young people creating change in their communities
campaign : Bee Friendly
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‘Doing one small thing can make a difference’
This is true of all the young people’s campaigns, but especially for Ella's ‘Bee Friendly’.
By focusing on the planning of her activity, we can learn how breaking down a huge problem can make tackling it feel much less overwhelming.
The first step? Let's look at the key areas and ideas of an issue.
Be inspired with us and follow the bee on its journey.
Did you know that a queen bee may survive up to five years but a busy worker bee only lives for about 40 days?
Ella's planning sheets take inspiration from bees themselves. She investigates different ways of sharing knowledge and taking individual action.
Charities like the Bournville Beekeepers already seek to provide educational experiences for visitors, so, how could Ella address an area that another company is already working on?
Unusual key facts catch people's attention. For some, more important than honey, is money! Ella found out that bees contribute more to the British economy than the royal family.
Hashtags appear in Ella's notes. Social media is a great way to spread a message. Ultimately, from all Ella's notes, she identifies her strongest message as - "it's the little things that can make a big change". The life cycle of bees is incredibly short, yet they contribute to the wider existence of the colony.
#BeeSafe #HoneyBees #Bees
What do you think of Ella's planning process, can you see how her initial ideas grew?
In her planning notes, Ella thinks about how children could learn about bees, including making bee pots containing:
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A pack of seeds
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Slogan cards - # on Instagram, write on the box
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Bee components
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A small stick
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Little bags to put all of it in
Inquisitive young minds therefore had a lot of little different things to play and learn with.
Where would you start with planning your own campaign? Try a mind-map and collect together your research.
Your Turn To Plan
A Curator's Perspective
Ella's campaign is a really lovely example of how exploring a topic can lead to innovation. Ella comes to the neat conclusion of being inspired by the bees themselves.
Instead of adults teaching and passing on knowledge,
with activity packs Ella can empower young minds to pass on knowledge to their wider 'community' giving them a sense of ownership.
But unlike the short life cycle of worker bees, this knowledge can continue to grow with the family as even the physical presence of the flowers in their home serves as an annual reminder!
Pause for Thought
Bee Kind!
The bee also represents hard work and has often been used as a sign for power and unity. Harness the positivity of bees, learn some new sewing skills and spread kindness by making your very own Bee Kind patch!
Check out the How to Make a Patch guide by Seleena Laverne Daye for everything you need to get making.
want more? - check out the scrapbook
Ella worked with artist Melanie Tomlinson.
Honey bees use a figure-of-eight dance to signal the distance and direction of resources for the hive. Similarly, activities that are simple and can be easily repeated can help pass on Ella's message in a fun and easy way.
Like bees, we can pass on morsels of nectar or knowledge to make something delicious - a shared passion for a cause! Rather than focusing on social media, children could take these kits home to parents - someone already invested in sharing their passion.
Ella worked with artist Melanie Tomlinson.