The team at Stand Up! Education Against Discrimination is all set for a productive academic year ahead, as they continue their vital work empowering youth against hate and discrimination.
Beginning on a high, on Thursday 26th of September, Stand Up! and Streetwise (Maccabi GB's educational projects) hosted the Alan Senitt Upstanders Leadership Programme Graduation, which saw 90 students from nine schools successfully graduate from the programme. The Programme, facilitated on behalf of the Alan Senitt Memorial Trust, breaks down community barriers and presents an opportunity for participants from a variety of backgrounds, not only to reflect on their individual skills, but to learn about each other, their communities, cultures, and religions. The participants engage in a wide range of discussions and develop tools allowing them to plan and deliver creative and impactful social action projects to help their local communities.
This year’s programme saw students from JFS, Nower Hill, Immanuel College, Guru Nanak Sikh Academy, Copthall school, Yavneh College, JCoSS, Watford Boys Grammar and King Solomon High School, complete interfaith leadership training. Across 6-months, participants took part in a number of seminars and received training on community leadership, team building, volunteering, event management, and anti-discrimination training on topics such as antisemitism, anti-Muslim hate, discrimination against LGBT+, disability discrimination, and racism in sport and online.
The programme this year persevered, despite many interfaith programmes being paused due to the challenges with community relations, rise in polarisation and fractures within society. The young people who took part this year were a testimony to young people’s resilience and the need to create opportunities for students to make a positive change. The graduates from this programme move on to have a further impact in the community, many leading interfaith and inclusive initiatives as well as becoming school representatives and future colleagues. The Stand Up! team is thrilled to expand the programme next year, bringing in over 100 students from eleven schools to further benefit the communities and wider British society.
To see the full photo gallery from the Alan Senitt Upstanders Leadership Programme Graduation - Click here
During the summer months, Stand Up! have also been busy updating their content and revising educational methodologies to ensure that school visits for the coming academic year are delivered at a continued high standard. This included hosting a training day for sessional facilitators, as well as the full-time members of the StandUp! team participating in a number of professional development opportunities provided by partner organisations.
Stand Up! has also successfully received funding from the Mayor of London's Shared Endeavour Fund for a 5th consecutive year, meaning the project can continue its delivery to London secondary schools free of charge.
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