Time For Tea

Giving young people a voice on the issues that matter
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Introduction

Time for Tea challenges young people to take an issue they care about to relevant decision-makers, and to ask them to think about it over a shared cup of tea. This promotes mutual respect, and allows the voices of youth to be heard. Tea, which is enjoyed worldwide in nearly all cultures, is an ideal focus for this global project.

Time for Tea grew from our earlier 2020 Education initiative, and is inspired by the extraordinary story of peace activist Satish Kumar’s walk, over 50 years ago, from India to Moscow, Paris, London and Washington DC to campaign for nuclear disarmament. He took with him 4 packets of tea, one each for the leaders of the nuclear powers.

Time for Tea can be led by teachers, youth workers or others. It works in four simple steps:

  • Step 1: get your group together and discuss the “big issues”. Choose the one they think is most important. Decide what they want to say about it – and who they want to listen.
  • Step 2: buy a packet of tea and design the most original and creative packaging and delivery mechanism, to incorporate the message.
  • Step 3: deliver the message to the chosen leader (where possible this also includes a meeting)
  • Step 4: tell the story of your project using video, photographs, or any other accessible media.

We will collect all your stories and share them via an interactive website, enabling you to link up and form partnerships with other groups who share your interests – and inspire more young people to get involved.

Time for Tea is an inclusive, accessible activity which encourages imagination, creativity and communication. It is open to groups of any age, ability or background, anywhere in the world. For schools, this is also a great way of introducing a global learning dimension into the curriculum. Time for Tea is fun, it’s relevant and it’s free.

Time for Tea Netherthorpe
See how Netherthorpe School, Derbyshire, used Time for Tea to develop the creative thinking and presentation skills of their students.
Time for Tea animation
See how simple it is to run a Time for Tea project.

Register your group here

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Inspiration

“We are at an extraordinary crossroads of human history. Our actions or failure to act during the next 20 years will determine the fate of the earth and human civilisation for centuries to come.”Dr. James Martin, The Meaning of the 21st Century.