Radical Read is a flexible learning resource containing a number of themes exploring the involvement of young people in peaceful protest, inspired by the commemoration of the Peterloo Massacre in Manchester, England in 1819.

It includes powerful stories of how young people around the globe have used protest and collective action to promote democratic rights.

The pack contains a wide variety of sources to support the delivery of activities. Some of these are original materials that were written by young people, while others are extracts from a range of different sources, from leaflets to young adult fiction and historians’ works. They were selected to help provoke questions, provide context, and stimulate critical thinking.

Also included are links to curriculum subjects, the British Council Core Skills and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

This session introduces students to the Peterloo Massacre. Students are encouraged to think about the importance of banners to protest movements.

Our Right to Education

The group will consider the importance of being able to access education, and look at the work of Malala Yousafzai.

Peterloo

This session introduces students to the Peterloo Massacre. Students are encouraged to think about the importance of banners to protest movements.

Rising Against Racism

This session will focus on two different examples of youth-led anti-racist campaigning, drawing on contemporary and historical examples. The case studies are the Soweto Uprising which occurred in South Africa, 1976, and the Ferguson Protests in the USA, 2014, which helped propel #Blacklivesmatter into the international spotlight.

School Strike for Climate

In this lesson, students will be introduced to the ‘school strike 4 climate’ movement, which began in Sweden with the work of Greta Thunberg and has since spread to many other countries. Students are encouraged to think about the ways in which support can be built for environmental protests.

School Yard Protest

Your group will look at the different ways that students have organised protests in their own schools against policies they considered unfair.

We need unions!

The Matchgirls’ Strike of 1888 forms the central case study, and the students are encouraged to think about the links, which can be drawn between historic and contemporary trade unionism.

Young Women say No

Students will look at different instances of protests led by young women which aimed at challenging gendered violence. It draws on both historic campaigns as well as the contemporary #MeToo movement to examine the different means people have used to draw attention to, and effect change around, this issue.

Youth Resistance to the Nazis

In this session students will be introduced to two youth movements who stood up to the Nazi regime, the White Rose movement and the Edelweiss Pirates. They will consider what life was like for young people under Hitler’s rule, and the differences and similarities between these movements.