fu Panda will turn out to be their ‘saviour’. In this clip, Oogway’s time has come and the power has passed to Shifu. “You must believe…” are Oogway’s parting words.

Chapter 11 if using a DVD. (33:57 with the gong being hit on the side of the hill 36:58 just after line, “He’s not gonna quit bouncing, I’ll tell you that” and sunset over the hill). In this clip, Kung Fun Panda is being trained – he won’t quit. Nor should we

Chapter 21 if using a DVD. 1:11.02. Kung Fun Panda emerges out of breath and announces he’s the Dragon Warrior. Ends 1:16:42 after Kung Fun Panda has beaten Tai Lung and there is a yellow mist on screen). In this, Kung Fun Panda has been trained and has been released. Now he has to taken on and then defeat Tai Lung, which he does.

Bible

God empowered Jesus via the Cross… Jesus empowered the disciples…

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28.16-20, The Bible

Whether you believe in God or not, people have to admit that Jesus was a good leader as he worked with a pretty crazy team – a couple of loud, mad fishermen; someone who doubted him; a bloke who jumped into the water to follow him; a tax collector; someone who probably used to be a member of a terrorist organisation (Simon the Zealot pos a member of Jewish resistance movement). One of the people who went around after Jesus died was called Paul and he used to kill and torture Christians for fun… But Jesus helped turn these people round and send them out to do good things in the name of Jesus – to turn the world upside down (or right way up!)