Becoming your own advocate!
by Ms Gorasia | Assistant VP and Ms Raja | Assistant Director of KS3
April 4th
"The Change Makers Programme" run by the Josh Hanson Trust, is an innovative and exciting programme which helps students to develop skills and resilience, enabling them to become advocates for themselves.
Last term, students in Year 8 and 9 were selected to attend a 12-week session with the Change Makers. The Josh Hanson Trust's "Change Makers" is designed to empower young people to become agents of change and lead projects which benefit their communities. Founded in memory of Josh Hanson, who tragically lost his life, the trust's initiatives seek to honor his legacy by inspiring young individuals by promoting social change through various objectives.
The students were chosen on the basis of their personal emotional experiences and challenges and the groups were supported to share their experiences relating Mental Health; Neurodiversity Awareness/Creative support; Crime prevention; Contextual Safety; Bereavement and Amplifying YP Voices.
The sessions included Art Therapy which explored urban art techniques using fine liner art and watercolour paints via interactive art. The sessions were facilitated by professionals from the fields of Artvism (Art Activism), poetry, spoken word and music.
Students were paying full attention to the presentations!
The Josh Hanson Trust was initially founded to raise awareness of the profound impact of serious violent crime.
"Today our work comes from a place of love, hope and compassion. We are totally committed to creating the change needed to bring an end to tragic stories like Josh’s."
- Tracey Hanson
CEO, Josh Hanson Trust
Impact and Outcomes
- TJHT Fine Lines Art project has supported more than 1,000 adults, young people and children, who have been bereaved or affected by violent crime.
- Since 2016, Josh’s story and its impact have been shared with over 25,000 children and young people in schools, youth offending teams and youth settings.
- Nearly all (97%) of children and young people who have attended Josh’s crime prevention story say that they now have an improved understanding of how to stay safe.
Canons' Change Makers!
At the end of the sessions the students were given the opportunity to present their work in in an award ceremony event where they could share their story/campaign and receive certificates in the presence of proud family members, friends and school staff.