Diversity Days 2021
The session was broken up into two parts. The first wowas a house tour which saw volunteers from the house give students a walk around the rooms, explaining what they were used for during Benjamin Franklin’s 16 years of residence. The highlight of the house tour was students learning about some of Franklin’s inventions, including the glass harmonica which was thoroughly tried and tested by students.
The second part of the day was a walking tour around surrounding areas of the house. Sights included the Royal Society of Arts where Franklin was a member, Embankment where Franklin would often spend his time walking along, and the Houses of Parliament where Franklin would argue for greater American freedoms from Britain. Visiting these locations deepened students’ understanding of work Franklin carried out in London, as well as how London has changed since Franklin’s time in the capital.
On November 3rd, Benjamin Franklin House hosted a virtual follow up workshop. The workshop titled ‘Our Constitution’, helped develop pupils’ understanding of the arguments for and against a codified British Constitution, taking the US Constitution which Franklin helped craft, as both inspiration and challenge (considering controversial elements such as the Second Amendment instituting the right to bear arms and the Thirteenth which abolished slavery). To encourage political interest and democratic participation, pupils were challenged to choose five key principles they would like to see enshrined in a hypothetical, codified British Constitution. Some of these principles suggested by students included the right to basic necessities and education for all.
Supporters
On 28th September, Naz Legacy Foundation hosted its first Diversity Day of the 2021/2022 academic year. Our first event was a virtual one alongside the London Metropolitan Police as part of National Inclusion Week with over eighty students from schools across London
The session provided a space for a diverse group of young people to interact with members of the police and have open and honest discussions about their views and experiences of the Met Police, as well as providing them with positive diverse role models and learning about career opportunities.
The pupils completed a pre-session activity where they shared their perceptions of the Met Police and what they would change about it if they were given the chance – these ideas were then discussed at the beginning of the session with Commander Catherine Roper, from the Crime Prevention, Inclusion & Engagement team. The diversity day also included a session on Hate Crime, explaining what it is and how to report it.
Supporters
On 25th March 2021, the Naz Legacy Foundation held a Diversity Day in partnership with the EY Muslim Community. The event, which was
attended by over 130 school students, provided an opportunity for young
people learn top tips on how to kickstart their careers & hear how diverse EY employees have broken barriers and championed resilience, including EY Partner Arun Batra OBE who leads EY’s market facing
Culture, Diversity and Inclusion practice.
The students had a presentation introducing them to EY and what they offer. The students were then lucky enough to engage in a live Q&A panel with a diverse range of EY employees.
We thank EY Muslim Community for all their brilliant presentations and Q&As with our students.
Supporters
The students had a presentation introducing them to Higher Education, what Imperial College London offers, and STEMM career pathways – followed by a Q&A. The students were then lucky enough to engage in a live Q&A panel with a diverse range of Imperial student ambassadors.
We thank Imperial College London for all their brilliant presentations and Q&As with our students.
Supporters
On 21 January 2021, the Naz Legacy Foundation held a virtual
UK Parliament Diversity Day with over 200 students from five schools. Students
received an ‘Introduction to Parliament’ workshop led by the UK Parliament
Education Team. Students spoke about freedom of speech, our rights, power and
equality as being essential components of our democracy.
They also got the chance to speak to their local MP about
issues that mattered to them. We were lucky to be joined by Stella Creasy (MP
for Walthamstow) and Wes Streeting (MP for Ilford North and Shadow Minister for
Schools). Here are some of the students’ great ideas about improvements that
could be made to our society:
· Schools to provide healthy food to students so we can reduce the sick people in hospitals to save the NHS money
· It should be easier for jobless people to get a job easily
· The legal age of voting should be 16
· University fees should be cheaper for people who can’t afford it
· Homeless people should be taken into mind more
· Better ways of learning & change in education system
We look forward to delivering more sessions virtually to
students this term and providing more outlets for young people to make their
voices heard.
Supporters
