Statelessness: teaching materials ages 15-18
© UNHCR
Activities in this age range are focused on developing critical thinking skills in students. An array of facts and figures from neutral sources are provided to increase understanding of the topic of statelessness.
Students are encouraged to undertake activities to embed their knowledge into their daily experiences, asking them to think about how their lives connect with the lives of stateless persons in their communities and globally.
Group and individual work is encouraged along the way to foster a sense of academic independence with check-ins by teachers.
Words matter
Understanding statelessness begins with understanding a few basics. The word “stateless” is often misunderstood and covers a very complex phenomenon with complex causes. Stateless people are sometimes also confused with refugees, but they are not the same, and stateless people can also be refugees..
Watch these explainer animations as a preparation for your lesson and to teach your pupils. Choose which sections you need and download them as you like to compose your own instructional package.
Levan and Gio's story
Levan and Gio are childhood friends. They were very similar when they grew up together, but there was one big difference: Levan was stateless, and Gio was not. So when Gio went to university to study architecture and engineering, Levan could not enrol and had no way to find regular work because he had no documents. Eventually the situation was solved and Levan and Gio were able to work together after all.
Further reading
Pupils in this age group can do their own research and work information they find themselves into essays, presentations and other class activities. Go to UNHCR's web pages on statelessness to find more information.