The story of UK democracy
You’ll need
- A4 paper
- Permanent markers
- Scissors
Before you begin
- Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There's also more guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.
- Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
- Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help.
Planning and setting up this activity
- Print the event cards and cut them into individual cards. There should ideally be one card per person.
- You'll need to prepare some signs in advance, to mark out some power zones. These could be done on A4 or A3 paper using a thick pen. The titles of the zones are “Monarch / Limited Representation”, “Elite / Limited Voting”, “Widening Democracy” and “Modern Democracy”.
What is democracy?
Democracy means “rule by the people”.
In a democracy like the UK, people elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf by voting in elections. This is called a representative democracy.
It means citizens have a voice in who makes decisions, but not direct control over every law or policy.
Democracy is not fixed - it has developed over time and continues to change today.
How does democracy function in the UK?
The UK is a representative democracy and a constitutional monarchy, meaning that power is shared across different parts of the system.
Parliament makes laws:
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- House of Commons (elected MPs)
- House of Lords (appointed experts and revisers)
- Monarch (formal approval only)
Laws go through several stages (debate, committee scrutiny, and approval in both Houses) before becoming law.
Power is also shared through:
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- Local councils (local services like education, housing, transport)
- Devolved governments in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland
- Courts and legal system (which interpret laws)
This system is designed to balance power so it is not held in one place.
How can I get involved in democracy?
There are several ways people can take part beyond just voting:
- Voting in elections (local, national, devolved)
- Registering to vote (required before you can vote)
- Signing petitions or starting campaigns
- Contacting your MP or councillor
- Joining youth councils or youth voice groups
- Taking part in peaceful protest or activism
This means democracy is not just something you “observe” - it is something you can actively influence.
What rights do I have in a democracy?
Living in a democracy means having protected rights, including:
- Right to vote (when eligible)
- Freedom of expression
- Freedom of peaceful protest
- Right to a fair trial
- Protection under the law
Many of these rights are protected through the Human Rights Act 1998. Young people also have additional rights protected by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which sets out the rights of all children and young people under the age of 18.
These rights can sometimes be limited by law (for example, for public safety or to protect the rights of others), but they are designed to ensure fairness, dignity, and protection for everyone.
Sources:
Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) says that children and young people have the right to express their views on matters that affect them and for those views to be taken seriously.
This is one reason why youth voice is an important part of decision-making in many organisations and communities.
Source: Unicef
Running this activity
- Gather everyone together and ask them if they know:
- What is democracy?
- Who makes laws in the UK today?
- Who gets to vote today?
- What rights do we have because we live in a democracy?
- Explain that democracy was not created overnight. It developed over hundreds of years through debates, protests, reforms, wars, and people demanding change – and it’s still evolving today.
- Make sure everyone is standing at one end of the room and allocate spaces for the zones, leaving enough room for people to gather without the groups blending together.
- Give everyone an event card.
- One at a time, starting with the earliest dated card, each person should read aloud.
- As a whole group, decide where the power is and who would have had a say (if anyone).
- Place that person in the zone which fits most accurately with those answers:
- The Monarch with limited representation
- The Elite with limited voting rights
- A widening democracy as more people get a vote
- A modern democracy like we have today
- Once that person has moved, the next person should read their card aloud.
- After everyone has moved, ask the group:
- Is there anything in there they didn't know or that surprised them?
- Is there anything missing from this timeline?
- From where it started to where we are now, what direction is democracy moving in overall?
- Where are the biggest jumps in change?
- Are there any moments where democracy goes backwards or pauses?
- What does power look like in the UK today?
- Is that power equal for everyone?
- Finish by letting everyone know that in a modern democracy, even a vote at a local level can influence bigger decisions. That is because the people you vote for locally do not just deal with local services, they also represent your views when bigger decisions are being made. If lots of people in an area care about the same issue, such as transport, housing, or schools, that message can be passed up to national government or devolved parliaments. Over time, those shared views can help shape laws, funding, and priorities for the whole country. A vote is not just about where you live, it is part of how your voice is heard at every level of democracy.
Reflection
This activity was all about learning about democracy in the UK and how it's changed over time. It helped people understand how power and voting rights have developed throughout history, and how decisions are made today at different levels of government. It also encouraged reflection on who has influence in society, how that has changed, and how even modern voting can shape both local and national decisions.
Was this what you expected to have happened? Did anything surprise you, such as the brief period of time England did not have a monarchy? Do you think democracy is heading in the right direction? Is there anything you would want to improve about our current democracy?
Safety
All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.
You must run your activities in line with the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults (Yellow Card) and report any concerns to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.
- Scissors
Supervise young people appropriately when they’re using scissors. Store all sharp objects securely, out of the reach of young people.
- To make this activity easier, you could reduce the number of character cards and provide prompts or hints to help the group decide which power zone each card belongs in.
- To make this activity harder, you could remove the time stamps and ask groups to create the timeline first.
If there are any young people who do not want to read aloud or who find reading difficult, you could partner them with another member or give them a different role such as facilitating the discussion about where people should move to.
All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.
Young people could use this activity and adapt it to teach another section or group about democracy and how it came about.