On October 12th our students were invited to speak to this year's cohort of PGCE students in one of the lecture theatres at the University of East Anglia, to share their thoughts on our journey towards becoming a School of Sanctuary. Sophie, Freya, Mollie and Samson spoke with confidence, integrity and passion. Here is what they had to say.
Sophie:
Hi, I’m Sophie and I’m a year 11 student at Aylsham High School and a member of the Harbour club.
Harbour’s key goals are so fundamental for creating a safe, welcoming place for all.
We aim to help our school community learn about what it means to be seeking sanctuary and the issues surrounding forced migration. We hope to create a warm, caring environment for anyone in our community seeking sanctuary, as well as supporting them through any challenges they may face. We also want to give a voice to people who are refugees, so that we can better understand their experiences and root out misinformation and ignorance.
I’ve always felt strongly about the need for the recognition and support of diversity within Norfolk, and the UK as a whole. Since joining Harbour, and hearing its mission and values, I’ve realised that I don’t have to just sit by and watch, but can help take action. I can take part in assemblies, write for the newsletter, and make Harbour known to other students through speeches I make as Head Girl. Harbour has also given me the inspiration to turn my beliefs about equality into a career, and I now hope to go on to study Law to become a Human Rights Lawyer.
Sophie:
Hi, I’m Sophie and I’m a year 11 student at Aylsham High School and a member of the Harbour club.
Harbour’s key goals are so fundamental for creating a safe, welcoming place for all.
We aim to help our school community learn about what it means to be seeking sanctuary and the issues surrounding forced migration. We hope to create a warm, caring environment for anyone in our community seeking sanctuary, as well as supporting them through any challenges they may face. We also want to give a voice to people who are refugees, so that we can better understand their experiences and root out misinformation and ignorance.
I’ve always felt strongly about the need for the recognition and support of diversity within Norfolk, and the UK as a whole. Since joining Harbour, and hearing its mission and values, I’ve realised that I don’t have to just sit by and watch, but can help take action. I can take part in assemblies, write for the newsletter, and make Harbour known to other students through speeches I make as Head Girl. Harbour has also given me the inspiration to turn my beliefs about equality into a career, and I now hope to go on to study Law to become a Human Rights Lawyer.
|
Sophie's reflections: I found that the experience was great for understanding more about the goals and achievements of the School of Sanctuary program, as well as becoming more comfortable talking to people I don't know in an unfamiliar place. I think realising that I can do that will allow me to be more confident for similar events in the future. (It was also really cool to look around a university, and see a place similar to where I might be in 3 or 4 years.)
|
|
Mollie:
Hi, I’m Mollie and I’m also in year 11, and have been working with the Harbour club to raise money and awareness for refugees from several parts of the globe. So far, we have managed to raise almost £600 in total for refugees from both Afghanistan and Ukraine.
We launched a school-wide sponsored read of an extract of One Half from the East by Nadia Hashimi, to help raise awareness and educate students of the experiences of young people (especially young women) in Afghanistan. This event raised £390 for refugees fleeing the country.
We also hosted a bake sale for Ukrainian refugees, to raise money for those in dire need of aid. This raised £200.
As a school, we banded together to provide resources in 32 shoeboxes for a local convoy going to Poland. This included things for children, from infants to younger teenagers, and items such as socks, soap and even small toys to help younger children on the journey.
In order to combat preconceptions about immigrants and refugees, we hosted an assembly which was sent around to every form group about the importance of language when talking about these groups. In this assembly, we explored the meaning of sanctuary, immigration and refugees, helping to tackle prejudice about immigrants due to a lack of understanding. This allowed for us to educate students about these issues further, in hopes of instilling the confidence to talk to their families about the topic, and further spread this education into the community - and starting hard conversations with the people around them.
Hi, I’m Mollie and I’m also in year 11, and have been working with the Harbour club to raise money and awareness for refugees from several parts of the globe. So far, we have managed to raise almost £600 in total for refugees from both Afghanistan and Ukraine.
We launched a school-wide sponsored read of an extract of One Half from the East by Nadia Hashimi, to help raise awareness and educate students of the experiences of young people (especially young women) in Afghanistan. This event raised £390 for refugees fleeing the country.
We also hosted a bake sale for Ukrainian refugees, to raise money for those in dire need of aid. This raised £200.
As a school, we banded together to provide resources in 32 shoeboxes for a local convoy going to Poland. This included things for children, from infants to younger teenagers, and items such as socks, soap and even small toys to help younger children on the journey.
In order to combat preconceptions about immigrants and refugees, we hosted an assembly which was sent around to every form group about the importance of language when talking about these groups. In this assembly, we explored the meaning of sanctuary, immigration and refugees, helping to tackle prejudice about immigrants due to a lack of understanding. This allowed for us to educate students about these issues further, in hopes of instilling the confidence to talk to their families about the topic, and further spread this education into the community - and starting hard conversations with the people around them.
|
Mollie's reflections:
I thought that the whole experience really helped with my confidence in public speaking because it was a group of adults who were strangers, which was initially intimidating. |
|
Freya:
Hi I’m Freya, I’m also in year 11 and I’m Community Projects Captain at Aylsham High School. We’re so proud to be working towards earning our school of sanctuary award. But what is a school of sanctuary?
It's a school that is committed to being a safe and welcoming place for those seeking refuge. This could be people whose lives were in danger in their own country, who have troubles at home or are just looking for a space of safety.
A School of Sanctuary is a school that helps its students, staff and wider community understand what it means to be seeking safety and to extend a welcome to everyone as equal, valued members of the school community. It is a school that is proud to be a place of happiness and inclusion for all.
Spreading awareness and educating our school community is key and we have secured three whole school assemblies to do just that within this academic year. Our focus will be on refugees, hearing their voices and committing to creating a wider understanding of their situation.
Educating within our school environment to raise awareness of what we do in Harbour is valuable, but we also aim to bring our vision to the wider community outside Aylsham High. We plan to visit our local primary schools to reach out to younger children and their families. We also plan to hold a debate alongside the Norwich refugee society and local MP’s to discuss what more Norfolk can offer these vulnerable people.
Hi I’m Freya, I’m also in year 11 and I’m Community Projects Captain at Aylsham High School. We’re so proud to be working towards earning our school of sanctuary award. But what is a school of sanctuary?
It's a school that is committed to being a safe and welcoming place for those seeking refuge. This could be people whose lives were in danger in their own country, who have troubles at home or are just looking for a space of safety.
A School of Sanctuary is a school that helps its students, staff and wider community understand what it means to be seeking safety and to extend a welcome to everyone as equal, valued members of the school community. It is a school that is proud to be a place of happiness and inclusion for all.
Spreading awareness and educating our school community is key and we have secured three whole school assemblies to do just that within this academic year. Our focus will be on refugees, hearing their voices and committing to creating a wider understanding of their situation.
Educating within our school environment to raise awareness of what we do in Harbour is valuable, but we also aim to bring our vision to the wider community outside Aylsham High. We plan to visit our local primary schools to reach out to younger children and their families. We also plan to hold a debate alongside the Norwich refugee society and local MP’s to discuss what more Norfolk can offer these vulnerable people.
Samson:
Hi I’m Samson. I am in year 8 and I’ve been working with Miss Bates for just over a year now.
My first experience of school of sanctuary work was when we did an interview with an ex-student called Rana. She had come from Afghanistan and was a refugee. We learnt what is was like to live there and how war affected their daily lives. This interested me and I definitely learnt some new information and also how scary it must be to see fighting going on all around you.
After this, I did some interviews with staff at the school who had moved here from different countries, for example Canada and Australia. They told us their migration story and why they chose to move to England. I found this very interesting as even in our small school community we have so many different experiences of the world. We have created a map that is on display in the school with QR codes so that students can read all the peoples' stories of migration.
When it was family learning day in June, we used the school gym and turned it into a journey around the world with Paddington Bear, who is a very famous refugee from Peru. We set up stalls all around the room sharing food and culture from different countries. There were lots of activities to do including planting seeds and flowers for families to display on their doorsteps to show solidarity to the refugee crisis.
Every half hour Paddington Bear came out to read stories from around the world for the visiting children. Me and Paddington became close friends that day.
Families were also encouraged to write a message to refugees on an orange heart and hang it from a tree. This is currently displayed in school reception to raise awareness to the cause. I felt that this day enhanced peoples’ knowledge of the countries, and would encourage them to go home and learn more.
I have really enjoyed all of these experiences. I feel they have broadened my knowledge of the world and made me feel more compassionate towards people in need.
If you would like to read more about the Harbour club, watch our assemblies, read our newsletter, or read the AHS Migration stories, please visit www.aylshamhighschoolharbour.com
