Secondary Education

It has been my privilege to work alongside the SLF for the past decade. As a local authority officer who is responsible for the emotional health and well-being of children and young people and, who also specialises in anti-bullying strategies, this has been a valuable working partnership. I have attended training days and conferences organised by the SLF and have seen children I have worked with go on to become peer educators within their schools under the title of ‘anti-hate crime ambassadors’. Sophie’s story never ceases to provoke a powerful response with the pupils who have now gone on to produce two videos about Sophie which have been shared across our secondary schools. Sylvia has also spoken at a number of our conferences within Bury and feedback from the audiences, both young and old, are that they have been moved by her words in such a way that they will never forget her story or her bravery.

Each year we deliver immersion days in our schools which focus on hate crime and our collective responsibilities and responses to it. The SLF join us in teaching our pupils about Sophie’s story. Although the lessons begin with a fun activity, once the SLF reveal the extent of the harm that being discriminated against for being different can take, then the pupil response is total silence and shock. It is heartening to hear their comments on how they then understand why hate crime needs to be challenged at its earliest stages and what actions they can do to take positive steps forwards.

I look forward to continuing our working partnership in educating our young people of the importance that words and actions can have on individuals and communities.

Hi - My 12 year old son is at Moorside High school in Salford and yesterday the foundation, Sophie's brother I think, came to talk to the kids. My son was absolutely blown away by it. He is not enthusiastic about school ever(!) - but he spoke in detail about the talk and what he had learned. It shocked him and left a deep impression. I wanted to say thank you, your work is making a difference.

The Sophie Lancaster Foundation is a fantastic partner to help raise awareness of hate crime in Oldham. The Foundation’s Secondary and Primary School resources are fabulous tools to use with young people to have those difficult conversations and explore issues around identity. The Foundation has delivered a number of presentations to young people in Oldham; this has had a massive impact on young people and challenged their prejudices. A recent presentation of ‘Black Roses’ at Mahdlo Youth Zone in Oldham to young people was a huge success and made an emotional impact on all those that watched it. The film was even more effective, due to Sylvia Lancaster sharing her story. It definitely made people reflect on the extent of hate crimes that take place and the consequences of those actions.

We were lucky to secure funding for some educational sessions and after an extensive search we chose to spend the funding on the workshop offered by the organisation. We wanted the young people we work with to have the benefit of learning about hate crime through an unfortunate real-life event. This has really helped them to understand the importance of hate crime and will have an everlasting impact on their knowledge of why this is not ok.