Students at Harrow Way Community School were given the opportunity to explore what UNICEF and the Rights and Responsibilities of children really meant during an exciting day of workshops and visiting speakers, arranged by Hilary Delany, Head of Religious Education and Citizenship at the school.
A moving account of the Holocaust was given by Holocaust survivors, Walter Kammerling and Josef Perl. The students were deeply affected by the enormity of the crimes against humanity that these men had witnessed and suffered. It really brought home to them the lessons that society must learn from these outrages, encouraging them to accept and tolerate differences and value others rather than persecuting them.
Visitors to Harrow Way also included Ian Massey, Inspector for Intercultural Education, Anne Hughes, Headteacher of Knights Enham Primary School, as well as Jan Aspinall from NSPCC’s Childline who presented students with some startling facts about ‘Cyber Bullying’. Jan also did a really useful workshop on a cyber survey where students were made aware of possible dangers on the internet and how to avoid them and protect themselves.
All students were asked to consider the articles linked to their workshops that made up the UNICEF Rights of the Child, and then worked on presentations to show what they had learned. The presentations were then judged by the school’s Senior Leadership team and prizes awarded in assemblies.
Year 10 UNICEF Peer educators contributed to the success of the day by assisting visitors and helping organise the event.