Guidance on Talking to Young People About the Summer Riots 

After the displays of racially motivated, xenophobic and Islamophobic violence that occurred during the summer and the surrounding rhetoric which has been put forward by far-right actors, it is understandable that young people may return to school feeling afraid, angry or hurt. Some students may even feel emboldened to express opinions and points of view in support of the far right and/or the riots which contravene your school’s values and ethos to create an inclusive, safe, respectful and welcoming environment. It can be difficult to navigate these topics, and there can be a temptation to shut down conversations for fear of opening up a can of worms. However, young people need space to interrogate their thoughts and feelings. They need reassurance and facts, and they need opportunities to learn how to spot misinformation, disinformation and develop their critical thinking skills to navigate the complex world that they are living in. So here are some tips on how to support and educate young people during this time, as well as explore ways to advocate for positive change.  

Support young people

• Be proactive – let young people know that you are open to talking about what they have seen or heard and create a safe space for young people to express their feelings about current events and have open conversations about their questions and concerns. 
• Don’t dismiss young people’s concerns or feelings but acknowledge the uncertainty that young people may be feeling. Validate any feelings that arise from this uncertainty and let young people know that it’s okay to feel upset, angry, and scared. 
• Be clear on the school’s position on racism, Islamophobia and xenophobia and the policies and procedures that are in place to respond to incidents should they occur. Make sure there are lots of reporting avenues open to young people and that young people are aware of them.  
• Explain that lots of people are working hard throughout society to make sure people are safe.  
• Don’t go into detail about the violence but focus on the kindness and empathy that many people showed in response to the riots. 

Educate young people

• Be prepared to have open conversations about the events and the root causes – don’t shy away from the racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia at the heart of the riots.  
• Provide young people with the opportunity to bring forward their concerns, this can be in a conversation or by writing it down anonymously. Doing this allows you to pitch the work at the right level, avoiding over-complicated explanations, which could increase worry and confusion, or leaving out important issues because it is thought that young people aren’t aware of them. 
• Develop your own knowledge base. Be ready to offer counter-narratives to any challenging language or behaviours that may occur. It will be useful to have educational conversations about immigration, racism and Islamophobia. For guidance around discussing these issues, take a look at our Reject Racism and Faith in Us resources which are free to download from our website. 
• Help young people to navigate social media, explaining how they can limit their exposure to distressing content. It will also be helpful to talk to young people about disinformation and misinformation and how to spot it. 
• Seek to develop critical thinking skills in young people. For help with this, take a look at our free Universal Values resource. 
• If you feel that staff at your school lack the knowledge or lived experience to educate young people about these issues, seek external help from organisations such as EqualiTeach. Our Think!, Second Thoughts, and Reject Racism workshops for young people can provide the expertise that you may need. 

Advocate for positive change

• Demonstrate that you are an active ally.  
• Explore ways in which young people can show that they are a good friend and ally to their peers.  
• Don’t leave young people feeling powerless to help. Promote positive action by discussing what young people can do to counter hatred and division within their communities. Support students to create posters, deliver assemblies, devise a social media campaign, or join/form allyship and support groups to promote an anti-hate culture within school. 
• Discuss the importance of standing up for what you believe in without resorting to prejudice, scapegoating, hate-speech or violence. It’s ok to have differing, evidence-based opinions to others, but prejudice, scapegoating, hate speech and violence towards others is wrong. 
• Promote empathy by highlighting the efforts of people who are working hard to improve the situation. Highlight examples of when communities have come together to promote anti-racism or how volunteers have helped to clean up the streets after rioters have left an area damaged and in disorder. 

EqualiTeach provides training and consultancy services for businesses, local authorities, schools and education settings throughout the UK. If you would like support with promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in your school or organisation, please contact us.