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20 June 2007
The national competition to mark the bicentenary for the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act was launched today by Secretary of State for Education & Skills, Alan Johnson.
‘The Big Conversation 2007’ competition, debate and showcase has been devised to encourage 11 to 14 year old students to research and discuss the legacies of the transatlantic slave trade.
The project has been developed by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and Understanding Slavery to enable young people to explore this important element of British history in the context of modern day issues.
Young people will work together in their schools to develop journalistic projects in response to one of the following questions:
Students from the John Roan School in South East London joined Mr Johnson and Minister for Culture, David Lammy, at Westminster Hall to mark the launch of the competition and to inspire their peers to develop ideas and enter ‘The Big Conversation 2007’.
Alan Johnson, who is also an MP in Hull – the city where William Wilberforce was born and which he represented in Parliament - said; “We know that young people are keen to debate and understand these important issues. ‘The Big Conversation 2007’ will give them the opportunity to do this while supporting teachers in the delivery of the subject and ensuring ties with the national curriculum. It gives me great pleasure to launch this new initiative and I look forward to seeing some of the competition entries.”
Research has identified that students’ engagement with the issues of the transatlantic slave trade extend further than a desire to learn about the histories. Through consultation with young people, Understanding Slavery has found that young people are keen to debate the issues and discuss how they affect modern day values.
Maria Amidu, Understanding Slavery Project Development Manager said; “The history of the transatlantic slave trade is relevant to every member of British society and it is important that the legacies of this history are fully debated and understood. We recognise that it is a complex issue to teach and we have been working with teachers and young people since 2003 to develop resources and projects that support both the teaching and learning experience.”
The competition will be judged in the autumn by a range of professionals and personalities from education, the arts, literature and the media including Wesley Kerr and Horace Ove. Students from the winning schools will have the opportunity to discuss their final work, ideas and views in ‘The Big Conversation 2007’ debate in December with representatives from education, the media and politics.
Tom Schlanker, a 13 year old student at John Roan School, said: “I attended some Understanding Slavery workshops earlier this year and they were fascinating. Reading the Captain’s log and handling the collars that slaves were made to wear as punishment really brought the subject to life for me. I’m really excited about ‘The Big Conversation 2007’ and am looking forward to working with my class-mates to put together our entry.”
Notes to Editors
Understanding Slavery is a partnership between the National Maritime Museum, National Museums Liverpool, British Empire and Commonwealth Museum, Bristol City Museums, Galleries and Archives, and Hull Museums and Art Gallery. It is funded by the DCMS/DfES Strategic Commissioning National/ Regional Partnerships Programme.
Research references
For further information please call
Vicky Page
+44 (0) 20 7025 7561
vicky.page@trimediahc.com
Nicola Richards
+44 (0) 20 7025 7561
nicola.richards@trimediahc.com
The national competition to mark the bicentenary for the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act was launched today by Secretary of State for Education & Skills, Alan Johnson.
‘The Big Conversation 2007’ competition, debate and showcase has been devised to encourage 11 to 14 year old students to research and discuss the legacies of the transatlantic slave trade.
The project has been developed by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and Understanding Slavery to enable young people to explore this important element of British history in the context of modern day issues.
Young people will work together in their schools to develop journalistic projects in response to one of the following questions:
- How and why should Britons commemorate the transatlantic slave trade?
- How can Britons learn from this history and celebrate a modern society with a diverse heritage?
Students from the John Roan School in South East London joined Mr Johnson and Minister for Culture, David Lammy, at Westminster Hall to mark the launch of the competition and to inspire their peers to develop ideas and enter ‘The Big Conversation 2007’.
Alan Johnson, who is also an MP in Hull – the city where William Wilberforce was born and which he represented in Parliament - said; “We know that young people are keen to debate and understand these important issues. ‘The Big Conversation 2007’ will give them the opportunity to do this while supporting teachers in the delivery of the subject and ensuring ties with the national curriculum. It gives me great pleasure to launch this new initiative and I look forward to seeing some of the competition entries.”
Research has identified that students’ engagement with the issues of the transatlantic slave trade extend further than a desire to learn about the histories. Through consultation with young people, Understanding Slavery has found that young people are keen to debate the issues and discuss how they affect modern day values.
Maria Amidu, Understanding Slavery Project Development Manager said; “The history of the transatlantic slave trade is relevant to every member of British society and it is important that the legacies of this history are fully debated and understood. We recognise that it is a complex issue to teach and we have been working with teachers and young people since 2003 to develop resources and projects that support both the teaching and learning experience.”
The competition will be judged in the autumn by a range of professionals and personalities from education, the arts, literature and the media including Wesley Kerr and Horace Ove. Students from the winning schools will have the opportunity to discuss their final work, ideas and views in ‘The Big Conversation 2007’ debate in December with representatives from education, the media and politics.
Tom Schlanker, a 13 year old student at John Roan School, said: “I attended some Understanding Slavery workshops earlier this year and they were fascinating. Reading the Captain’s log and handling the collars that slaves were made to wear as punishment really brought the subject to life for me. I’m really excited about ‘The Big Conversation 2007’ and am looking forward to working with my class-mates to put together our entry.”
Notes to Editors
- To support teachers in devising schemes of work for competition entries the Citizen Resource – a printed pack for teachers and a corresponding website for students – is available. The resources are organised under four themes – Activism, Heritage, Identity and Routes and contain lesson plans and activities, image cards of artefacts and archive material as well as biographies of historical individuals affected by the legacies of the slave trade.
- Students can find the website at www.understandingslavery.com/citizen. Teachers can register to receive information about the competition and the teaching resource by e-mailing enquiries@thebigconversation2007.com
- The competition is open to secondary schools across England and organisations working with young people aged 11 – 14. The winning schools will also be offered a one-day workshop with a documentary or film maker and £500 towards a museum visit.
Understanding Slavery is a partnership between the National Maritime Museum, National Museums Liverpool, British Empire and Commonwealth Museum, Bristol City Museums, Galleries and Archives, and Hull Museums and Art Gallery. It is funded by the DCMS/DfES Strategic Commissioning National/ Regional Partnerships Programme.
Research references
- Inspiration, Identity, Learning: The Value of Museums, The evaluation of the impact of DCMS/DfES Strategic Commissioning, 2003-2004: National/Regional Museum Education Partnerships View report
- Understanding Slavery, Phase 2 (2004 – 2005), Evaluation: Phase 1 resources and museum sessions,Teachers’ Consultation and Engaging with Educators. Contact the press office for summary documents
- T.E.A.C.H Teaching Emotive and Controversial History 3-19, The Department for Education and Skills has funded the Historical Association to produce a report called “Teaching emotive and controversial History 3 – 19” (TEACH 3-19) View report
For further information please call
Vicky Page
+44 (0) 20 7025 7561
vicky.page@trimediahc.com
Nicola Richards
+44 (0) 20 7025 7561
nicola.richards@trimediahc.com