imagine
imagine
all the people living life in peace
all the people living life in peace
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Everyone is born free and has special dignity because they are human.
Everyone is equal even though there are differences in colour, sex, language, religion etc.
Everyone has the right to live in freedom and safety.
Everyone has the right to liberty and freedom.
Everyone has the right not to be hurt or treated cruelly.
Everyone has the right to a fair trial.
Everyone has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Everyone has the right to privacy.
Everyone has the right to travel within and outside their own country.
Everyone has the right to seek asylum.
Everyone has the right to a nationality.
Everyone has the right to marry.
Everyone has the right to own property.
Everyone has a right to say what they think
Everyone has a right to practice their religion.
Everyone has the right to vote.
Everyone has the right to rest and play.
Everyone has the right to enough food and medical help.
Everyone has the right to education.
Everyone has the right to take part in the culture of their community.
Everyone has the responsibility to respect the rights of others.
Nobody can use this declaration so that other people are put in danger.
Amnesty International Irish Section, 48 Fleet Street, Dublin 2.
Phone 01-6776361 Email: [email protected] Website: www.amnesty.ie
Call to Action!
“
Primary
Teachers
“Imagine All the
People Living Life in Peace”
You may say
I’m a dreamer
But I’m not
the only one
I hope some day
you’ll join us
”
It is impossible to listen to the words of John Lennon’s song Imagine without having
some kind of emotional response. No matter what age one is or where one comes
from, the lyrics touch somewhere inside a person that calls out for positive change.
There are many possible routes one could take to explore the theme of Imagine and
we know you and your class will be able to come up with much more innovative
ideas than what we have included in this pack. The following pieces are examples
of what fine work has already been produced by students in response to the
powerful words and images in the Imagine music video
And the world
will be as one
Imagine no possessions and everyone has the same
No one is the favourite and no one has fame
Imagine no greed for money or power
No one would have to run or cower
Imagine all is fair and everyone’s a team
No one would get hurt and no one would have to scream
Imagine guns and bombs would cease
There was no war and we’d live in peace
Now realise there’s possessions no one has the same
Someone is the favourite and someone has fame
Realise greed for money and power
Someone has to run and cower
Realise its not fair and you’re not part of the team
Realise guns and bombs won’t cease
There is war and not peace
Which would you prefer
The one full of hate or the one that’s fair?
By Amy Reddington and Louise O’Reilly
North Dublin National School Project
“Imagine Human Rights For Everyone”
imagine
imagine
all the people living life in peace
all the people living life in peace
“You May Say I’m a Dreamer
But I’m Not the Only One”
Introducing Imagine
Before watching the video explain to the children that this is something special and to pay attention to how the words and images make them feel.
Explore the song with the children by showing the video, discussing the words and what they mean, and teaching them the song. The lyrics of Imagine
are included in this folder and are on the Amnesty website
Sample Discussion Questions
Possible Activities for Imagine
Why do you think John Lennon wrote
this song?
ago- is the world he imagined then, now
the world we live in? Why? Why not?
What would you imagine to make the
world a better place?
What is the song trying to say?
What is stopping us from making the
world a better place?
What would the world be like if this
happened?
Imagine what the world would be like if
these obstacles were not there!
What would be needed for this to
happen?
What is your favourite line in the song?
Why?
John Lennon wrote this song thirty years
The point of the Imagine Campaign is to have students,
educators, and members of the community come together to
implement positive actions and promote a more peaceful
world. There are various ways of doing this, and it is up to
your discretion how big or small the action/events
celebrating the theme of Imagine will be. The class needs to
be integral part of the decision making process as well as
implementing the action. If the children feel truly a part of the
project, the results are likely to be surprising and pleasing.
The following are some suggestions of what could happen
celebrating the theme of Imagine, and once again these are
just some guidelines and you are by no means limited to what
is listed.
Arrange for special screenings of the Imagine Video for children and
their parents.
Designate a wall at your school to feature Imagine themed works.
Use it to display artwork inspired by hope for a better world and the
pieces could be designed into a permanent mural.
Give students tiles to design, perhaps 6 or so students per tile, and
the finished pieces would make up a mosaic at the school.
Alternatively ask local businesses if they would be willing to
volunteer a wall so the tiles could be displayed within the community.
At Christmastime have a carolling event, sing Imagine and other
peace songs around the school and/or community. The children could
pick out songs with an inspiring theme that they feel connected to
and desire to perform.
Organise a school event to recognise the efforts of someone, in the
school or community who has worked to make a difference in the
world. The person could speak to the school community and be
presented with a suitable token of appreciation from the children
Have a flower-planting event as a celebration of human rights in
which 30 plants or 30 bulbs are planted to represent the 30 rights in
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. You could also plant
trees within the school grounds to mark a human rights event or an
Imagine Day.
Show a film in the school hall depicting some of the efforts that have
been made for peace, i.e., Martin Luther King, JR. declaring his “I
have a dream” speech.
A number of resources have been developed using the Imagine motif
and most are available for free on our website. www.amnesty.ie
These include badges, posters, screensavers and tee shirts.
Download the screen savers available on our website for display on
the school computers
Have T-shirts made up with the Imagine banner and a quote either
from the song or written by the students. These could be worn the
week before the Imagine Day is planned or on the actual day,
whatever the children feel is best. Tee shirts are also available in the
Amnesty shops in Dublin and Galway.
Download the posters from the website and display them around the
school.
The cloud motif is an excellent medium for a background to a mural.
Imagine statements and artwork could be displayed on the backdrop
of the cloud design.
Moving Forward: Responding to Imagine
The class could share their responses
through artwork (either individual or
group) poetry or a class group statement.
The artwork
(picture/poster/collage/montage of
newspaper headlines/photos) could
include the word Imagine and a line from
the song or the child’s own thought. The
picture might be before or after- what the
world is now and how it would be
different if what we imagine came about.
The class could do a display of their own
imagine statements, attractively
decorated.
i.e. Imagine everyone has enough to eat
Imagine that people do not bully others
etc…
The children could do Acrostic poetry with
the word Imagine. They could write them
individually or in groups, with each child
taking a letter and creating their own line of
what they imagine for a better world.
Take pictures of your Imagine art work or
event and let the newspapers and us here in
Amnesty know about it!
Fourth Class from Holy Trinity National School, Donaghmede, Dublin produced this display for
their classroom. The children cut out large templates of the letters in Imagine and filled them
with a collage of images and messages. Alternate letters featured images of the way the
world currently is and what the children’s imagined world would be like. The rainbow - a
symbol of hope - was made using light cardboard and torn coloured crepe paper and the
Please read the
Action Pack in
this folder for the
words of Imagine
and ideas on how
your school can
get involved in
our national and
international
campaign.
cotton wool clouds feature the children’s own Imagine statements.
“Imagine if people helped each other instead of hurt each other”- “Alicia”, South Africa
“Imagine if people didn’t yell and scream”- “Rachel”, USA