While this seems like a positive thing, the caption that accompanies the image is not so positive:
Now, on the face of it the caption is right. Trump isn't going to change any of his actions based off half a dozen students from a sixth form making a banner and holding some signs. He might never even hear of this protest. However, this small demonstration should not be mocked.
First of all, these are college students who more than likely cannot make it to a larger demonstration in a city like Manchester. They will have organised this themselves, maybe with the help of a teacher, and will probably be using their lunch break to show their opinions on the 45th president of the United States. If they had the opportunity to join a larger protest I'm sure they will have done but they have done one in a location that is convenient to them, outside the college.
Also, the fact that college students have been inspired to express their disapproval of oppressive policies and behaviour can only be positive. Burnley College teaches A Level Politics so this is a great extra curricular activity for the students. What better way to inspire future political minds than to get out and be a part of a protest.
I think this is the most important thing. The students at our colleges and sixth forms are the future generation. The years leading up to the voting age are the best time to start thinking about politics and it is important that more students are inspired to form political opinions however big or small. Young people showed the lowest turnout to the EU referendum yet they are the most affected by the changes. By forming political opinions they will be more likely to vote and get a result that is fairer for them. Activities like this are absolutely necessary to get more young people asking questions, finding out about how the political system works and what different political parties support.
What I haven't mentioned yet is that, to me, this isn't just a random college in Lancashire that has gained a bit of interest from this event. I am, in fact, a previous student at Burnley College. During my time there there were a few protests in the same place with similar numbers. We noticed them and they got us thinking, got us discussing and got us interested in politics. I remember staff high up in the College saying it is brilliant that students are passionate about a cause. The college encouraged us to think about politics and express opinions (as long as they were done in an organised, non disruptive way). A group of students were not happy about a change in one of the common areas in college and the staff listened to them and discussed what could be done as a compromise. The fact that activities like this are encouraged make me very proud to be a past student of Burnley College.
I'm glad that this image has been spread around the internet. Not just because it is one of my old college but because it shows students what their peers are doing and may even inspire themselves to organise their own small scale protest. I just wish the caption wasn't included because, although humourous, it could discourage young people from forming an interest in politics and the wider world.
