Five Nations Development Projects (FNDPs)

Three projects were funded in 2017, with a further one funded in early 2018. Three teachers attended the London 2018 conference to share their experiences and findings through short presentations.
Project name: Building Capacity for Youth Participation and Deliberation in North belfast
Project lead: Frankie Nixon, Mercy College, Belfast, Northern Ireland
This curriculum based project involved:
  • developing and delivering a unit of work on democracy and participation for Year 10 pupils
  • a visit to the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont for workshops and a meeting with the local MLA
  • working with the Centre for Children's Rights at Queen’s University Belfast to develop a survey of peers across schools in North Belfast
  • an advocacy workshop; dissemination of findings from survey to local schools; lobbying local representatives 
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​Download the poster presentation to read about the aims, actions and impact
Project name: Standing Up For Good: Exploring the Issues of Justice and Political Activism
Project lead: Emily Morgan, Nicholas Chamberlaine School, Warwickshire, England
Students explored the themes of social justice, political activism and campaigning as part of a collaboration between the Citizenship and Art departments. The project included:
  • guest speakers and trips (Angus Forbes of The Nessun Dorma Project; Craig Tracey MP speaking to the School Council and Subject Ambassador Teams)
  • a visit to Parliament through the Parliament Education Team. 
  • subject specific lessons looking at how to have a voice in our community and barriers to this, the impact of poverty on life chances, historical and current protest movements, human rights, forms of Government and democracy in the UK both locally and nationally
  • the creation of artwork around this theme culminating in an art exhibition of students' work and an in-school display of famous artwork around this theme
  • Voting in the UK Youth Parliament “Make Your Mark” Campaign
  • Donation scheme to our local food bank.
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Download the poster presentation to read about the aims, actions and impact
Project name: Searching for our Voice / Chwilio am ein llais 
Project lead: Lindzi Miller, Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bryn Tawe, Swansea, Wales
This project helped pupils to gain an understanding of the Welsh Assembly and Welsh politics, and to discuss and deliberate Welsh legislation. It included:
  • a visit to the Welsh Assembly
  • a range of guest speakers
  • training
  • the creation of a work product to ensure future classes can learn from the experiences this group had
​​Download the bilingual poster presentation to read about the aims, actions and impact
Project name: Exploring Identity and Conflict (started in 2018)
Project lead: Martin Ferguson, St Killian's College, County Antrim, Northern Ireland

This project aims to help young people discuss and deliberate on what influences their identity, growing up in a society affected by conflict and division. The project will involve the development of a curriculum based project, which will use literature associated with conflict and division in Ireland/Northern Ireland as a stimulus to support young people in these deliberations.

The main focus for this will be the book ‘Name Upon Name’  written by Sheena Wilkinson. Patrick Geoghegan, Professor of History at Trinity College Dublin, has said of the book: ‘History is rarely clean and simple; the beauty of this book is that it embraces that complexity.’  The curriculum project will thus support young people in exploring the complexity of conflict and conflicted identities. The project will be implemented in two Year 10 English classes, and thus also support the school’s commitment to a whole school approach to citizenship education.