Citizenship in action - 250 pupils walk out of school in protest!
Police were called to a school in West Yorkshire after 250 pupils held a protest over the suspension of two teachers. Students from Calder High School waved banners and chanted songs for two hours before eventually heading back to their classrooms. The protest is said to have been organised through a social networking site.
The demonstration was about a teacher that was suspended after writing a book containing some of her pupils as characters, as a way of encouraging them to read. The reprimand of a second teacher yesterday prompted the strike action, with pupils demanding they be informed of what was happening. The headteacher said he could not disclose information relating to what has become a legal investigation.
Regardless of the validity of their cause, it is encouraging to see that the pupils felt empowered enough to voice their opinions and are aware of ways of influencing decision-makers. The headteacher should be applauded for the way in which he responded, acknowledging the pupils’ concerns and their right to protest. It was also encouraging that a Calderdale Youth Parliament member was confident enough to voice his opinions in the local press. The Hansard Society Y Vote Mock Elections project enables young people to take part in campaigns to elect school council representatives, who are able to voice concerns about school policies on their behalf.
The case of Calder High highlights how pupils can be engaged in civic action when they see the importance of an issue and understand how to influence the adults that make these decisions. The growing use of social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter as a tool for organising campaigns should encourage those that are concerned about falling political engagement and participation amongst young people.
It seems Barack Obama’s successful presidential campaign served as something of a wake-up call to UK politicians. Obama utilised the internet to great effect in order to appeal to the electorate and in evaluating his success many politicians this side of the pond have realised the internet’s potential for disseminating information, campaigning and communicating with constituents. There has been a noticeable increase in the use of social networking sites and blogs amongst MPs and peers - see our recent article Meet you on MySpace? here.
Has your school been involved in a similar campaign? If so, we’d like to hear about it. Contact us at citizenship@hansard.lse.ac.uk .
Adam Wilkinson, Citizenship Education Programme