Legacy of hope unites schools

The students from the three schools have formed a UNITY team which works to challenge hatred in their schools and in their community.

Last August, the students travelled together to the State of Maine in the United States attending a CommUnity Leadership Institute held by the "Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence" and the University of Maine at Farmington. They worked with other schools from the United States to learn about leadership, sharing experiences of hatred, and the heroism of those stand against it.

The students have co-ordinated activities in their own schools and have marked today's event of Holocaust Memorial by publishing their plan for a wider community project which will see them lead younger students in standing up for each other, and against what is wrong.

This project brings together students from different backgrounds, different schools with the same aim of encouraging respect.

The students have encouraged others to reflect on the impact of negative language and behaviours. They do this by collecting the experiences of those in school the community and around the world who have been ill-treated because of something which others perceive to be different about them.

In their reflection for Holocaust Memorial Day, the students will remember the words of Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sachs at the Belfast Commemoration some years ago: "People who are not like us are people, just like us."

The students from the three local colleges hope that their work with younger students will help to put respect for others at the heart of work in all the local schools, and encourage young people to know that they can make a difference in stopping hatred and in helping lives.