Helping children and young people to take action

Helping children and young people to realise that they have a voice and the power to make a difference can help to inspire them to pray and to act. It can also help them to manage anxiety and feel less helpless in the face of injustice.

Here are some ideas for ways in which children and young people can respond to what they see happening in the news.

Pray

• Prayer Spaces in Schools have collated a number of activities to help children and young people pray.
• From We Are Tearfund, an article for young people on praying for conflict in the world

   

  
  Loving God, we pray for peace in Ukraine.
  Help keep people safe and protect them from being hurt.
  Please care for children separated from their families,
  Please help people who have had to leave their homes.
  We pray for love and peace, everywhere.
  In the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace,

Amen.

Act

• Watch this clip from Newsround about how children in the UK are helping and think about what you could do.
• After using the resources to learn more about the conflict, why not think about how you can share what you've learned with your family, friends, church or school?
• Choose one of the eight Simple Acts to stand with refugees being suggested for Refugee Week 2022 - and then encourage everyone in your family, youth group, church or school to commit to one too.
• Ask your church or school to help you host an event for Refugee Week 2022 (20 - 26 June). This blog from last year has some ideas for running something in school.
• Why not ask your school to do some fundraising for All We Can, join in with Christian Aid's 300,000 steps fundraising challenge or raise money  for Refugee Action?
• Join in with the Together With Refugees 'show your heart' movement - add the orange heart to your social media profile, share the gif in your posts or print out the heart poster and place it in your window for all to see.
• Join Humanity and Inclusion's Stop Bombing Civilians campaign and invite others to join with you, using the 'Write to your MP' pack for schools.
• You can write to your MP about other things that you would like our Government to do or change. The National Youth Advocacy Service offers advice on contacting your MP, including top tips here.

 
Activism packs and resources

• UNICEF Youth Advocacy Toolkit for any young person who wants to start their own advocacy campaign.
• Although sadly now closed, the legacy website from Campaign Bootcamp has loads of great resources to support campaigning
• Christian Aid's campaigns toolkit includes advice on campaigning with craftivism and how to get more people involved
• Lift the ban activism pack with ideas to campaign for refugees' right to work.
• These walls must fall activism pack from Global Justice Now, asking for an end to detention centres.
• Current campaigns from Refugee Action.