Why riot? Community, choices, aspirations is a free resource for young people to help them think critically about the choices they make and about how to act positively for change, around the issues they care about. This short course was made in the aftermath of violent street disturbances in working-class areas of Northern Ireland in the spring of 2021. It was developed with boys (aged 14–16 years) from the Shankill in Belfast, a Loyalist community and one of the areas where these disturbances took place and is for all young people, but especially those growing up in contested societies, and anyone interested in these issues. Course content includes understanding what community means to you; exploring different perspectives; questioning and evaluating information and influences, including on social media; decision-making; finding your voice and becoming positive changemakers.TranscriptAbout this course and how it was madeThis short course was made with eight teenage boys taking part in an ACT Initiative and Belfast Boys’ Model School project: Adam, Ashton, Brandon, Dylan, Matty, Ryan, Stephen and William. It is based on a face-to-face course and workshops developed by William Mitchell, a Loyalist ex-prisoner and former Open University student from the Action for Community Transformation Initiative (ACT), based in the Shankill.Why riot? is a collaboration between The Open University in Ireland’s Time to Think initiative and the ACT Initiative.Time to Think isboth an oral history archive and ongoing collaboration for teaching, research andknowledge exchange between The Open University (Open University in Ireland, theFaculty of Arts and Social Sciences and Open University Library) and participantsin the Time to Think archive. This includes Loyalist andRepublican ex-prisoners who studied with The Open University in British andIrish prisons during the years of conflict (1972–2000), Open University tutorsand office staff, and prison staff and governors. You can explore the archivecollection here.The Open University would really appreciate your feedback on your experience of studying or teaching this course. Participation will be completely confidential and we will not pass on your details to others. Course survey
Overview
Syllabus
- Introduction and guidance
- Introduction and guidance
- Guidance for facilitators and teachers
- Sources of support
- Moving around the course
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Session1Session 1: Community
- Introduction
- 1 Welcome to the community
- 1.1 Who do you think you are?
- 1.2 How others see you
- 1.3 Not just hoods and thugs
- 2 What does community mean to you?
- 2.1 Community as a place
- 2.2 Community as a shared history
- 2.3 Communities of spirit
- 3 Communities and conflict
- 3.1 Living at the interface
- 3.2 Exploring different perspectives
- 4 Community, your choices and you
- 5 Summary
- Glossary
- References
- Further reading
- Acknowledgements
- Session2Session 2: Choices
- Introduction
- 1 Why do you make the choices you make?
- 1.1 Community, identity, belonging
- 1.2 How free are you to choose?
- 1.3 Breaking the mould
- 2 Thinking for yourself
- 2.1 Social media influence and the riots
- 2.2 Filter bubbles and echo chambers
- 3 How to spot false or fake news
- 3.1 Information, misinformation, disinformation
- 3.2 Separating opinions from facts
- 4 How to handle hate speech
- 4.1 ‘March for our lives’
- 4.2 Changing the conversation
- 4.3 How does it make you feel?
- 5 Summary
- Glossary
- References
- Further reading
- Acknowledgements
- Session3Session 3: Aspirations
- Introduction
- 1 The future and you
- 1.1 Exploring possibilities
- 1.2 Considering the consequences
- 2 Making decisions
- 2.1 De Bono’s 6 thinking hats
- 2.2 How to use the 6 thinking hats
- 2.3 Pulling it all together
- 3 Being true to yourself
- 3.1 How Marcus Rashford used his voice
- 3.2 Knowing your values
- 4 The power of collective action
- 4.1 Becoming wiser
- 4.2 Making connections
- 4.3 Becoming a positive changemaker
- 5 Summary
- Glossary
- References
- Further reading
- Acknowledgements
