CBC Archives

Ask students what they know about peacekeeping missions. Prompt discussion with questions, such as the following:

What jobs are peacekeepers asked to do?

How are peacekeeping missions decided upon?

What challenges might soldiers face?

What personal motivations might a soldier have for wanting to participate in a peacekeeping mission?

Direct students to the topic The Somalia Affair on the CBC Radio and Television Archives Web site and have them browse Clips #1, 2, 3, 5, and 7, and the Additional Clips “Civil war and famine: Somalia,” “Canadian forces in Somalia,” and “Canadians leave Somalia.”

Tell students to imagine the experience of a Canadian soldier in Somalia and to write a letter home from a soldier’s point of view. Students should draw on the clips to include information about conditions in Somalia, tasks the soldiers perform, challenges the soldiers face, and the hopes and fears a soldier in Somalia might have experienced.

Have students meet in small groups to read their letters aloud to one another. Students should listen critically to each letter and comment on something that was particularly well presented and something that might be added. Give students time to revise their letters based on their classmates’ comments.

Write the following on the board or chart paper: One thing I think it is important for people to understand about the Canadian mission in Somalia is . . .. Students can write complete sentences in their journal. Have volunteers share their sentences. Through discussion, identify key themes in the students’ thinking about the affair.