Posted on 8th Jul
A Year 8 pupil from a secondary school in Newark has won a special competition as part of the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation.
Scarlett Twiner attends The Suthers School in Fernwood — which is part of the Nova Education Trust — and she won one of the four categories to create a poster or song that represents a legacy of change to keep up with the values of the foundation.
“I have learnt so much about this project and how the law changed because of his death,” said Scarlett.
“I was able to link to personal development and civics work. I am really pleased my entry was noticed because it has also given me confidence.”
This year will mark the third year of National Stephen Lawrence Day, a foundation that hopes to inspire a fairer and just society through Stephen’s legacy engendering equality, diversity and inclusion for young people and communities globally.
The Stephen Lawrence Foundation offers resources to schools and leaders are given the tools to implement staff training and parents are offered workshops.
On the day, pupils at The Suthers School had supervised study exploring impact of knife crime with young people. Students also had the opportunity to take part in a county-wide challenge set up by the police.
Romel Davis, a Youth Outreach Worker at the Nottinghamshire Police, gave Scarlett praise about her competition piece and informed her it was members of the Stephen Lawrence Foundation that choose her picture as one of the winners.
The Suthers School strongly believe that taking part in such an important legacy will create positive changes and build better relationships with their communities and young people.
Mrs Pettit, head of Personal Development at The Suthers School, said: “We learn about knife crime in Key Stage 3, but the resources and work that the Stephen Lawrence Foundation have provided and continue to provide are outstanding.
“I would highly recommend all schools in the trust to use their resources.”
Head of Civics, Miss Wallace, added: “Learning about events that changes our world are so important.
“Although this horrific act took place in 1993 long before our students that we teach were born, the messages about knife crime, personal safety, tolerance, and respect are still relevant today.
“Education about protected characteristics is vital and Scarlett is an example of a student who embodies self-respect and respect to others.”
Knife crime in Nottinghamshire has reduced year on year for the past three years and statistics from 2021 showed there was 714 knife-related offences.
To donate or learn more about the resources that are available visit www.stephenlawrenceday.org.
