Young People and Protest

Young people have played a vital role in protest over the centuries from the Reform Bill Riots of the early 1800s to the Vietnam War in the 1970s. But it wasn’t until the civil rights movement in the 1960s that society witnessed such a mobilisation of young voices rallying against issues such as immigration rights and tuition fees.

2019 and 2020 were unprecedented years that saw young people’s involvement in two of the most important issues facing society and governments across the world: Climate Strike and Black Lives Matter. Not even a global pandemic kerbed their need to protest against these and other injustices.

This exhibition is a celebration of the power, passion, and ability that young people have shown to get their voices heard, to fight against continued injustice and to enact change locally and globally. The exhibition showcases a snapshot of historical and contemporary youth activism from around the world and asks ‘how you will use your voice to fight for social change’?

Young People and Protest was co-produced during the global Covid pandemic. The project is testament to the tenacity and passion of everyone who connected with it across a meandering and interrupted two-year period.

Find out more about how we made this exhibition

#NJMProtest

Funded by Arts Council England

Created with:

Baby People

Bernie Rutter

Hannah Parikh

Saria Digregorio

Smallkid

Tim Onga