Claire Saunders - The Power Book: What is it, Who Has it and Why?

WRITTEN BY

Claire Saunders,
Hazel Songhurst,
Georgia Amson-Bradshaw,
Minna Salami & Mik Scarlet

ILLUSTRATED BY

Joelle Avelino & David Broadbent

When I was a kid, I hated being told what to do. I had to wake up and go to bed when my parents told me to. I had to do my chores and go to school and do my homework and keep my room clean. I had to stop teasing my brothers and come home before dark when I was playing outside. At school, my teachers were also telling me what to do, and when. I had little control over my world and it felt very unfair.

The older I got, the more I came to understand that in hating being told what to do, I was really hating how little power I had and how much power so many people had over me. I came to understand that power, in part, was about being able to have control of my time, my body, how I lived.

We deal with all kinds of power in this world. There is personal power the power we have (or dont) in our day-to-day lives and the choices we make for ourselves. There is economic power the power that comes with money and what we do with it. And, of course, there is political power the power we have when we vote, when we speak up about what we care about, when we protest things we think are wrong. This is the power our government representatives have as they make laws and govern the countries we live in.

It is important to understand power and the different ways in which power can shape our lives. It is important to understand what it means to have power and what it means to not have power. Sometimes power is used for good and sometimes it is used in terrible ways but power, in and of itself, is neither good nor bad.

There is a saying that is more than two hundred years old power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. What that means is all too often, when people have power, they can sometimes do bad things with it. And when someone has too much power, and there is no one who challenges that power, they can do a lot of harm.

But maybe, if more people understand power, they will be better able to handle the responsibility. In this book, you will learn about power, what it means to have power, and what you can do with your power to create change for yourself and the people you care about. No matter who or how old you are, you can create change in this world we live in.

Roxane Gay is a US author who writes about things that matter to her. Her books are read by thousands of people and her words can affect the way her readers think about important issues in society this is an awesome form of power.

INTRODUCTION

If a person has power, it means that they can make things happen in the way that they want. Power is neither good nor bad; it totally depends on how it is used. It can be used well (like when your parents who love you ask you to stop eating all the marshmallows in the house and go to bed before 2 a. m.). It can be used badly (like when your so-called friend threatens to tell everyone your secret, unless you steal something from the shop).

Many different people, from leaders to teachers to parents to you, have power. In this book, you can find out about all the different types of power people have, and why some people dont have the power that others have. Youll learn about some amazing people who tried to change their lives and the lives of others for the better by changing the rules of power.

By the end of this book, youll have built up a power-spotting visor that will allow you to see this invisible force. Maybe, you too can become a force for good when you learn about and use your own personal power!

EVERYDAY POWER

Everyday power is all around you, all the time, although you might not always realise its there. Its what influences your relationships with your friends, parents and teachers, and its what determines how you spend your time.

One easy way to spot it is to think of all the rules you have to follow, from brushing your teeth, to doing your homework, or tidying your room. Everyone has to follow rules parents, teachers, doctors, the police, and so on. Some rules apply to everyone, others apply to specific people or situations. But all rules are to do with power, and they show us that power, and who has it, can CHANGE.

In this chapter we describe how everyday power affects our lives, so that you can learn to recognise it, understand it and hopefully grow your own power.

Humanity owes the child the best it has to give.

Eglantyne Jebb (18761928)

ADULTS RULE!

How do you feel about the fact that, at home and at school,

the adults call the shots?

Every day we have to follow rules about things, like what time we have to be at school, what we have to wear, how we should behave and who we have to listen to. It can be pretty boring! But who makes these rules? And why?

In all areas of our lives, the rules that we follow are made by people with power. In school, teachers have power. At home, parents have power. This means these adults get to tell you what to do, whether thats not talking in lessons or going to bed at a certain time. The power your parents have also means they get to make important decisions for you, such as which school you go to, where you live and what you eat. Having to follow the rules that adults make can be frustrating, and can often seem unfair.

Unfortunately, kids dont get to tell adults what to do! The power balance is unequal: adults have more power, children have less.

Mostly, adults set rules in order to keep children safe, or to help them become healthy, happy adults. For example, sending you to bed on time means you get a proper nights sleep so you stay healthy. Making you do your homework helps you do well at school, so that when youre older you can go to university or get a good job, which will make your life easier as an adult.