Rights and Responsibilities

5-13

The lesson is intended for children in year grades 1-6.

30+

If done in detailed blocks, this lesson take 30 minutes.

all

The lesson can be done with large groups, small classes or individuals.

In this topic

We all have rights. Rights are essential for our physical, social, emotional, and spiritual development. Ally is referring to basic human rights that includes right to food, clothing, housing, medical care, safety, a name, and belief system. We aren’t talking about the right to play loud music this is a want or wish!

Some people confuse having rights and being able to exercise those rights. We all have rights and no matter what we do these rights cannot be taken away from us. Sometimes we cannot exercise our rights because of the actions of others who may not respect our rights. This does not however take away our rights.

Many rights relate to our health, wellbeing, and safety. Rules and laws protect our right to being safe. We have a responsibility to follow rules and laws, respect our rights and the rights of others. Where possible to be responsible for our own and others safety. Adults are first and foremost responsible for keeping children safe.

With every right comes a responsibility. A responsibility is a duty or something someone should do or think about and may impact on other people. A responsibility can be a chore at home or school, or it can be following rules, helping people in our community to feel safe. All of us are members of a community. A community can be small, like a classroom or school or as large as city or country.

It is the responsibility of adults to protect children and young people and keep them safe from harm. Abuse is never the fault of the child or young person.

We all have the right to create boundaries for the protection of our personal space. Personal space is the area around an individual they psychologically feel is their space. This space differs from person to person as well as depending on one’s culture. Some may call personal spaces their personal bubble. We have a right to ask people not to come into our bubble.

Learning about consent teaches us about healthy boundaries and empowers us to have autonomy over our bodies. It gives us power and control over who we share physical touch with. It is critical to know if we are feeling uncomfortable, we have a right to say ‘stop or ‘no’ and it’s the other persons responsibility to listen and stop immediately.

Asking for consent is how we can help people feel safe and it’s important to ask for consent and not just assume the other person will be okay with it. We have a responsibility to ask for consent before being in another person personal space.

Know

We all have rights and with rights comes responsibility?
Rights and responsibilities feature in our daily lives, especially in our relationships with others.
We all have a right to body autonomy and a responsibility to ask for consent

Understand

The relationship between rights and responsibilities in everyday life.
Being respectful makes people feel safe.
Importance of setting personal boundaries.
What seeking and giving consent means.

Match rights with related responsibilities.
Reflect on personal space and consent.
Handle uncomfortable situations where boundaries may be crossed.

Key Point

Asking for consent is how we can help people feel safe and it’s important to ask for consent and not just assume the other person will be okay with it. We have a responsibility to ask for consent before being in another person personal space.

Slide 01

Ally lives in a house where there are people who love Ally.

Slide 02

There is food, clean water, and fresh air.

Slide 03

Ally goes to school to learn and be with friends.

Explore

Everybody has a right to feel safe all the time.

Extend and discuss

Remember it doesn’t matter where you are and who you are with everyone has the right to feel safe all the time.

Slide 04

Ally knows these are things people need to have a happy and healthy life.

Slide 05

Everyone has a right to have them.

Activity

What do we have a right too?

Extend and discuss

In Ally’s story we heard some of the rights Ally enjoys. What are these?
Lives in a house where people love Ally.
‍
Discuss how belonging and having safe and respectful relationships are important for our wellbeing. Feeling we belong makes us feel safe and happy. Having a sense of belonging helps us to build strong wellbeing.

Ally has access to food, clean water, and fresh air. If we don’t have these things, we don’t grow up to be healthy adults.

Ally goes to school and learns alongside his friends. Discuss coming to school is a right we all have. It helps develop our personalities, talents, mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential. It plays an important role in teaching us how to be fair, respectful, tolerant, and how to use money

Slide 01

Ally has learnt with rights come responsibilities.

Slide 02

Such as eat fresh food to stay healthy…

Slide 03

Not to smoke inside..

explore

It everyone’s responsibility to keep our water and air clean.

Slide 04

…and to try hard when learning.

Slide 05

Ally knows everyone has a right to feel safe.

Slide 06

Everyone has a responsibility to respect other people’s right to feel safe.

Slide 07

It’s a responsibility at school.

Slide 08

It’s a responsibility playing sport.

Extend and discuss

Discuss the role that umpires, and referees have. It is their responsibility to keep everyone safe. In a game or match, are they the only ones with that responsibility? No, all the players also have a responsibility to make sure everyone else is safe. We all have a responsibility to keep each other safe.

Slide 9

It’s a responsibility at home.

Slide 10

It’s a responsibility talking to people in shops.

Extend and discuss

Discuss local shops and contexts, such as going through a slow drive-through, being in the supermarket and the right of a respectful interaction to be had by all. Respectful means you act in a way that shows you care about people’s feelings and well-being. You can have respect for others, and yourself.

activity

What is our responsibility?

Extend and discuss

Regarding the meaning of what a responsibility is.
‍
Responsibility is about doing the things we are supposed to do.

Might be a task you are expected to do such as cleaning your teeth every day or feeding the dog.

Might be a way you are expected to act. Such as you will play in a way that won’t seriously hurt yourself or someone else. It’s your responsibility to have fun in a safe and respectful way.

Or taking care of your safety online. Each of us is responsible for our own personal safety which means we are expected not to do things that put us in danger. There is an expectation to use the internet responsibly. Parents and teachers teach us how to view sites that are safe, and they expect us to avoid sites where we might find content that isn’t appropriate or healthy for young people. Being responsible in how we use the internet, means we do as teachers and parents instruct and only go onto sites we know are safe.

Some of the responsibilities we have with our right to feel safe are: Others have a right to feel safe with us - be respectful so others don’t feel unsafe Tell someone if we feel unsafe – yell really loud, text or message, write a note, draw a picture or phone. Help others to feel safe if they feel unsafe. Ally is very mindful of the responsibility to respect other people’s right to feel safe at school, playing sport, at home or when talking to people in the community.
‍

Slide 01

Ally really liked a friend at school.

Slide 02

Ally tried to sit next to the friend all the time.

Slide 03

One day the friend asked Alli to move as Ally was sitting too close.

Slide 04

Ally looked at the friend’s face and could see they were not happy.

explore

Sitting too close meant Ally had been in this kid’s personal space, the invisible bubble we all have.

Extend consent conversation

Further discussion - Ally has learnt everyone is boss of their own body that there is an imaginary personal space bubble representing our body’s boundaries. We have a right to ask people not to come into our personal space. We have a responsibility to ask for consent before entering another person’s personal space.

Discuss consent with students - permission for something to happen or an agreement to do something. Consent is an important word to learn. Consent means you have happily agreed for someone to give you a hug or kiss or play a game with you. It’s ok to say ‘No’ ‘Stop’ whenever you choose too. Our personal boundaries/bubble can be different from person to person. One friend might like to sit close, but another friend might not at all. What is important to remember is each person has a right to say how they do and don’t want to be touched – and we need to respect that boundary/bubble.

slide 05

Ally said sorry and asked if Alli moved the chair, could Alli still sit next to them.

Slide 06

The friend said yes and smiled.

explore

Text: Alli had been respectful by checking if it was still ok to sit next to the friend.

Extend and discuss

Ally’s friend at school was ok with Ally sitting next to them however there could be a time they want to be on their own. Ally needs to ask the person if it’s Ok to sit next to them. It’s ok for Ally’s friend to say, ‘yes’ one day and change their mind another and kindly say ‘No’.

activity

WE need ……………. Before we can enter someone personal space.

Extend and discuss

Asking the following:
Why was Ally’s classmate unhappy with Ally?
What did Ally say to get the classmates consent?
How did Ally know the classmate had given consent?
How did Ally show respect?

Slide 01

Alli’s family visited an elderly uncle who always greeted people with a big squeezy hug.

Slide 02

The hugs made Ally feel uncomfortable.

Slide 03

Alli told Dad about the feeling Alli got when the uncle squeezed hard.

Slide 04

Dad reminded Ally about the time Ally and Dad were wrestling.

Slide 05

Ally yelled “stop” as Dad had been too rough.

slide 06

Dad said, “I stopped because I know the rules.”

Slide 07

People are ‘boss of their bodies and others are to ask for consent to touch our bodies. 

explore

Consent is an important word to learn. Consent means you have happily agreed to someone giving you a hug or kiss or playing a game with you.  It’s ok to say “No”.

Slide 08

Dad and Alli talked about how Ally could ask the uncle to do a high five instead of the hug.

Slide 09

“If you high five this time it doesn’t mean you have to do it next time, you have a choice.”

activity

Should someone ask for permission to be in our personal space?

Extension discussion

What does having a choice mean?
‍
Ally has learnt if someone says ‘No’ to being hugged, playing a tickling game, or wrestling, the other person should stop and listen. Even if the person doesn’t say yes or no this means they haven’t consented, and we don’t have permission to enter their personal space. We need to make sure we have a very clear ‘yes’ before we enter a person’s personal space.

Slide 01

On holidays a cousin got on the back of Ally’s bike and Ally went fast.

Slide 02

The cousin was really scared and asked Ally to stop.

Slide 03

Ally was disappointed as Ally was having fun.

Slide 04

The cousin yelled out again for Ally to stop.

Slide 05

Ally did but wasn’t happy.

slide 06

Ally looked at the cousin’s face the cousin was crying.

Slide 07

Ally should have stopped earlier and said sorry.

explore

Consent is an important word to learn. Consent means you have happily agreed to someone giving you a hug or kiss or playing a game with you. It’s ok to say ‘No’.

Section 03 | 05 Lessons

In this topic

Key Point

Rights & Relationships | Lesson 01

Rights

Slide 01

Ally lives in a house where there are people who love Ally.

Slide 02

There is food, clean water, and fresh air.

Slide 03

Ally goes to school to learn and be with friends.

Explore

Everybody has a right to feel safe all the time.

Extend and discuss

Remember it doesn’t matter where you are and who you are with everyone has the right to feel safe all the time.

Slide 04

Ally knows these are things people need to have a happy and healthy life.

Slide 05

Everyone has a right to have them.

Activity

What do we have a right too?

Extend and discuss

Rights & Relationships | Lesson 02

Responsibility

Slide 01

Ally has learnt with rights come responsibilities.

Slide 02

Such as eat fresh food to stay healthy…

Slide 03

Not to smoke inside..

explore

It everyone’s responsibility to keep our water and air clean.

Slide 04

…and to try hard when learning.

Slide 05

Ally knows everyone has a right to feel safe.

Slide 06

Everyone has a responsibility to respect other people’s right to feel safe.

Slide 07

It’s a responsibility at school.

Slide 08

It’s a responsibility playing sport.

Extend and discuss

Slide 9

It’s a responsibility at home.

Slide 10

It’s a responsibility talking to people in shops.

Extend and discuss

activity

What is our responsibility?

Extend and discuss

Rights & Relationships | Lesson 03

Consent Bubble

Slide 01

Ally really liked a friend at school.

Slide 02

Ally tried to sit next to the friend all the time.

Slide 03

One day the friend asked Alli to move as Ally was sitting too close.

Slide 04

Ally looked at the friend’s face and could see they were not happy.

explore

Sitting too close meant Ally had been in this kid’s personal space, the invisible bubble we all have.

Extend consent conversation

slide 05

Ally said sorry and asked if Alli moved the chair, could Alli still sit next to them.

Slide 06

The friend said yes and smiled.

explore

Text: Alli had been respectful by checking if it was still ok to sit next to the friend.

Extend and discuss

activity

WE need ……………. Before we can enter someone personal space.

Extend and discuss

Rights & Relationships | Lesson 04

Consent Touch

Slide 01

Alli’s family visited an elderly uncle who always greeted people with a big squeezy hug.

Slide 02

Ally really liked a friend at school.

Ally tried to sit next to the friend all the time.

Ally looked at the friend’s face and could see they were not happy.

Ally said sorry and asked if Alli moved the chair, could Alli still sit next to them.

Ally yelled “stop” as Dad had been too rough.

People are ‘boss of their bodies and others are to ask for consent to touch our bodies. 

Consent is an important word to learn. Consent means you have happily agreed to someone giving you a hug or kiss or playing a game with you.  It’s ok to say “No”.

Dad and Alli talked about how Ally could ask the uncle to do a high five instead of the hug.

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