Tuesday 16 November 2010
For further information please contact
Laura Hinks lhinks@redcross.org.uk, contact number 020 7877 7524, out of hours : 07659 145095
- Project aims to give young people a voice in the migration debate
A host of new educational resources are now available online thanks to the launch of an updated version of the British Red Cross Positive Images toolkit.
The new downloadable toolkit at www.redcross.org.uk/positiveimages is for teachers and anyone working with young people aged 12 and up, and includes lesson plans, games, videos and interactive activities, all aimed at promoting discussion and understanding of issues around migration and development,
“We’ve taken the old tool kit and completely upgraded it based on feedback from educators,” said Myrtha Waite, the Positive Images project coordinator.
“What we’ve produced is a series of ‘lessons in a box’ which are ready to use straight away.”
The lessons are presented in series with each linking to the next, but also stand alone individually, enabling teachers and youth workers to choose those which best fit their needs.
“We know those working with young people can be hesitant about approaching topics such as asylum seekers and migration – they can feel uncomfortable raising something with such a controversial image – so the toolkit covers exactly what they need to know and deals with the subjects in a fun and engaging way,” added Waite.
Tony Ezziane, a secondary school teacher in Glasgow, is one of thousands working with young people who have already benefited from using the positive images toolkit.
“The tool kit encourages pupils to get out of their seats and work as a team to complete tasks, while also allowing each pupil to think seriously about issues surrounding migration,” he said.
“The pupils enjoy the sense of autonomy given to them by each task as they set the agenda in each group and carry out activities without support. I’d recommend the use of the toolkit by other educators.”
Positive Images is a three-year Europe-wide project being led by the British Red Cross to promote positive attitudes among 12 to 25-year-olds towards vulnerable migrants. Run in partnership with 14 European Red Cross national societies, Positive Images aims to reach three million people across the continent by the end of 2011.
Since its launch last year, the toolkit has already been downloaded around 3,500 times, reaching an estimated 1 million young people.
ENDS
Notes to editors
For more information on Positive Images please visit: redcross.org.uk/positiveimages
For further queries, interviews and images, contact Laura Hinks on 020 7877 7524.
The British Red Cross helps people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. We are part of a global voluntary network, responding to conflicts, natural disasters and individual emergencies.
We enable vulnerable people in the UK and abroad to prepare for and withstand emergencies in their own communities. And when the crisis is over, we help them to recover and move on with their lives.