The eleven activities below have been developed with students, for students and can be adapted to individual school's context. Each activity takes approximately 30 minutes and can be facilitated by student leaders. They can be done in any sequence.

Student led teams

Authentic student leadership opportunities help students:

• work as a member of a team
• develop and build positive relationships, between peers and teachers
• contribute to the school community
• use their voice responsibly
• value the perspectives and opinions of others
• participate in decision-making.

Student Representative Councils

A Student Representative Council (SRC) is a group of students elected by their fellow students to represent all students in the school. SRCs work democratically to represent the student body in school decision-making and organise ways for students to participate in school life.

The Training the Student Council resource includes information on a variety of training approaches that can be used with primary or secondary school SRCs.

School Parliaments

School parliaments provide an opportunity for students to participate in the running of their school. Parliaments offer a way for students to express their opinions and participate actively in decision-making.

School parliaments are based on the Australian system of government and include students democratically elected to positions such as Prime Minister, portfolio ministers, Whip and Speaker, parliamentary secretaries, Members of the Opposition. School parliaments follow procedures similar to those of the Australian Parliament such as moving and debating motions, holding question time and making speeches.

The Constitution Education Fund has produced a guide called Implementation of a school parliament suitable for primary and secondary schools with the goal of increasing student understanding of the Australian system of government and constitution.

More resources can be found at the Parliamentary Education Office in Canberra with a series of films and fact sheets on the roles and functions of Parliament. Watch a video called Role-play the Parliament, House of Representatives.

Other student led teams

Students might form committees or teams based on needs and interests. These could focus on social justice, the environment, learning and wellbeing, sport, music and community projects.

Students may also lead co-curricular activities such as chess clubs, dance groups or coding clubs. Students are not usually elected but rather join these groups.