Age group: Pioneers/Venturers

How long it will take: 45 minutes

What materials you will need: Pens and paper

The aim of the activity: To explore the rights people would like to have

What to do:
This activity can be found on Oxfam's Cool Planet website,

The website includes further scenarios for Planet X, which can be used to extend the activity.

Begin by setting the scene as imaginatively as possible. The following paragraph might be a useful introduction.

'A colony is to be established on Planet X, an 'Earth-like' planet in the Gamma quadrant. You are lucky to have been chosen for this exciting new life! Your colony has the initial task of drawing up a code of rights for everyone on the planet. This will be done in several stages.'

1. The journey through space
Explain to the participants that they are on their way to Planet X and are now in hyper-isolation. Ask each person to draw up a personal list of ten essentials that they feel they need for their new life. These might be practical things they will need to survive, but they could also be ideas about how life on the new planet is to be organised. They should rank their list in order, with '1' as the most important.

2. In planetary orbit
Whilst circling Planet X they meet up with a fellow traveller. Ask each participant to share his or her list of essentials with a partner and agree on a shared list of ten rights. They should note down their reasons for deciding what to include and what to leave out and keep these lists for later reference.

3. On landing
On landing on the new planet, each pair should join together with another and agree a common list of ten rights.

4. First colony meeting
Now the whole group should join together and agree on a common statement of ten rights. Everyone must be happy before final decisions are made. Make a large copy of the list which everyone can refer to. Explain that it will now become the responsibility of the whole colony to make sure that these rights are maintained.

In this activity, the process of moving through stages of consultation to an agreed group list is important. Allow sufficient time for participants to discuss the rights that have been discarded. How easy is it to agree upon rights? What might the differences be between needs and wants?