| Pupils
from St Helen’s learn to view the experiences of conflict though
the eyes of others
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St Ethelburga’s near Liverpool Street
that, in 1993, was the scene of an IRA bombing and is now a centre
for conflict resolution and peace, provided the perfect setting
for an interactive workshop for pupils from St Helen’s Primary
School.
The Year 4 group was taking part in this year’s South West
Newham Education Action Zone Citizenship Week. And one of their
events was a trip to St Ethelbuga’s to explore how the effects
of conflict affect different people in different communities.
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| The Centre’s Youth and Nonviolence Project Officer, Sarah
Hulme, organised a variety of activities, jointly delivered with
Reconciliation Programme Coordinator, Helen Gilbert, which included
a quiz on how to overcome conflicts by behaving in certain ways,
using adjectives to describe the way different animals behave when
scared and whether those reactions are good or bad, building a web
with two balls of wool in different colours to see their differences
and similarities, plus a Mola Tapestry where the children looked
at pictures of different tribes and peoples faces and described
how they made them feel; for example, scared, welcoming.
St Helen’s Citizenship Week Coordinator, Mairead Reynolds,
said the children had found the workshop’s experience “very
positive”.
“The programme worked really well with this year’s
Citizenship theme and reinforces the need for cultural cohesion.
We’ve had rave reviews from the teachers and the children
who attended that it was absolutely brilliant,” she said.
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“The pupils really enjoyed the discussions and murals, which helped
them to look at how different issues affect different people and countries,
but that at the end of the day we are all the same.”
Well over six thousand children from the partnership of 15 SWNEAZ primary
schools have taken part in a selection of activities to celebrate Citizenship
Week 2009, which culminates on the eve of World Book Week, 4 March 2009
with an Awards Day for winners, their parents and programme sponsors
at East Ham Town Hall, with prizes awarded by the Children’s Poet
Laureate, Michael Rosen.
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The event, which is organised by Lyn Senior of Newham Education Business Partnership
(NEBP) on behalf of the schools, is now in its eighth successful
year.
Each year the schools work to a new theme. This year’s
theme has focused on “Children like me….” on
the school, the local community, the UK and around the world to
give pupils a better understanding of their local and wider community,
as well as raising the profile of what is it to be a good citizen.
Details of the activities can be found at the South
West Newham EAZ website and by selecting Citizenship Week
2009.
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Two activities worth noting this year are: ‘Question Time’
which saw pupils putting questions to a panel of key players promoting
Peace in our Neighbourhoods, including the Young Mayor and his Youth
Council reps, plus a ‘Tate & Lyle Competition’ which
saw ALL the pupils writing persuasive poems, with the older children
reflecting on ‘What it is to be British’.
New this year for pupils have been visits to Stratford Library Archive
and, Hackney Museum, which investigates matters of immigration and the
Law Courts in Stratford where pupils were treated to a mock trial.
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