Outreach

Here at the School of Government and International Affairs, we are passionate about engaging with our community and actively seeking to play a role in furthering local causes. We understand that social mobility is at a historical low and we have the expertise to play a role in trying to affect positive change. We work on outreach programmes to support and engage primary and secondary school age children, seeking to act as role models, promote interest in politics and civic engagement and also show them the benefits of higher education. We do this through a variety of ways:

1. Visits to schools

Staff visit schools to engage with pupils and to talk about political issues, deliver lectures and answer questions that children have about politics. We see this engagement as helping children, but also to assist teachers in thinking about how to talk about political issues which at times can be difficult to engage with. If you are a teacher and would be interested in speaking to us about visits, please do get in touch.

2. School visits to the department

We facilitate school visits to the department to introduce pupils to university life. We give them brief exercises related to a political concept or contemporary issue but also show them the world class facilities that we have here at Durham and talk to them about what it is like to attend university, academically and socially. These visits give students a clear understanding of university life and are an important factor in encouraging applications from disadvantaged groups.

3. Politics into schools

We offer a module at level three that involves students working with children in local schools. This has proved incredibly popular both with our students and the schools involved. Pupils have learnt about issues relating to gender inequality, the importance of voting, what it means to live in a democracy and how they can participate beyond elections as citizens.