All aboard for new council game (From Western Telegraph)

All aboard for new council game

A Monopoly-style board game is helping young people in Pembrokeshire understand the role of local government.

The game, called What A Day, is just one of the contents of a citizenship pack launched by Pembrokeshire County Council for use in secondary school classrooms.

In the game - devised by secondary school teachers - pupils make their way around a board answering questions on the county council and citizenship.

The leader of the council, Councillor Maurice Hughes said the pack would be used in the teaching of the personal and social education curriculum. The emphasis is on the understanding and nature of our democracy, said Councillor Hughes.

Young people need to understand that they can make a difference by becoming involved in communities, not just at a local level but also at national and even international levels.

The citizenship pack also includes a quiz called Who Governs Us?, information on conducting a mock election and a local amenity survey. Other activities available to pupils are a visit to County Hall, Haverfordwest, and a school speaker service to talk about local authority services.

It has all proved a hit with the students. Fourteen-year-old Chloe Price, a pupil at Sir Thomas Picton School in Haverfordwest said: We learned a lot about the council and the board game made it more fun.

Classmate Toby Ellis agreed. Its an interesting and different way to learn about the council, he said.