USI is a national education initiative, which began in April 2003. It is funded by the DCMS and DCSF as part of the Strategic Commissioning National/Regional Partnerships Programme. Five museums are working in partnership to promote and support the effective teaching of the history and legacies of the transatlantic slave trade in schools and communities through resources that fully reflect the many historical and contemporary perspectives on this major part of world history. Consultation has been at the heart of USI; from its inception the museums have discussed ideas and developments with cultural, education and community sectors to inform the content of the resources.

Phase 1 (2003 – 04)

New museum and classroom resources

• Freedom: printed pack
• Transatlantic Slavery at Bristol Industrial Museum: pdf pack
• Transatlantic Slavery – Facing Up: CD ROM
• Voices of the Transatlantic Slave Trade: DVD and printed notes
• Museum handling collections and loan boxes
• Museum sessions for schools and colleges

Phase 2 (2004 – 05)

Consultation, evaluation documents and community programme

• Evaluation Report: how the resources are used by schools
• Engaging with the Educators: provision for Initial Teacher Education
• Teachers’ Workshops: issues in the classroom
• Landmarks, community visual arts and film workshops: DVD

Phase 3 (2005 – 06)

Teaching website

• A website for teachers and educators offering visual material, background information and activities to teach young people about the history of the slave trade, www.understandingslavery.com

Phase 4 and 5 (2006-08)

Resources and event to mark the bicentenary of the Abolition of the slave trade in Britain: Citizen Resource, Citizen Website and ‘The Big Conversation 2007’

• ‘The Big Conversation 2007’ competition, debate and showcase took place in December 2007. A national schools competition which encouraged Key Stage 3 students to explore the legacies of the transatlantic slave trade in the context of modern British society.
• Development and publication of the Citizen Resource – a printed pack for teachers and a corresponding website for students. 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.
• For the Citizen Website go to www.understandingslavery.com/citizen.
• To order a free Citizen Resource e-mail USIcitizenresource@nmm.ac.uk quoting reference 20086.