Words that Burn: Exploring human rights through poetry in the classroom

Words that Burn is Amnesty International UK’s flagship creative education programme. Through 10 free lesson plans, Words that Burn empowers teachers to explore human rights through poetry with their students.

In this session for secondary English teachers, you will be introduced to the Words that Burn programme, participate in activities from the FREE learning resources, and hear from both a poet and a teacher, who have participated in the programme, on their approach to embedding human rights in their poetry teaching and the impact of Words that Burn on the young people they have worked with.

Speakers:

Sita Kenyon is a Human Right Educator and Education Projects Manager. Over the past five years she has been leading the creative education programmes at Amnesty International UK. Working with teachers, poets, students and cultural partners, Sita is passionate about empowering individuals and communities to learn about and advocate for human rights through creative expression. Sita has a background in teaching English Language and Literature.

Deanna Rodger won the UK Poetry Slam at age 18. Since then she has pushed down closed doors and held them open for others, curating spoken word events, facilitating workshops, writing prolific commissions, and mentoring. She has facilitated poetry for over ten years and adapts, designs, and delivers long term and intensive programs. Deanna has been closely involved with Amnesty International UK’s Words that Burn programme since it began, producing resources and delivering poetry sessions to empower young people to find their voice and explore human rights through poetry.

Fran King is a teacher at Alderman Knight School: "After studying Drama and Theatre Arts at Goldsmiths, preceeded by professional training at LAMDA, I co-founded an independent documentary film company. This work naturally led me into arts education, where I developed a rich programme of workshops, talks and CPD opportunities to complement the productions at Theatre Royal Plymouth. It was in schools, however, where I found the most rewarding part of my work — engaging directly with young people and using the arts to inspire learning. Seven years ago, I decided to formalise this passion by completing a PGCE, allowing me to move fully into the classroom. I now enjoy using my creativity and background in the arts to bring the English curriculum to life, drawing on projects such as Amnesty International’s Words That Burn to spark curiosity, empathy and critical thinking. I am currently based at Alderman Knight School in Tewkesbury, a special school where I am privileged to work with a brilliant range of students. My approach to teaching remains rooted in storytelling, inclusivity, and imagination — helping students find their voices, connect with texts, and discover the power of language in both their studies and their lives."

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Words That Burn challenges you to explore and take action for human rights through poetry. Secondary Schools can explore human rights through poetry, with free educational resources designed to help students develop their own writing and performance style.This is a project to explore and express human rights through poetry. As part of the Words that Burn Programme we run literary partnerships with the Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, DylanEd (the education strand of the Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize) and the Push the Boat Out festival.