Created on: 18 Jun 2020 | Last modified: 29 Jun 2020
When something unfair happens, think about how that makes you feel. Do you feel angry? Do you feel sad? Do you feel hurt? If you do feel angry, sad, or hurt it can help to write your feelings down or make art that reflects how you feel.
We are all human and so we have a responsibility to stand up for human rights.
You can read about the full list of human rights here if you wish.
The Glasgow Girls felt strongly that the rights of asylum seekers were not being upheld and respected. They achieved change because they stood up for what they think is right. They saw something that was unfair (their friend Agnesa and her family being detained) and they took action to change that.
‘The Tale ‘o the Glasgow Girls’ illustrations show some of the protests about immigration policy and child detention that the Glasgow Girls were involved in. They felt strongly about these issues and wanted to show their feelings to the public, to politicians and the government, and to newspapers and tv and radio broadcasters.
In this activity, you can choose an issue that you feel strongly about and create a banner containing a key slogan and/ or an image that could help share the opinion that you have on your chosen topic to a wider audience.
The purpose of your banner is to persuade the people who see it that your opinion on the topic matters and to make them stop and think about your key message.
First some research!
Look at the banners from a variety of protests that have taken place in Glasgow.
and a few others from around the world too:
1. Do you think the banners/posters are effective?
2.What do you like/dislike about the banners/posters you have seen?
3. When you look at these banners/posters what things do you notice? Do they have any similarities?
4. Which is your favourite banner/poster? What is it about it that you particularly like?
What topic do you want to focus on? Your banner could be about something that affects other people or something that affects you – the important thing is that it is something you care about.
What do you want your banner to say? What is your key message?
Can you sum it up in a slogan that will make people think? (A slogan is a short phrase that’s intended to capture attention and make people think. You could try using puns and wordplay, alliteration, onomatopoeia, humour, dramatic language that creates images in the mind of the reader…)
How can you make your banner stand out visually to people who might look at it?
How can you use colours, lettering, and images to make your banner show how you feel?
You can use any materials you like to make your banner: pens, pencils, crayons, felt tips, collage. You can draw your banner on paper or card – if you don’t have any, you could draw on something like the inside of an empty cereal box.
When your banner is finished, you might want to display it somewhere that people can see it. You could take a picture of it hanging up or of you holding it and share it with your class.
Remember: All young people’s voices are important and should be heard. No issue is too small. Remember that even small changes can add up to something big. You are never too young to make a difference!
Good luck