How can I teach Social Action?

When engaged in a study of globalization, I have always wondered how to get a group of apathetic adolescents to actually do something about the problems we study. Sure they care and they are appalled quite often about what they learn and such but rarely does anyone ask about what can be done. Well this year I'm trying something different. I'm trying to engage my students through a "social action" project.

So far I have had students research problems associated with globalization, such as:

• Poverty
• Disparity
• Environmental Damage
• Human Exploitation and Trafficking

The purpose of the research is to find a problem that they as students will work toward fixing through activism.

Once the reasearch was complete the students had to submit a plan of action which described their "problem"and explained its causes and effects. Furthermore, the students had to outline 3 "actions" that they would enact to make some positive change. There ideas ranged from having a bake sale for poverty to making an awareness ad and posting it on YouTube.

We are currently in the "action" phase of the project and the students have two months to put their plans into action. I am anxious to see how this turns out. Once they have done their 3 activities, they must provide me with proof via a portfolio of evidence. And finally they will be required to turn a reflective paper where they will describe how effective their actions were and what more needs to be done.

Will this create less apathetic kids? I'm not sure but I hope it will show them what needs to be done in order for them to be active citizens in our society.