News & Stories

Students from Abbotsweld Academy in Harlow, Essex, have made a meaningful impact this festive period by participating in the Salvation Army Christmas Present Appeal.

As part of my Transform Our World work here at Global Action Plan, I’ve been working with students from Abbotsweld Academy in Harlow, Essex. In the run up to Christmas, the students got involved with the Salvation Army Christmas Present Appeal. It was a brilliant example of what happens when you support young people to unite around an issue they care about – change happens. 

Guided by the Abbotsweld Transform Our World group’s shared values of ‘family’ and ‘helping others,’ the pupils felt compelled to take action after reflecting on issues within their school, local community and the world. Their efforts were inspired by the thought that not all children receive presents at Christmas, a sentiment echoed by the Salvation Army's statement: 

“In the present economic climate, many families will struggle to feed and clothe their children, let alone afford presents and treats.”

To get started, the group planned and delivered engaging presentations in classrooms to different year groups, explaining the importance of the appeal and how the wider school community could get involved. Each student played a role by contributing lines to their script, with one changemaker proposing the idea of encouraging each class to take 30 seconds to talk with a partner about potential gift ideas. It has been truly inspiring to witness the growth in confidence and independence amongst this group of young people. 

 
Having planned how they would collect donations, two students wrapped a donation box in festive Christmas paper to place in the school reception, displaying information to raise awareness of the appeal and invite contributions. They also selected gifts themselves, choosing thoughtful items such as pyjamas, squishy toys and slime - things they thought other children would love. My role throughout has been to enable and inspire, the decisions are made by the students and they lead the actions.  

It was an exciting moment for the group when they personally delivered the gifts to the Salvation Army Centre in Harlow. By leading this effort, the students not only made a difference in their local community but also inspired their peers to unite in compassion.  

It sounds a bit cheesy to say this, and maybe I was feeling a bit intoxicated with the Christmas spirit, but this was a genuinely heart-warming project to be involved with. I can’t recommend enough the power of giving young people the freedom to shape projects on issues that matter to them. When they come together around a shared purpose and make change happen, they love it, and they also experience how productive it is to work as a team in the service of something ‘bigger-than-self’. 

If you’d like to do something similar to this in your school, check out Global Action Plan’s Good Life Schools programme. And, if you are in Essex, Kent, Carmarthenshire, Merthyr Tydfil, Redcar & Cleveland, Durham, Sheffield, or Leicester, please get in touch with us, we have practitioners on the ground in all those areas who are ready to help.