Secondary teaching resources

Our free teaching resources help young people aged 11 to 19 to examine the world around them from a humanitarian perspective and learn about topics related to the work of the Red Cross.

These curriculum-linked activities, session plans and teaching packages are ideal for subjects such as PSHE, Citizenship, Geography, History and informal learning time. Learners gain new perspectives, develop new life skills and develop understanding, values and critical thinking.


Young people working together at school

Age: 7-14

Type: Quick activity

Subjects: PSHE

A quick and fun PSHE activity to help learners gain awareness of the key aspects of emergencies.

  • Disasters and emergencies
Vietnamese artist Hong Dam.

Age: 14-19

Type: Lesson plan, images

Subjects: Citizenship, PSHE, Art and design

Celebrate the contributions of refugees to art and culture, and consider how it may feel to have to flee your country.

  • Refugees and migration
A cartoon taken from the graphic novel Over Under Sideways Down.

Age: 11-19

Type: Lesson plan, images

Subjects: PSHE, Citizenship, Geography

Explore identity, the feeling of isolation and the value of friendship by looking at a comic book about a refugee’s story.

  • Refugees and migration
Syrian refugees and other volunteers fill sandbags to stem flood water in York city centre, December 2015.

Age: 11-16

Type: Lesson plan, video

Subjects: Citizenship, SMSC

Help learners see refugees as 'someone like me' to build mutual respect and empathy and build a shared future.

  • Refugees and migration
  • Humanitarianism and the Red Cross
Child smiling by aid boxes

Age: 11-14

Type: Lesson plan, videos

Subjects: PSHE

Explore the concept of humanitarianism and what it means to be human.

  • Humanitarianism and the Red Cross
Smiling woman walks alongside Red Cross volunteers

Age: 14-19

Type: Lesson plan, video

Subjects: Citizenship, History

A lesson plan about humanitarianism and how it guides the principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

  • Humanitarianism and the Red Cross
Two teenagers help their friend who is lying on the floor

Age: 14-19

Type: Lesson plan, video

Subjects: PSHE

Use our videos, lesson plans and practical resources to teach young people about alcohol and first aid.

  • First aid and the bystander effect
Soldiers in the trenches in WWI.

Age: 14-19

Type: Lesson plan, video

Subjects: Citizenship, Drama, English

Learn more about World War One and what it might have been like to “go over the top” using an impactful film to explore the humanitarian impact of armed conflict.

  • Conflict