Human Rights Day assembly
This whole school assembly marks Human Rights Day in December. It is designed to help children recognise that human rights are there to protect everyone, and that there is bravery in standing up for something.
The assembly explores the right to an education, the right to food, and the right to shelter through the work of Malala Yousafzai and Marcus Rashford. Children are encouraged to think about using their talents and abilities to stand up for human rights.
The resource comprises teaching notes and a PowerPoint presentation. The assembly is intended to be approximately 20 minutes long.
An extract from the assembly:
Explain that as a child, Malala Yousafzai lived in Pakistan, where the Taliban wanted to stop girls from going to school. Malala was passionate about the fact that girls should be allowed to have an education. She began to write a blog and speeches about going to school. When she was 15 years old, she was shot by a member of the Taliban, who wanted to stop her from speaking out about the right for girls to have an education. She was treated in the UK for her injuries and, thankfully, she survived. At the age of 17, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work.
Tell the children that Malala wrote a children’s book called Malala’s Magic Pencil to tell her story to other children, and to help inspire them to stand up for their rights, just like she did.
Either read aloud a copy of / an extract from Malala’s Magic Pencil, or play the Puffin Books video which includes some short extracts and an interview with Malala: youtu.be/alb7J_SIldg
