Every day the world is becoming more aware of racist, sexist, homophobic, and ableist prejudice. On the flip side, governments around the world appear to be becoming more xenophobic and the Black Lives Matter movement and Pride marches have never seemed more necessary. Clearly, there is still work to be done to clean up our society and start challenging prejudice in our daily lives, however, secondary school students are among the many who want to make a difference.
For years now, targeted groups, clubs, and societies dedicated to achieving the same school experience for every student have been springing up in London schools. These groups are predominantly student-lead, safe spaces where issues regarding discrimination and prejudice can be discussed and actions to prevent discrimination in school can be formed.
At Colfe’s school in Lee, the Equity Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) group has been meeting every Thursday lunchtime to do just that.
Ms Davies, a teacher at Colfe’s and one of the founding members of the EDI group, describes the group as a place where “pupils can use their voice to share ideas and strategies on how to make the school and the wider community a more inclusive place.”
She went on to comment on the progress the EDI group made during lockdown and how “lots of people joined in online to discuss societal issues (mainly BLM) and upon our return to school, pupils continued to share ideas to make a difference in our school community.”
She highlighted how “Sixth formers who are new to the school find these groups supportive and positive as it allows them to meet pupils from other year groups and develop friendships” and that since its formation “the EDI group has grown so much that it is now split into various groups (African Caribbean Society / Asian Society / Feminist Society / Jewish Society) to allow people to have longer conversations and a wider impact.”
Part of this wider impact is the role of EDI in delivering educational, whole school assemblies that “make pupils feel supported and inspires staff to engage in non-academic conversations with pupils”
Other roles Ms. Davies clarified include; the EDI teachers feeding back on school policies and changes to improve the school, the group sending representatives to the school council, having meetings with senior leaders, raising awareness of causes, and organising fundraising events. The most recent EDI charity event took place last Summer and supported Palmyra Relief, a charity that provides prosthetic limbs for children who have lost limbs in the ongoing conflict in Syria.
Mx Ariti-Alamonte, another EDI group leader said “As a teacher, it is important to hear from students on what issues they face in school, and how they imagine any such issues being tackled within the school. Student voices allow me to improve my own practice in the classroom and be more sensitive to all the 'goings-on' within student's lives.”
They went on to express how the EDI group “allows students to feel empowered to talk about issues or find an opportunity to be better educated on the world around them outside of the required PSHEE.“
In conclusion, spaces where students can share their experiences of discrimination in school without receiving judgment are essential for the evolution of society as a whole. Only by educating the next generation about privilege and bias can discrimination born from ignorance be eradicated. In the words of Ms Davies, “The opportunities to make our school and communities better places are endless!”
