Lesson 1: Launching the Community Action Project — He Aha tō Mahi?
Beginning the journey — choosing a real community issue that matters, forming teams, and designing an inquiry question that will drive six to eight weeks of genuine civic impact.
🎯 Ngā Whāinga Akoranga | Learning Intentions
PBL design principles (authentic context, student voice, real audience); how to write a strong driving question; how Māori communities use wānanga to identify community needs and prioritise collective action.
Draft an open driving question for a chosen community issue; complete a Project Launch Canvas identifying the team, problem, audience, product, and success criteria.
🎥 Media Anchor & Inquiry Scaffold
Community Action & Project-Based Learning in Aotearoa
Watch the full clip — 1:44. Source: Student Volunteer Army. The SVA began when Canterbury tertiary and secondary students organised themselves after the 2011 earthquakes. Ten years on, this is what a student-launched community action grew into.
🧠 1. Before Viewing (Launch the Inquiry)
What is one thing in your school, neighbourhood, or community that frustrates you, needs improving, or is simply unfair? That feeling — that's the starting point of every real community action project.
👁️ 2. During Viewing (Critical Inquiry Points)
- Early in the clip: How did university and high school students recognise an urgent community need after the disaster and mobilise collective action instead of waiting for official instructions?
- Midway: Notice how the students connected directly with residents and whānau to find out what help was actually needed. How does this reflect manaakitanga (care for others) and practical kaitiakitanga (guardianship)?
- Later in the clip: Over a decade, the SVA became a nationwide platform for student-led community service. What does this demonstrate about the lasting impact that youth-led civic projects can achieve?
🗣️ 3. After Viewing & Kaiako Facilitation
Kaiako Move: Model a community needs analysis using a local example. Facilitate a class wānanga where students share community issues they care about. Help groups form around shared concerns.
Task: Project Launch Canvas: In your group, complete the one-page Project Launch Canvas. Define: What is the problem? Who is affected? What will you create? Who is your real audience? How will you know you've succeeded?
⚡ Whakaoho | Do Now: Project Hook (5 mins)
Three-column brainstorm: (1) What frustrates me about this school or community? (2) Who is most affected by this? (3) What could be changed if someone with power decided to act?
🌱 Activity 1: Collaborative Inquiry (25 mins)
Community issue wānanga — groups share their chosen issue and receive appreciative inquiry feedback from peers: What is strong about this issue choice? What questions should the group investigate? Who are the key stakeholders to consult?
✍️ Activity 2: Documentation & Reflection (20 mins)
Driving question drafting — each group writes three versions of their driving question (surface, medium, deep) and selects the version that opens the richest inquiry. Record the chosen question on your Project Launch Canvas and share with another group for feedback.
🏫 Kaiako Planning & Pedagogy Notes
Curriculum Alignment: Te Mātaiaho Social Sciences Phase 4 (Years 9–10) — Students investigate real community contexts, exercise civic agency, and take informed action to influence positive change.
Cultural Integration: Use wānanga processes throughout — shared inquiry, collective voice, relational knowledge. Invite community mentors to support groups where possible.
Assessment: This unit uses portfolio-based, process-focused assessment against the Assessment Rubric. The Project Launch Canvas, Action Log, and Final Evaluation Report together form the authentic assessment evidence.