Advocacy for Hauora

Overview

In this 60-minute lesson, students investigate organisations that promote health and wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand. They consider how agencies support individuals and communities, then plan a realistic advocacy action that encourages community engagement. This lesson builds on earlier learning about hauora, wellbeing needs and goal setting.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• identify the purpose and target communities of health-promoting agencies
• explain how agencies support hauora and community wellbeing
• evaluate ways young people can engage with or support a health initiative
• plan a clear, respectful advocacy message for a chosen audience

Success criteria

• I can describe what a health agency does and who it supports.
• I can connect an agency’s work to one or more dimensions of hauora.
• I can suggest an achievable way young people could support community wellbeing.
• I can create an advocacy message with a clear audience, purpose and action.

Curriculum links

• Physical Education / Practices: using goal setting and focus control to sustain participation and performance.
• Personal exercise plan: setting clear, achievable targets based on information and evidence.
• Personal exercise plan: recognising that psychological readiness and structured strategies support wellbeing.
• Health and PE learning: developing the knowledge, skills and attitudes to contribute to the wellbeing of communities.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook: Who changes health? Teacher displays the opening advocacy question and asks, “If a community has a wellbeing problem, who should help solve it?” Students complete a quick think-pair-share and identify one health issue affecting young people or their community.

2. 5–13 min · Direct teach: Advocacy and agencies. Teacher uses the agency and advocacy slides to define advocacy as supporting or promoting a cause, issue or group, and introduces examples such as Health New Zealand, local councils, Sport New Zealand, Mental Health Foundation, Cancer Society, asthma organisations and youth services. Emphasise that agencies may provide education, services, funding, campaigns, policy advice or opportunities for community action. Students record two agencies and one way each supports hauora.

3. 13–25 min · Agency investigation. Teacher places students in six groups of five and assigns each group one agency from the health agency investigation worksheet. Provide a short teacher-prepared information card or slide for each agency. Students investigate: What issue does the agency address? Who is its audience? What does it do? Which dimensions of hauora does it support? How could young people engage with its work? Teacher circulates, checks that students distinguish reliable agency information from personal opinion, and prompts groups to connect physical, mental/emotional, social and spiritual wellbeing.

4. 25–35 min · Share and compare. Teacher displays the comparison and discussion slides and asks each group to give a 60-second report. Students listen for similarities and differences, adding one useful idea from another group to their worksheet. After each report, invite one question: “How does this agency enable people to participate, connect or make informed choices?”

5. 35–49 min · Design an advocacy action. Teacher models a simple example on the advocacy planning slides: “Our audience is Year 10 students; our purpose is to encourage active travel; our action is a one-week walk-or-cycle challenge; our message is respectful, positive and achievable.” Students individually or in pairs complete the planning section of the worksheet. They choose a health issue, agency or community partner, define their audience, write a key message, select an action and identify how success could be measured. Encourage realistic measures such as participation numbers, a short survey or completed pledges.

6. 49–56 min · Pitch and peer feedback. Teacher asks pairs to deliver a 30-second advocacy pitch to another pair. Students use “Two strengths and one suggestion”: identify what was clear and respectful, then suggest how the audience, action or success measure could be more specific. Students revise one part of their plan.

7. 56–60 min · Plenary and exit response. Teacher uses the plenary and exit-question slide to revisit the opening question. Students submit a brief response: “One agency that supports hauora is… It helps by… A realistic way young people could engage is… I would measure success by…” Collect worksheets for assessment.

Resources

• the advocacy and agency slide deck
• the health agency investigation worksheet
• Teacher-prepared agency information cards or notes
• Whiteboard and markers
• Timer
• Devices or printed information, if available
• Exit response slips or exercise books

Assessment

• During group investigation, check whether students can accurately identify an agency’s purpose, audience and contribution to hauora.
• Review advocacy plans for a clear issue, audience, respectful message, achievable action and appropriate success measure.
• Use the exit response to identify students who need further support distinguishing advocacy, service provision and personal opinion.

Differentiation

• Provide agency information at two reading levels, key vocabulary, icons and sentence starters such as “This agency supports hauora by…” and “Young people could engage by…”.
• Allow students to present orally, use bullet points or dictate ideas. Pair students strategically and assign roles such as reader, recorder, discussion leader and reporter.
• Offer a choice of familiar issues, including physical activity, mental wellbeing, healthy relationships, safety, housing or environmental wellbeing.
• Extend confident students by asking them to consider possible barriers, stakeholder viewpoints, cultural responsiveness and how their action could avoid stigma or exclusion.
• Avoid requiring students to disclose personal experiences. Remind the class to discuss communities respectfully and to use publicly available, trustworthy information.