Social Justice Activism

Providing meaningful opportunities for learners to contribute to decisions that
affect them, including rules in the classroom and school and beyond through
student councils and other forms of student representation in various governance
levels (local, regional, national) of educational institutions;
Making it a priority to cultivate a climate of trust and openness where learners are
encouraged to share their opinions and to respectfully consider the views of
others;
Developing neutral and appropriate mechanisms for students and teachers to
use when someone (student, teacher or school leader) is in conflict with the
established rules;
Implementing policies of inclusion that embrace diversity in the curriculum and
facilitate the involvement of all learners in the life of the school.
The Importance of Creating Safe and Inclusive Learning Environments
Inclusive school policies and practices provide learners with the opportunity to
experience the RoL at first hand. Inclusive school policies create enabling environments
that support learners' outcomes and behaviors which are important to the RoL - such as
‘an appreciation and respect for diversity’, ‘a sense of belonging’ and ‘a willingness to
take action’.
Holistic learning environments can be created by working in partnership with learners
and their families and relevant community actors who may not necessarily have a
formal educational mandate, for example the artistic and sports community, cultural and
religious leaders, media, as well as business. Engaging with these actors in ways that
further illustrate how the RoL permeates all aspects of our lives can be an additional
way of bringing the RoL to life.
Curricular Support
Necessary Support Systems
There are numerous curricular strategies for implementing Rule of law (RoL) and
Culture of lawfulness (CoL) activities or programs. These strategies are intended for all
learners across different learning environments.
These curricular options are (not mutually exclusive):
A dedicated subject, such as ‘citizenship education’;
The infusion of themes and approaches predominantly within a few subjects,
such as history, social studies, civics or life skills education;
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