Pupils reflect on anti-racism learning

School children have taken part in a celebration event that rounded up a series of hate crime workshops and interactive theatre experiences.

Tameside Council Community Safety Partnership funded the delivery of “Coming Home” & “The Great British Lie” which were facilitated by Odd Arts and Show Racism the Red Card. The productions, which toured both the borough’s primary & secondary schools, explored how to recognise, challenge and navigate racism and how people can respond to racism today.

To further develop the children’s learning and celebrate their involvement in the workshops, the schools were invited to send five to six children to the celebration event with the facilitators held at Curzon Ashton.

The children took part in creating artwork that represents the past, present and future of Tameside and anti-racism themes. This work will be displayed at Portland Basin Museum, Ashton.

A special visit was made by Winston Jones, whose experiences are portrayed in the play “Coming Home”. His story was shared with the children as a powerful example of how racism has affected people within the local community. Winston spent time with the children during the event, giving them the chance to hear his experiences first-hand and ask questions.

Tameside Council Executive Member for Towns, Transport, and Connectivity, Cllr Stephen Homer said: “This has been a really powerful project and it’s excellent to see follow‑up conversations taking place with the pupils involved. The day was an opportunity for the schools involved to come together for a day of anti-racism, creativity and celebration of Tameside’s community.

“Continuing the conversation is so important to ensure the learning really sinks in, especially on such crucial themes and topics. I hope the students carry this learning forward to help create safer, more supportive communities across Tameside.”