Copeland Homes’ South Whitehaven Neighbourhood Wardens Team worked with teaching staff at Whitehaven School to bring world and nationally renowned speakers, rappers and musicians to the school.
The event began by giving the young people the opportunity to hear, first hand, the experiences of people who have been forced to seek asylum, through the interactive multi-media installation, Escape to Safety.
Young people were able to experience what it might be like to be a refugee seeking protection in Britain, with each one guided through eight 'stations' by refugee voices from Rwanda, Afghanistan and Palestine. Their real life stories told pupils of the situations they left, how they coped with border and immigration officials, and then of their treatment at the hands of the media in this country.
On the second day, a stellar line up of guest speakers was brought in to raise awareness of the importance of equality and diversity in today’s multi-cultural society including ex-professional footballer, Peter Foley, who has worked with Kevin Keegan and Ruud Gullitt and was awarded an MBE for his work in race awareness in communities, and Razwan ul Haq, who is also a Board member for Nashayman.
The day ended with a performance by award-winning singer, songwriter and rapper, FataliQ. The 2008 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Woman of the Year rapped for the pupils and brought an amazing energy to the end of a unique two days at the school.
The young people who took part were blown away by the experiences and comments like ‘we treat animals better than we treat people from other countries’, ‘why do we let this happen’ and ‘I will notice the person in the wheelchair next time, instead of ignoring them’ pay powerful testament to the success of the initiative.
Keith Cartner, Neighbourhood Team Leader for Copeland Homes, said: “Before the day, if we had raised awareness of Equality and Diversity with one person it was worth doing and, personally, it was great that our team was given the opportunity to put this together.
“The vibrancy, energy and honesty from the young people involved in the day, who all live in our local community and many of whom are our future residents, give us not only lessons in openness and a desire to facilitate change, but great hope in our future. We’d also like to thank the staff and young people of Whitehaven School for their foresight in working in partnership with us to make a difference.”