New TrueTube film created to help students understand refugee experience
Not-for-profit education provider, TrueTube, has launched Refugee, a powerful film to help young people understand the refugee crisis, by showing what might happen if the UK were a warzone.
Refugee, which can be viewed and downloaded for free at www.truetube.co.uk, follows a refugee family who are forced to flee their home. The story is told in reverse, so the family’s origins in Britain are not revealed until the end. The short film has been created to put the situation into context for Key Stage 3 and 4 students, by encouraging them to consider how they would feel, and how their parents might act, if they were in that position and were forced to leave their home and country because of war and fear.
The video is supported by teachers’ notes, providing discussion topics and ideas for activities to explore the refugee crisis in a measured and sensitive way, whether with a focus on Syria or the wider subject of migration and refugees. Through the resource, teachers have the opportunity to build a discussion with their students, giving them a chance to look at what’s happening from a number of different perspectives, and addressing any misconceptions they might have.
Neil Mckain, head of RS at Pipers Corner School said: “Ever since the refugee/migrant crisis in the Mediterranean began in 2015 students have been asking a myriad of questions to teachers. Why is it happening? What can we do to help? These films and resources are vital tools in enabling teachers to help explain an incredibly complex situation in a sensitive and thought-provoking way.”
Andy Lewis, assistant subject leader in RS at Sacred Heart of Mary School added: “Students need to be aware of this humanitarian issue which is literally on their doorstep. Pope Francis called for a ‘common humanity’ to enable us to show compassion to those most in need. Any resource that can help teachers bring this topic into the classroom should be welcomed.”
The launch of Refugee follows another film on TrueTube focusing on the refugee crisis, titled God is in the Boat. Shot in a refugee camp on the island of Lesvos in Greece, the film focuses on the relationship between faith and a global crisis, raising themes such as humanitarian duty and the presence of God in a time of need.
Stuart Porter, head of digital at TrueTube commented: “The refugee crisis is still dominating the news every day and it’s easy for anyone to feel overwhelmed by the tragic events. Children will have seen images and news reports about the thousands of people – many of them children of a similar age to them – trying to escape from troubled homelands to the safety of Europe, which can be extremely distressing.”
“In the UK, we’re so far removed from the situation that it’s difficult to understand exactly what’s going on and why. We hope that these films will help students understand the crisis and encourage them to imagine themselves and their family in that position, and how they might feel about the countries offering help”.
To download both films for free, visit www.truetube.co.uk.
