Bristol school working with students to address ‘the feeling of powerlessness’ over Ukraine invasion.
Bristol head teacher Paul Dwyer is urging students to monitor their exposure to social media posts about events in Ukraine to better manage their anxiety levels.
“We also to try to make the point to our young people that we are not experts ourselves, but rather seeking out why this has happened now as far as we understand it.”
Mr Dwyer, head of Redmaids’ High School, The school is using assemblies, current said: “We are helping them recognise that affairs, history and PHSE lessons to help put taking time away from their screens does not the situation into context. mean they are turning their backs on the war. As Russia’s war against Ukraine unfolds, Mr “It’s about not feeling guilty if you put your Dwyer says it is also important to help young phone down for an hour and think about people understand that not everything they something else in your life, it’s about self-care see on social media is true. and managing their worries. “The recent disinformation campaign by the “This is the most internet-accessible war; Russians over the bombing of the the footage we are exposed to now bears no Mariupol theatre – suggesting it was the work comparison to what we saw in the Kosovan of Ukrainian nationalists – is a case in point. crisis in the 90s or the first war in Iraq. “The planting of false narratives to manipulate “Students are seeing unfettered images – and obfuscate facts is straight out of Russia’s whether it be on Twitter on Tik Tok or any playbook and it’s important they understand other social media sphere – which can be what’s going on and not be caught out by deeply shocking. that. “It’s also about making them aware these are real people caught up in this appalling act of aggression, and about not losing sight of that.”
“It’s about making students aware this a fast-changing situation and that social media posts they are exposed to may be misleading, manipulated or just plain lies.”
Mr Dwyer says the school, which teaches girls from three to 18, is approaching the situation in a range of ways and in an age-appropriate manner.
The school’s Year 9s have made ribbons to sell to raise funds for the Moldova Project which is supporting Ukrainian refugees in Moldova; and Year 12s are looking at holding a benefit concert.
“For younger pupils, it's around the how-a nd-the-why of what's going on; they will hear things like nuclear disaster being mentioned and we try to explain how it translates into their reality.
Redmaids’ High School is the oldest existing girls' school in the country, dating back to 1634.
“For older students, we try to address the feeling of powerlessness surrounding everything that is going on and giving them space to ask questions or talk about what they've seen. 14
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