Sainsburys Active Kids Get Talking

Active Kids Get Talking in the school council/forum

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Often the hardest part about a new project is knowing how to get started. Your teachers, group leaders and other adults who may be helping you will keep you on the right track.

Here are some handy hints for making sure that everyone’s opinions are heard and respected – and for getting everything done in time.

Make sure everyone knows the date, time and place of each meeting.

You could put up a chart or poster in school or your Scouts/Guides building somewhere where everyone will see it.

Ask someone to be the log-keeper.

His or her job will be to keep notes about what happens at your meetings – especially to record how the ideas are shaping up. This person will probably be well organised and good at writing.

Think about who else could come to your meetings.

For example, the teacher or group leader in charge of PE would be useful if you’re thinking about Active Kids Alternative Sports, and a local chef could help if you’re talking about Active Kids Get Cooking. How about the Governors – would they like to help? If you find it difficult to get in touch with the right people, ask your teacher or groups leader for help finding names and phone numbers.

Take it one step at a time.

There are lots of different ways of thinking about the Active Ideas Sainsbury’s has suggested. Perhaps the easiest way is to tackle each of the ideas one at a time. Decide which Active Idea you want to enter your ideas for and spend a couple of sessions until you have some great thoughts on making it work for your school or group. You can enter for as many Active Ideas as you like. Just remember to fill in an entry form for each of them and send it in by 23 May.

The fifth idea.

If you choose this one, you’ll need a bit longer to work out your own Active Kids idea. We suggest that this could be about music or the environment. But if you don’t agree, why not come up with a completely new idea of your own? Either way, you could get a group working on it straight away.

Keep the judges in mind.

Have a look at Judging. It will help you with the information you need for the entry form and tell you what the judges are looking for.

Keep the rest of the school up to date with progress.

Remember to let them know what's happening and keep encouraging them to give you their ideas and opinions. You could post updates on your message board or school or group website, or ask teachers and group leaders if you can make make a short announcement at the beginning of a class. You could go back to assembly too and talk about how the consultation is going.

Last but definitely not least:

Have fun!