News & Stories

Year 4 and 5 students from Martello Primary School in Folkestone, Kent came together to take community action based on their shared compassionate values, as part of the Transform Our World programme.

Team Amethyst (as they were known) explored the values and issues they care about and as a class focused on homelessness, deciding that supporting rough sleepers this winter was most important to them.

The young changemakers chose to spend their project money buying hats, gloves and warm socks to donate to the Rainbow Centre, Folkestone.

The class went on a shopping trip, taking care to choose suitable and useful items to buy. Alongside the clothing donations, pupils also created homemade cards with heart-warming messages, to be given to clients using the Rainbow Centre’s services over the winter.

The project was entirely pupil-led, meaning they felt pride and ownership of their project and really began to see themselves as ‘changemakers’, capable of making a positive difference to the world now, and not only when they are grown up.

One student said: “I think it was wonderful to help the world and rough sleepers because we should all be treated equally.”

Another, on whether they would recommend the programme to other schools said “Yes, because it can help save lives and make you know that you can help, too.”.

Martello Primary School was supported by Transform Our World Youth Engagement Practitioner for Kent, Liz Hayes, who is funded by #iWillFund.

Liz says “It was really rewarding to see how much the children grew in confidence throughout the project. Despite being only 8 or 9 years old, they showed that when we trust children and give them freedom to lead their own activities, they are more than capable of rising to the challenge.”

Other schools in the East Kent area who are interested in the Transform Our World programme are invited to contact Liz Hayes on [email protected]

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