Red Nose Day Webpicks

Red Nose Day (19 March in 2021) encourages people to raise money for projects in the UK and the developing world by "doing something funny for money." But it also aims to raise awareness of poverty, particularly among schoolchildren, who are massive supporters, along with school staff, of Red Nose Day. Here are a selection of teaching resources provided by Comic Relief for Red Nose Day.

This 1’30 video is one of the many that Comic Relief provides about the work they do. It was part of the 2017 Red Nose Convoy, in which six comedians travelled from Kenya to Nigeria with a convoy of vital supplies such as mosquito nets, and visited and filmed the projects Comic Relief is funding. In this episode, Hugh Dennis meets Patrick, a volunteer healthworker in Kibera, a Kenyan township. The film mentions the ultrasound machine Comic Relief has donated, but most of it is about Patrick’s generous work, and the powerful effect a volunteer can have, in reducing health risks in his area. Great for inclusion on work on charities or parcours du citoyen.

Meet 9-year-old Ethan
The story proposed for primary schools can work from A2. In the film Ethan explains that he has cerebral palsy, which means he can't talk and has difficulty with many physical activities like walking. He has been helped by a centre funded by Comic Relief, where he can do fun physiotherapy games and most importantly make friends. Ethan uses an electronic voice box to speak, but it was clearly prerecorded, so it is smooth and clear. If it wasn't mentioned in the film, you wouldn't know.  There's a teaching poster provided, which would allow some of the more difficult vocabulary to be previewed.

Meet 17-year-old Courtney
The film proposed for secondary schools this year is on quite a difficult topic: a charity helping people dealing with homelessness and drug addiction in Edinburgh. It is narrated by Courtney, who volunteers with a charity founded by her father, who is himself an ex-addict who now helps others. It's an inspiring outcome, and Courtney explains how proud she is of her dad, but she also tells the story of growing up with his addiction and how at different points he had to leave home, and she had to cut off contact with him. Again, there is a teaching poster which would allow you to prepare pupils for the topic.

Time to Play
The schools' resources page includes downloadable quizzes that could provide a fun activity. The primary one is fairly easy and usable from A2.