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Lesson Overview
Featured Article: “Climate Change Protesters Disrupt Yale-Harvard Football Game”
Last weekend, demonstrators stormed the field of the Yale-Harvard football game during halftime, causing the game to be delayed for about an hour. They were protesting on behalf of the movement for universities to divest investments in fossil fuels.
In this lesson, students analyze the effectiveness of the protesters’ actions and then come up with their own creative ideas for nonviolent demonstrations.
Warm Up
Watch this three-minute video from The Guardian about the fossil fuel divestment movement.
Then, fill in a Frayer Model to define the concept of divestment, including:
The definition of “divestment.”
The essential characteristics of the movement.
Examples of it now and throughout history.
Non-examples (i.e., the opposite of divestment).
Questions for Writing and Discussion
Read the article, then answer the following questions:
1. Who and what were the climate change activists at the Yale-Harvard football game protesting? How was their protest related to the fossil fuel divestment movement?
2. How effective was the protest? What evidence does the article provide to support your assessment?
3. What methods, songs, signs and slogans did the protesters use to bring attention to the issue of divestment? Why do you think they chose these symbols?
4. What did activists risk in staging this protest? Why do you think they might have been willing to take this risk, based on what you read in the article?
5. What are Harvard’s views on divestment? What are Yale’s?
6. One protester said “it felt really good” to storm the field because it brought attention to the issue of divestment, while a Yale spokeswoman said it was “regrettable” that activists chose to protest during a “collegiate career-defining contest” for fellow students. What do you think about the protesters’ method? Was it an effective way to spotlight their cause? Or was it inappropriate? Why?
Going Further
What creative ideas for a nonviolent climate change protest can you come up with?
First, you might choose one specific issue related to climate change to focus on, like sustainable fashion, recycling in your community, or climate-friendly food choices. Then, consider your audience: Whose attention do you want to attract and why?
Now, get creative. What methods could you use to get your audience’s attention? Where would you hold this protest so your audience couldn’t ignore it? What symbols, hash tags or slogans could you use to appeal to them?
For example, maybe you could create a video that you would show at a school assembly. Or a social media campaign driven by a hash tag. Or maybe you would want to stage a good old-fashioned march at a strategic location. (Here are some more creative protest ideas from around the world to get you thinking.)
Brainstorm ideas on your own or with your classmates. Then write up a short explanation of the key elements of your protest and how they would work to get your target audience’s attention.
If you have more time, you can represent the elements of your protest, like the location, method or symbols, by creating a mood board.
