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For a quick assembly, all you need to do is photocopy the performance script, decide who is going to play each of the roles – young people or teachers or a combination – then have a read through or rehearsal.
If you have time, you can enhance the performance by including some of the add-ons. The follow-up activities offer a range of simple activities suitable for exploring the issues in more depth in class after the assembly.
Download this assembly kit in Word or pdf format using the links on the right. An accompanying slide show is also available to download.
The assembly kit has been written for 9-14 year olds, but it can also be used with younger and older children.
- Students will gain an understanding of the meaning of the red cross, particularly in conflict situations
- Students will learn about neutrality and impartiality in humanitarian work
- Students will gain an initial understanding of aspects of international humanitarian law, or the laws of war.
The assembly performance is a script that can be presented by a group of students, by two or three teachers or by a combination of students and teachers. You’ll need to cast a narrator, a reporter and either one person, two people or a group to take the part of the chorus. See notes in the add-ons section below.
There is an accompanying PowerPoint slide show which you can project during the performance – you’ll see prompts in the script which tell you when to change slides.
Narrator
Imagine getting hold of a large sheet of white paper or white cloth. Imagine painting a large red cross in the centre of it. Then imagine displaying it where everyone could see it. That would probably be illegal. The chances are that you would be breaking the law.
Chorus
Breaking the law? For displaying a red cross? Are you sure?
Narrator
Quite sure. There's a lawyer in London who writes to people who display the red cross without being entitled to. Each year he writes to organisations or individuals who have displayed the red cross on vehicles, buildings or clothing. He is very polite, and explains the reasons. But he is very firm too. If necessary, people could be taken to court to prevent someone misusing the red cross.
Chorus
But why? It is only a red cross.
Narrator
Yes, but it is there to protect people and to reduce suffering. If you misuse it you could put many lives at risk.
To understand this, we sent a news reporter back in time to northern France to see what was going on in the terrible battles of the First World War...
> Slide one
Reporter
Here I am at one of the field hospitals set up just a few kilometres from the front line where the troops have been engaged in some of the bitterest fighting of this terrible war. All day wounded soldiers have been arriving. Some walking with difficulty, helped by comrades, others on stretchers, some in ambulances.
The hospital, the ambulances, and many of the volunteer first aid workers and medical personnel are all marked with a large red cross on a white background. That shows that they must not be attacked – it means ‘don’t shoot’.
Narrator
That red cross is a very important symbol. It is a sign that help is available. It also marks people as neutral, as non-fighters. If you are wearing that red cross, or working from a building or vehicle with the red cross, it shows you are a military medic or a Red Cross volunteer – in other words, you’re not taking any part in the fighting. You are only there for humanitarian reasons – to help reduce the suffering of the ill or injured.
> Slide two
Reporter
Red Cross workers do not just give medical aid. I have now travelled in time to the Second World War. I see the work the Red Cross does in visiting prisoners, in providing basic supplies, and in taking messages to and from prisoners of war and their families. The emblem is respected. Soldiers on all sides know that they must not shoot or attack objects or people using it. They also know that they will not be under threat from anyone associated with the red cross emblem.
> Slide three
Narrator
We also see the red cross in operation today – or sometimes the red crescent or the new emblem of the red crystal which mean the same thing. You have perhaps seen television pictures of Red Cross workers pulling injured people from damaged buildings. You may have seen it in refugee camps after a disaster, or in aid convoys, on ships, planes or helicopters bringing medical or relief supplies.
Chorus
We have seen them. But what do they have to do with us displaying a red cross on a white sheet?
Narrator
You have to realise that the life-saving meaning of the emblem in conflicts does not just happen. It does not come out of nowhere. It has to be built up and understood by everyone. That takes time. So during peacetime, we must all learn to recognise and respect the red cross, red crescent and red crystal.
> Slide four
If they appeared on first aid kits, in shop fronts, on poster adverts, in films, on clothes, in magazines, on buses, as body decorations, on books, in television ads, in supermarkets and all the other places that we see images, then their meaning would be blurred.
Chorus
So we might not be sure whether the red cross was the real red cross, or just an advert for a chemist?
Narrator
That's correct. And because you have to be fair to everyone, you cannot allow some uses and not others. That is why there are very precise rules. Only those genuinely entitled to use the red cross may do so – and even they have to operate within strict guidelines. It’s mainly for the use of the military medical services, but National Societies like the British Red Cross can also use it next to their name.
Chorus
Are the emblems ever misused? Are they ever ignored?
> Slide five
Narrator
In general, there is great respect for the red cross and the red crescent. They are widely recognised as symbols of protection and assistance for victims of armed conflicts and natural disasters. Sadly there are times when the system breaks down, and the red cross emblem comes under attack. Over to our reporter now in Baghdad...
Reporter
Since the beginning of the war in Iraq in 2003 the International Committee of the Red Cross has lost five members of staff. One was killed in crossfire when the bombs were falling on Baghdad in early 2003. This was followed by what the Red Cross have called "deliberate attacks". In July 2003 a Red Cross employee was killed in a drive-by shooting near Hilla. A car bomb attack in Baghdad in October 2003 killed two staff members and ten other Iraqis. Most recently a Red Cross worker was killed near Abu Ghraib in January 2005.
> Slide six
Narrator
These are not the only times the protection of the red cross hasn’t worked. You may have seen photographs of damaged ambulances, injured Red Cross workers and damaged buildings elsewhere in the Middle East and Afghanistan.
Chorus
So would the Red Cross people need to have soldiers with them for protection?
Narrator
No. The humanitarian work of the Red Cross is based on strict neutrality and independence. If it accepted protection from one side in a conflict it would lose its neutrality. Sadly it had to cut back from some of its work in Iraq to make sure its workers were safe.
We can see from all this that combatants – people doing the fighting – must never use a red cross. For example, you can’t use an ambulance marked with a red cross to carry soldiers or military equipment. Doing that is called a grave misuse of the emblem – and is itself a war crime.
Chorus
What can we do to help?
> Slide seven
Narrator
Learn to recognise the shape of the red cross. See how it is different from, for example, the cross of St George. Spot the red crescent too and the new emblem, the red crystal, that was agreed just last year.
We could all learn more about what it means, and how it is used around the world.
If we see a misuse, we can report it to the British Red Cross in London or to our local Red Cross branch.
End of performance
Notes for teachers
The emblem is owned by the governments who have signed the Geneva Conventions. This is because the principal users of the emblem are the medical services of the armed forces of each country. Each government can then permit the use of the emblem by its National Society. The British government has chosen the red cross, and so the British National Society must also use the red cross.
The red cross is often perceived as a general symbol of medical help but it can only be used by military medical services or by the authorised National Society.
None of the emblems are intended to have any religious significance. The red cross is simply a reversal of the Swiss flag. The founder of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Henry Dunant, was Swiss.
Discussion add-on
To help students prepare to perform the assembly, use the photos in the slide show to introduce the topic and stimulate discussion.
You could divide the class into small groups and give them a photo each. Get each group to present and describe the image to the rest of the class.
Together, discuss the common theme of the images. Think about these points:
- What do the photos have in common?
- What do they think the assembly will be about?
- What does the red cross emblem mean to them?
- What do they associate it with?
- Thinking about events over the summer, why do they think it is topical to give an assembly about the red cross emblem?
To round off the discussion, look at the captions for each photo, before moving on to prepare for the assembly.
Chorus add-on
The part of the ‘chorus’ in the performance presents the questions and thoughts that a young person, or indeed any adult, might have.
To add a dramatic element to the assembly, think about casting two or three students in this role to create a chorus of voices. The group will have to practise their lines to make sure they can deliver them clearly and in unison.
Think about where your group will position themselves on the stage – sitting to one side forming a mini-audience, or standing in a cluster so that they can all be seen.
Photo add-on
There is a slide show of photos that you can project during the performance. It’s available to download on the website at redcross.org.uk/emblemak. Change the slides where indicated in the performance script.
Alternatively, ask students to search the internet and in newspapers for images displaying the red cross, red crescent or red crystal. Ask them to create their own slide show for the assembly.
Try these websites:
Poster follow-up
Now that students have an understanding of the meaning of the three emblems, see if they can communicate that to others. Ask them to design a poster that raises awareness of the emblems.
Board blast what the emblem means from what students remember from the assembly. You could print out the script or read excerpts to jog their memory if necessary.
Think about what the emblem is communicating to different groups of people – for example, someone injured in an earthquake, a soldier in a war. Think again about why it is illegal to use the emblem for other purposes. Was there any difference between the three emblems?
Talk about the fact that none of the emblems has any religious significance. In fact, the red cross is simply a reversal of the Swiss flag. The founder of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Henry Dunant, was Swiss. Why is it important for the emblem to be religiously and politically neutral?
Talk about what makes a good poster. Can students think of clever, eye-catching posters whose message has stayed with them? Was it the picture or the words that worked so well? What principles can be drawn from these posters to use on their own posters?
To see your poster on the British Red Cross website, send the finished posters to the British Red Cross education department at the address below, or take a photo and email it to reducation@redcross.org.uk.
Writing follow-up
Ask students to imagine they are the London lawyer whose job it is to write to people who misuse the emblem. Tell them they’ve seen a vet’s surgery using the red cross emblem as its logo – outside the surgery and for advertising. They need to compose a letter to the vet, explaining why this use isn’t allowed.
Before they begin, discuss the tone they might use in the letter. Remember the vet might have spent money on advertising and signs so will need to be persuaded. Would they use an informal tone, a forceful tone, a polite tone?
What would help the vet to understand the problem of misusing the emblem? What did students learn in the assembly that helped them to understand why it’s important not to use the emblem incorrectly? Think about what the vet already knows about the red cross emblem and what will be new information. Make notes on the key points to make in the letter before writing it.
Emblem-spotting follow-up
Ask students to keep an eye out for the three emblems – red cross, red crescent and red crystal. Encourage them to make a note of where they see it, take a photo if they can, keep a newspaper cutting or print out the image from a website. Ask them to be vigilant for misuses.
Each student can bring in their most surprising example – it could be a possible misuse or a particularly dramatic image.
As a group, look at the examples and discuss which are misuses of the emblem. If you find any, or if there are uses you aren’t sure about, email the education team at reducation@redcross.org.uk or write to the address below.
Speaker follow-up
Consider inviting an expert to talk to your group about the emblem. Contact your local branch to see if a school speaker is available. Click on www.redcross.org.uk/nearyou
You might also approach a member of your local community who has a connection with the red cross and red crescent emblems. What does the emblem mean to them? Ideas include:
- A current or ex-member of the military services
- A refugee from a conflict who was helped by the Red Cross
- A user of a local Red Cross service, such as Home from hospital
England
Key stage 2 Citizenship
> 2a research, discuss and debate topical issues, problems and events
> 2b why and how rules and laws are made and enforced, why different rules are needed in different situations and how to take part in making and changing rules
> 2h recognise the role of voluntary, community and pressure groups.
Key stage 3 Citizenship
> 1a the legal and human rights and responsibilities underpinning society, basic aspects of the criminal justice system, and how both relate to young people
> 1f the work of community-based, national and international voluntary groups
> 2c contribute to group and exploratory class discussions, and take part in debates.
Northern Ireland
Key stage 2 Citizenship
> become aware of some of the issues and problems in society;
Key stage 3 Local and Global Citizenship
> Investigate why it is important to uphold human rights standards in modern democratic societies, including meeting basic needs, protecting individuals and groups of people.
> Explore the work of inter-governmental, governmental and non governmental organisations (NGO) which aim to promote equality and social justice
> Investigate why rules and laws are needed, how they are enforced and how breaches of the law affect the community
> investigate citizenship issues, explore problems, undertake action projects and make informed decisions.
Scotland
Education for citizenship
> contemporary local and global issues, paying regard to available evidence, and to a range of ideas and interpretations of their significance
> the rights and responsibilities underpinning democratic and other societies
> opportunities for individuals and voluntary groups to bring about social and environmental change, and the values on which such endeavours are based
> develop informed and reasoned opinions about political, economic, social and environmental issues.
Wales
Key stage 2 PSE
> Take an active interest in the life of the community and be concerned about the wider environment.
Key stage 3 PSE
> Community aspect - understand the nature of local, national and international communities with reference to cultural diversity, justice, law and order and interdependence.
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