This year’s Nottingham Reading Programme saw approximately 20,000 students, staff and members of the public engage with the theme of modern slavery.

The Nottingham Reading Programme (NRP) gifts first-year students a copy of a book on their arrival to the University in order to provide them with a conversation starter and the opportunity to explore a topic they might not have been previously exposed to. This year the NRP collaborated with the Rights Lab and the Faculty of Social Sciences to deliver an expanded programme, ‘UoN Against Slavery’.

UoN Against Slavery included the gift of a book, Slave: The True Story of a Girl’s Lost Childhood and Her Fight for Survival by Mende Nazer, and a varied programme of events across the city. Slave explores several themes, the foremost of which is modern slavery.

The programme’s events included lunchtime talks, survivor Q&As, a photography exhibition, a fun run, film screenings and a concert. Almost 2,000 people attended the events and the Voice of Freedom photography exhibition remains on display in the Rights Lab in Highfield House.

A further 11,670 people have been reached online and through the media. The programme has been featured on local radio stations, and national and local platforms such as Left Lion and WONKHE.

Amelia Watkins, final-year undergraduate student and Director of the Rights Lab Reading Programme 2018-19, said: “I have been thrilled to see so many people across our campuses and city engaging with the prevalent and urgent issue of modern slavery.  Through the Rights Lab, the University is producing world-leading research on the topic, so it is brilliant to also see this passion for abolitionism reflected in our student body.”

View the full report (PDF)