Streetwise: An Academic Year in Review

This month, Project Coordinator Mimi, reflects on her first full academic year in the team….

As the summer holidays wind down and a new school year approaches, I’ve been taking a moment to reflect on what has been a busy but truly rewarding year with Streetwise. It’s been my first full academic year in this role, and it’s given me the chance to really get to know our programmes, our partners, and most importantly the young people we work with.

Over the past year, I’ve delivered sessions across a huge range of topics in Jewish schools and community spaces. Together, as a team, we reached close to 23,000 young people, and I’ve been lucky enough to work with many of them directly. My focus has been on building relationships, sparking real conversations, and creating space for meaningful learning on the issues that really matter to young people.

One highlight for me was Anti-Bullying Week. During that campaign, we delivered 178 sessions across 22 schools, reaching nearly 5,500 young people. Many of those schools were new to Streetwise or had reconnected with us after a break, which felt like a real sign of the growing relevance of our work. I also gathered valuable feedback from students and staff, and over the summer we’ve used it to make our sessions even more interactive and impactful.

Another area I’ve been especially focused on is our antisemitism education. This year, we’ve developed and refined our programming to reflect the challenges facing the Jewish community, with specific relevance to the issues impacting young Jewish people in today’s climate. This includes a new scheme of learning for students in KS2, enabling them to learn about racial bullying, in order to support their understanding of Antisemitism and prejudice in years to come. It’s been powerful to see students not only grasp these ideas but start to make connections to their own world.

Beyond schools, I’ve also had the chance to work with 13 different community groups, including supporting Maccabi Glasgow’s Summer Scheme. Getting involved in summer camps and youth programming was a real highlight, bringing our learning and values to life outside the classroom.

This year has taught me the importance of community, the value of informal education and reinforced the importance of access to antisemitism education. Every school, class, and student are completely different and it’s this variety that makes our work so rewarding. I’ve learnt to adapt my delivery style to suit different environments, respond to unexpected questions with sensitivity, and always remain open to feedback.

One of the areas I’m most proud of is how much I’ve grown in confidence as an educator and facilitator. Being able to hold space for sensitive conversations, while still making sessions accessible and engaging, has been a real achievement and I’m excited to keep developing this skill.

As we step into a new academic year, I feel motivated and energised. With refreshed programmes, stronger partnerships, and the impact we’ve already seen, I’m excited to get back into classrooms and community spaces to keep the conversations going and the learning alive.