Across the UK: Streetwise Delivers Education, Safety & Antisemitism Awareness

JFS Partnership Work

In response to the cancellation of the annual Year 9 trip to Israel ATOI, Streetwise had the opportunity and pleasure to visit JFS to deliver our Antisemitism and Krav Maga workshop to the whole of Year 9s. The session looked at the defining and identifying examples of Antisemitism and then focussed on unpacking and debunking commonly held stereotypes of Jewish people. This programme was particularly impressive as it demonstrated the importance of Antisemitism education for young people today. It was delivered to a cohort of students who couldn’t make it to Israel this year and was an opportunity to reflect on the past year and a half to understand and prepare for the realities of today. In conjunction with the Antisemitism workshop, students took part in a Krav Maga session, providing practical tools to maintain personal safety as well as how to identify and report Antisemitism to the CST.   As Streetwise our goal is for students to leave the sessions feeling confident to engage in informed conversation as well as be able to identify Antisemitism and report it. We hope to continue the work on Antisemitism education both in JFS and across other Secondary schools in the future.

Year 6 Personal Safety (Transition to Secondary Schools Workshop)

In preparation for the move to secondary school, Streetwise run a two-part session focusing on personal development and personal safety for young people. Over this campaign, we have seen 450 Year 6 students across 6 schools, including in the Jewish Primary school in Glasgow. These sessions aim to address any concerns students might have in anticipation of this new period characterised by uncertainty and change. We are keen to give students the space to express their feelings and have their questions answered in a safe and non-judgmental environment. The latter part of the session focuses on how to manage antisemitism which might occur as students gain more responsibility and independence and the measures that they can take to mitigate these risks as well as the people/ organisations who are there to offer support and protection. This session lays the foundation for future antisemitism education as the students age and mature.

Liverpool Trip

This month the Streetwise team along with the team at Stand Up! took a trip to Liverpool to visit King David High School where we delivered several workshops to most of the school. The Year 7’s and 8’s received Antibullying and Antidiscrimination workshop and students in Year 9 and 10 received a 2-hour Antisemitism workshop. Whilst King David is a Jewish school, many of their pupils are not Jewish and so working alongside Stand Up! was particularly important to address some of the current issues students may be facing. Together we utilised our knowledge and expertise to create a collaborative workshop that addresses antidiscrimination, racial bullying, antisemitism and healthy dialogue. The workshops were received well by students and staff. In particular, the staff both expressed their gratitude and reiterated the importance of antisemitism education for their pupils.   

Brighton Visit

Streetwise had the pleasure of being invited to Brighton and Hove Reform Synagogue to deliver Antisemitism programming for their young members. For the younger participants, we delivered an Anti-bullying session, triggering conversations around what discrimination has looked like throughout history and how it has evolved and manifests in today's society. The older participants engaged in our Antisemitism in the Media session, which aims to help young people break down the definition of antisemitism, how to spot it online and empowering them to speak up and act if they wish to do so. We were extremely impressed by the mature approach taken by the participants and how strong their understanding already was. We are looking forward to continuing and deepening these conversations upon our return visit.