Assembly for 11 to 14 year olds Being Fair

Topic:

Life & Living (Friendship, Trust, Choices)

Theme:

What do we do when we see unfair situations?

Plan:

QUIZ

(NOTE: Run this with other members of the team, or against a sympathetic teacher.)

Get a volunteer, ask their name and explain the rules. They are going head to head with a team member. It’s the best out of three. The winner gets a prize the loser gets a pie in the face. The quiz is rigged so the young person's questions are difficult and the team members are easy.

TEAM

1. Name a player for Manchester United.
2. What is 5 + 5 + 10?
3. Name a day in the week that ends with “Y”?

PUPIL VOLUNTEER

1. What day will it be on 10th July 2010? (Saturday)
2. What was the winning time for the man in the London Marathon 2009?
(2 hrs 5 mins 10 secs)
Say the good news is this last question is worth 3 points.
3. What is 123 divided by 13? (9.46)

Ask the pupil how they felt about their poor performance. Hopefully they'll say it’s unfair. Agree with them... and pie the team member.

STORY

Do you remember the game of football that took place in September last year? The Irish were playing the French for a place in the world cup finals. The winners would not only receive lots of money for playing but the respect and privilege of playing in the world cup is massive. The French won the first leg 1-0. The Irish were winning the second leg 1-0. It was all equal. With 10 minutes left and a penalty shoot out looming, French striker Thiery Henry handled the ball then passed it to a team mate who scored. The Irish were out and the French through.

UNFAIR? YOU DECIDE...

Ask them questions to think about and decide if they think it's unfair. The idea is that they are doing the unfair thing so they reflect on their actions rather than it being done to them.

a. You push in front of someone in the dinner or bus queue.

b. A teacher has spent an hour of their own time preparing a lesson. You disrupt the lesson so no one learns anything.

c. You have done something wrong but your parents blame your brother/sister. You stay silent as they get grounded.

d.Every 4 seconds a person dies of hunger. That’s 15 million children. Meanwhile you have more than enough and don’t ever do anything to help those less fortunate as you.

There is unfairness in this world and we all have a choice to make. We can make it more unfair by pushing in at queues, disrupting things that people have put hard work into or is their another way?

BIBLE STORY (Matthew 18: 23-25)

This story is about forgiveness but if told in the right way can be used to help illustrate what happens when you treat people unfairly.

THE CHALLENGE

Conclude the assembly with four points that will help when we think about unfairness.

1. If we are unfair to others we should not be surprised when it happens to us. So treat people fairly.

2. Remember that we are very fortunate to have the things we have and remember those who aren't as fortunute.

3. Sometime when we see unfair situations we need to do something about it e.g. poverty.

4. If we are being treated unfairly we need to speak to someone about it not seek revenge like the team leader did when pie-ing that person!

Author:

Submitted by: Mark Paddon (Youth Coordinator, Hazel Grove Baptist Church)

Contact Details: mark@hgbc.org.uk

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