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Thinking time is extremely valuable. One of the reasons I’ve enjoyed travelling again post-Covid pandemic, particularly by train, is that it gives me thinking and reading time. One of the key themes which has exercised my mind over the last 12 months is a ‘religion and worldviews approach’. I thought I’d write a short reflective piece about how I see things in relation to this as we approach the end of this academic year.

Thought One: Clarifying a religion and worldviews approach

I’ve noticed in the last year that some commentators have been contracting the new approach proposed in the Commission on RE (2018) and subsequent publications such as the RE Council Draft Resource (2022) from ‘religion and worldviews’ to just ‘worldviews’. I think we need to reclaim the phrase ‘religion and worldviews approach’

Key to a ‘religion and worldviews approach’ is the study of religion. Exploring religion as a concept; the nature of religion itself. Alongside this, contrasting the concept of religion with, for example, the concept of worldview, or spirituality or a belief system, examining the different ways in which these complex categories are understood and interpreted. Using examples from religions to exemplify and illustrate. This is an important element of a religion and worldviews approach and seems to have got a little missed in discourse over the last 12 months. The emphasis has been on the following two aspects:

• Increasing the diversity of content within religious worldview traditions
• Including content about non-religious worldviews

These two important elements focus rightly on diversity of religious and non-religious worldviews as content. However, content is only one aspect of this new approach as I will explain below. An emphasis on these two aspects misses some of the key points about a shift towards religion and worldviews.

Over the last few months I have also become more self-aware in relation to my own reflections. I have acknowledged to myself (and to others) that I personally sit within a world religions paradigm, this is what I have grown up with. My initial understanding of a religion and worldviews approach was focused more on how we frame content to the expense of other aspects of the new paradigm. It was revisiting my own doctoral thesis focusing on pedagogy that helped me to see this more clearly.

Thought Two: Balancing pedagogical and curriculum changes

So, my understanding of the shifting paradigm is that it has both a pedagogical and curriculum turn. This is why I think to call it a religion and worldviews approach is appropriate. If we were to call it simply a hermeneutical approach (which some have suggested) I think this loses the curricular turn that is required. If we are simply to call it ‘religion and worldviews’ without the word ‘approach’, then I think we lose the pedagogical turn. Therefore, I think calling it a religion and worldviews approach is helpful.

In pedagogical terms, my understanding is that a religion and worldviews approach focuses on:

• A hermeneutical approach; a focus on learning as an interpretative endeavour
• Intellectual humility and dialogic approaches
• Reflexivity; examining one’s own beliefs, attitudes, motives and reactions.
• Wise, critical interpretation; importance of epistemic literacy
• Acknowledging intentionally the place of personal knowledge/positionality

CoRE References par 2, 6, 7, 12, 23-27
CoRE References, page 4 what is a worldview?

This means building on the work of people such as Bob Jackson, and more recently Martha Shaw. Shaw talks about interpretability, reflexivity and transformational encounter as the key foci for a religion and worldviews approach. My own PhD thesis (2018) puts forward a very similar approach to pedagogy.

In curriculum terms, a religion and worldviews approach takes seriously:

• Lived authentic experience of religious and non-religious worldviews; a focus on and beginning with people
• Diversity of belief and practice; divergence within and between organised worldview traditions
• Understanding of conceptual categories e.g religion, worldview, spirituality
• Continuity and change within religious and non-religious worldview traditions
• Context within which religious and non-religious worldview traditions are shaped and practiced
• Different ways of knowing (disciplinarity) e.g theological, philosophical, historical, social science (connected to epistemic literacy)

CoRE references paragraphs 9, 10,11, 12, 13, 30-37, 45
CoRE references, pages 12-13 National Entitlement Statement, pages 72-77 Appendix 2

In many ways the substantive content has already changed over the last 5-10 years. Non-religious worldviews have been included for many years, and more recently increasing awareness of diversity within organised worldview traditions has been recognised. However, a worldviews approach calls for a different framing of this content. This is where the work of David Lewin and his team may be helpful. The focus in David’s work is on exemplar content being chosen for educational purposes. Exemplars are chosen to illustrate a larger principle or idea. A teacher chooses an exemplar to ‘open up the child to the world’. This moves away from the notion of ‘coverage’ of world religions, to a new way of framing content. The work of Jan McGuire and Barnet SACRE using the work of Ann Taves may also be very useful here. In our Culham St Gabriel’s subject knowledge courses, we tentatively suggest a people, places, actions as a possible framing for substantive content, with disciplinary questions framing the organisation of this content. This is quite different to previous ways of framing the curriculum.

In many ways this disciplinary framing sits underneath the pedagogical and curriculum turn, as foundations for both aspects. I’ve summarised this in the following table:

Thought Three: A religion and worldviews approach aligns well with promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB)

In the last year I have spent much time considering FoRB and education. I’ve had the privilege of working with teachers and consultants to explore how we can promote and protect FoRB with primary age children. At its core, a religion and worldviews approach centres around how religious and non-religious people encounter, interpret, understand and engage with the world. This approach is comfortable with ideas of pluralism, better reflecting the complex societies in which individuals live and therefore more likely to be able to provide “positive and accurate information about different faith and belief communities”. In addition, the approach places emphasis on responsible hermeneutics, intellectual humility and wise interpretation supporting a pedagogy which aligns well with FoRB principles. Furthermore, a religion and worldviews approach, is well placed to be able to emphasize “the benefits of pluralism and the importance of human rights, including freedom of religion or belief”. Consequently, the global network of scholars and educators working on developing new approaches to the teaching of religion and belief are well placed to be partners for the promotion and protection of FoRB in schools. This aspect to me is an important consideration going forward as we contemplate pedagogy and curricula in schools.

A final thought

So I believe we need to keep on thinking. I know my thoughts change and shift; yet over the last year I think I have more clarity in my own thinking. We need to be open to one another, to listen, to learn, to reflect. This has been the joy of in-person gatherings this year. Perhaps the summer holidays provide some time for refreshment, renewal and further thinking…

 

References:
https://www.commissiononre.org.uk/

https://religiouseducationcouncil.org.uk/rec/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/REC-Worldviews-Project-double-pages-Revised-cover-v1.2.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/freedom-of-religion-or-belief-and-education-statement-at-the-international-ministerial-conference-2022/statement-on-freedom-of-religion-or-belief-and-education

Details of grant funded projects mentioned can be found here

Fixed Term: Finance and Administration Officer

Reports to: Chief Executive
Hours of Work: 14 hours per week (flexible working possible)
Location: Home based
Salary: £15 per hour
Fixed Term: 3rd July 2023 to 31st December 2023 (possibility to extend)
Paid Holiday Entitlement: Statutory

Culham St Gabriel’s Trust is an endowed charitable foundation whose vision is for a broad-based, critically reflective education in religion and worldviews contributing to a well-informed, respectful and open society. For more information about the Trust please visit www.cstg.org.uk and our website for educational professionals www.reonline.org.uk

We are recruiting a temporary Finance and Administration Officer to maintain our financial health and support the work of the Trust during a time of organisational transition.

We are looking for a well organised and self-motivated team player, who will use their own initiative and be adaptable to the needs of our organisation. The ideal candidate will nurture positive relationships with our partners and funding award holders.

The successful candidate will join a small, friendly staff team. We have recently become a remote working organisation and meet regularly online for team meetings. You will work closely with our Digital Manager and with the Chief Executive. This staff team also works with several self-employed consultants who lead some of the Trust’s programmes.

It is hard to believe I’ve now been in my role at Culham St Gabriel’s for four years. Interestingly, this last 12 months will have been my first without a Covid Lockdown to contend with! As I reflect, one thing stands out to me – how incredibly passionate the religion and worldviews community is. One of the greatest joys I have is working with such enthusiastic people both within and outside of the Trust. Last Friday the leadership programme steering group met together to review applications, I wasn’t the only one who said it was one of the highlights of their year!!

Our vision is for a broad-based, critical and reflective education in religion and worldviews contributing to a well-informed, respectful and open society.

Our vision is ambitious, we want to transform society through education and we can’t achieve this on our own. This is why the word ‘contributing’ is so important. We work alongside other organisations, funders, grantees and scholars. Together I believe we are making a difference and I reflect on a few things here, but there is still much work to do.

1. Promoting positive public perception of an education in religion and worldviews
   Our two Savanta ComRes commissioned surveys has shown us that most of the general public do have a positive public perception of the subject. So our work has been focused on utilising this through a series of promotional films, as well as developing our understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion and its relevance particularly in relation to religion or belief. This has led us to work with the business sector and those engaged in interfaith work.
2. Influencing government policy in supporting religion and worldviews, including the recommendations of the Commission on RE (2018)
   We have worked closely with the RE Policy Unit to campaign for several of the recommendations. These include funding of recruitment, maintaining the subject knowledge enhancement courses for RE, and calling for a National Plan. In addition, we have been increasingly promoting freedom of religion or belief (Article 18) and developing projects in this area.
3. Advocating for the importance of a high-quality education in religion and worldviews within the education world
   One of the highlights this year for me has been establishing senior educationalists focus group who are working with me to unpack and explore the wider context in which our work sits. This has been very insightful, and I’m grateful to those who volunteer to take part.
4. Developing excellent leadership and teaching of religion and worldviews
   Setting up our new e-learning platform and reimagining our scholarship programmes has been extremely rewarding over the last couple of years. Our e-learning platform has around 1000 people registered with hundreds of teachers completing one or more of our free courses. Alumni from many of our scholarship programmes have moved on to undertake doctoral research or take on regional or national leadership roles for the subject. Establishing RExChange as a researcher-practitioner knowledge exchange conference also stands out to me as a highlight.
5. Facilitating the Religion and Worldviews community to work more cohesively.
   It has been such a pleasure to work with many steering groups, executives and with groups of funders. Online meetings have certainly helped to bring people together more frequently, but I do miss sometimes the in-person chat over coffee! Last year a chance conversation between four colleagues in a car between conference venues led to the Trust piloting a secondary mentoring programme in partnership with AULRE… I wonder what this year’s chance conversations will bring….

In this short blog I’ve offered a few reflections on our current strategy (2020-2023) which has recently been reviewed and evaluated by the trustees. I know I have not mentioned everything! There is far too much!! Later this summer we will be sharing some revised (but similar) strategic objectives and we hope you will want to continue to partner with us as we work together to fulfil our vision for a well-informed, respectful, open society.

If you’re interested in reading a review of our work last year, please see our annual report

On Saturday I’m undertaking my first Ultra Challenge walk. Its only 25km but I’ve been training for it over the last three months. Having a history of injury, I decided to focus on whole body training – cardio, flexibility and strength – to hopefully mitigate against any major aches or pains!! I’ve also signed up with two friends, and we’ve been tracking each other’s progress on Strava for the last few months. It’s been a great focus; I like having something to aim towards. I find it really motivating.

Importance of goals

Having goals and working towards them is something that transcends more than just my physical activity each week. As an organisation we have five strategic objectives and each year a series of short-term goals sit under these to help us work towards our vision. It means that even some of the more ‘mundane’ tasks can be viewed within the bigger picture; each aspect of our work contributing to the whole. This is very motivating as every element of our work helps us achieve our goals, but also means we can measure our impact. For those who have just applied to our leadership programme we asked, ‘Where do you see yourself professionally in 5 years’ time?’ It is good to look forward, to dream…

A full workout

Like ongoing physical training, we need to keep ourselves agile, building strength and endurance. This means exercising ourselves in different ways – reading blogs and articles, doing one of our e-learning courses perhaps, talking to others or reading a piece of research. For those who have just applied to our leadership programme we asked, ‘What was the last educational article/book you read and what impact has it had on you professionally?’ How might you answer this question? Or consider perhaps when you last chatted to someone about what happened in your classroom, or how you have structured your curriculum.

A team effort

Supporting and encouraging one another is vital. We work with a significant number of people through our trustees, consultants, grantees, other funders, and partner organisations. Having common aims about the importance of an education in religion and worldviews helps us to work collaboratively and more effectively with our partners. In addition, our all our scholarship programmes have a community of practice which support and nurture conversation between participants to help everyone find their voice in the religion and worldviews eco-system! I’m looking forward to the RE Hubs website being launched soon as another way of bringing people together as well as signposting to professional development.

So think about your goals, consider your training and network with others. I shall report back on my walking challenge, but I’m already keen to sign up for another one in September to keep the motivation going…

A review of our work in 2021-22
Our e-learning courses
Our research area
Our scholarship programmes
If you’re interested in an Ultra Challenge

Parliamentarians and faith and belief groups join calls to attract a new generation of teachers to the subject

A campaign to attract a new generation of RE teachers has kicked off with teaching groups, religious organisations and parliamentarians stressing the importance of the subject for preparing students for life in modern Britain.

As of January, UCAS data show that teacher recruitment for all subjects is down 22% from last year. However RE stands out, being down a third of applicants from the last recruitment cycle.

Government inaction over recruiting teachers to RE has been blamed. The Department for Education (DfE) has so far missed its target for the recruitment of RE teachers in nine of the last ten years.

Despite this year’s fall in applicants, the subject continues to grow in popularity. Over the last five years entries to the GCSE have stood around an average of 250,000 with entries to the full course GCSE rising by 30% over the last decade.

The recruitment campaign – entitled ‘Beyond the Ordinary’ – draws attention to the academic and knowledge rich approach of the subject to life’s big questions, and will seek to attract a set of talented graduates up to the task of getting young people to grips with the complex nature of modern belief.

Kathryn Wright, Chief Executive Officer of Culham St Gabriel’s Trust, which is supporting the campaign, said: “Religious education is an important curriculum subject enabling children and young people to navigate our complex multi religious, multi secular society. Everyone has a worldview, and it’s important we prepare young people to become free thinking, critical participants in public discourse, who can make informed judgements about matters of religion or belief and reflect meaningfully on the big questions in life.”

We are looking for ambitious graduates from a range of humanities and social science subjects who can deliver an academic and rigorous curriculum aimed at getting young people to think critically about their own beliefs and those of others.”

Last March, the Father of the House, Sir Peter Bottomley MP hosted a roundtable on the future of the subject. In October, a Westminster Hall Debate saw MPs and Peers from across the House agree on its importance for life in modern Britain as well as express concern around a lack of government support for the subject.

Lord Karan Bilimoria said: “The latest teacher recruitment figures are deeply worrying. Parents are concerned, schools are concerned and so too the young people are missing out.

“As a Champion for RE, I’ve heard numerous times from students that this is one of the few times in the classroom where they get to say what they think about the world around them. At present we face doing a disservice to a generation of young people ill-equipped to deal with the complexities of belief in Britain and the world beyond. This campaign is about getting the best humanities graduates into the classroom to help them deliver a modern RE curriculum reflective of belief in our society.”

Teacher training courses are open to graduates from a range of academic disciplines and from all sorts of diverse backgrounds, with Subject Knowledge Enhancement courses available from schools, universities or other providers.

Anyone looking for more information about training to be a RE teacher should visit https://cstg.org.uk/campaigns/teacher-recruitment/becoming-a-teacher

As we celebrate World Book Day 2023, I thought I’d share a few reflections on one of my favourite books. It was written some time ago, but I only came across it a few months ago. I had clearly missed out! The book is The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez.

It’s a book about real women. I like a book where there are authentic characters, people I feel I can connect with in some way. Although set in a completely different part of the world, one of the most dangerous places on earth, I felt I could identify with different aspects of the women. I warmed to their sense of justice, their ‘can-do’ mentality and that anything was possible. Sunny, the café proprietor’s, generous hospitality to anyone who strolls through her café doors is inspiring.

It’s a book about inter-connectedness. The lives of five different women are inter-woven in a time of conflict and disruption. They form a unique bond which changes each of them in different ways. Although from very different backgrounds, the women come together in the face of adversity and learn to appreciate and celebrate one another’s diverse experiences of life. Bonds of sisterhood are important to me personally, and it was great to read a novel which placed this at the heart.

It’s a book about hope. One must remember this is a work of fiction, it is not based on a true story. However, the theme of hope runs through this book. A hope that things can and do change. It brought beliefs and values to the forefront, explored them, and showed how when they are put into action lives can be transformed. Let’s hope one day this cannot just be a work of fiction but can become a living reality.

This is a vibrant, colourful book where I was transported to a different culture. It is emotionally challenging in places as the ongoing oppression of women forms a thread throughout the book. It is a powerful story and makes one value one’s own freedom.

Beyond the headlines about teachers’ strikes, there is a serious crisis brewing around recruitment of teachers through the initial teacher training (ITT) scheme. Despite the DfE’s targets for ITT trainees, numbers have fallen short According to UCAS data, the 2021/22 academic year had a 36% shortfall of the target of 32,600 trainees, a 10% increase from the previous year. Despite the offer of a starting salary of £30,000, it is unlikely to boost ITT applications for the upcoming September intake.

The shortage of trainee teachers is particularly affecting Religious Education (RE). Research by NATRE (2022) shows that nearly all Higher Education Institutions offering RE ITT courses have experienced a decline in trainee numbers, with some courses facing an 83% drop and others facing closure. This creates a patchy availability of RE teacher training, with areas like the West Midlands and North East being most affected. The Department for Education (DfE) has been aware of this problem for some time. Research by the RE Policy Unit (2022) found that it missed its target for recruiting RE teachers in nine out of the last ten years, even with lowered targets. Other subjects facing similar shortage issues have been offered consistent or reinstated bursaries that have been successful in attracting applicants. Geography, for instance, show signs of bucking the trend, with trainees eligible for a £25,000 bursary for the 2023/24 PGCE course.

The removal of the 2021/22 bursary for ITT religious education (RE) teachers has clearly had an impact on recruitment. Given this year’s data, it’s now clearly needed as a part of a broader strategy to reverse the decline. The Government has said it prioritises ‘investing in raising the standard of the workforce: to ensure all children in all schools are taught by well trained and qualified teachers’. RE is a subject where action on this commitment is much needed. The problem of using non-specialist teachers in RE occurs three times more frequently than in subjects like History. NATRE’s 2019 survey found that over half of RE teachers (53.6%) lack post-A level qualifications in the subject. For years, Ofsted has recognized this as a major problem. In its 2021 research review they warned that poor quality RE provision can imbed misconceptions about religious and non-religious worldviews. Other bodies, such as the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Religious Education have also expressed concerns around the impact of poor quality RE provision on young people and society. A recent Westminster Hall Debate saw members from across the house warn that poor quality RE provision threatened deeper thinking about life’s big questions, poor representation of faith communities, and a failure to prepare young people for life in global Britain.

The use of non-specialist teachers in religious education (RE) is a concern not only in the classroom, but also among parents and communities represented in RE lessons. According to a survey conducted by Culham St Gabriel’s Trust (2021), seven in ten of parents considered what their children learn in RE as important, with a similar majority stating that these lessons are their child’s main source of information about different religions and worldviews. It is therefore crucial to ensure that the teaching of RE in classrooms throughout the UK is accurate, relevant, and up to date.

The best way to achieve this is through well-funded RE ITT programs, supported by the Government. Teachers with subject specialisation understand the importance of promoting cooperation and presenting a diverse and accurate representation of religious and non-religious beliefs through drawing on sound scholarship and a range of voices. They are a vital part of our communities and the education of young people across Britain.

These are some of the suggestions of what we can all do to help stem the RE recruitment issue:

• Write to your MP or visit them in a local surgery and raise their attention to the critical problems faced by RE, such as the decline of trainee teachers and the absence of an RE ITT bursary.
• Share information about these issues on social media to create awareness among parents, pupils, headteachers, faith communities, etc.
• Promote this article by posting its headlines on your website to reach a wider audience and encourage action.
• Discuss the issue with headteachers, senior leadership teams, etc. to raise their understanding of the importance of RE and the challenges facing the subject.
• Keep your local SACRE informed, for example, by attending meetings, emailing the chair, or requesting an agenda item, to ensure that the key decision-makers in RE are informed about the situation.
• If you are a member of a faith, spiritual, or secular group, engage with governing bodies and leaders to ensure they understand the potential impact on the community’s understanding and representation.

References:

Culham St Gabriel’s Trust (2022) Religion & Worldviews Parent Survey 2022: https://www.cstg.org.uk/activities/campaigns/parent-survey/

DfE (2019) from a NATRE Fol request to the DfE in 2019

DfE (2022) Package to transform education and opportunities for most disadvantaged: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/package-to-transform-education-and-opportunities-for-most-disadvantaged

DfE (2022) Statistics: school workforce: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-workforce

Insight UK (2021) A report on the state of Hinduism in Religious Education in UK schools: https://insightuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Hinduism-in-RE_Project-report.pdf

NATRE (2022) REPU Report to RE Council Autumn 2022

Ofsted (2013) Religious education: realising the potential

UCAS (2022) 2022 Cycle Applicant Figures: https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-releases/applicant-releases-2022-cycle/2022-cycle-applicant-figures-30-june-deadline

Who are Culham St Gabriel’s Trust?

We are an endowed charitable foundation. The Trust is committed to providing teachers of religion and worldviews and other professionals working in this area with the support, connections, challenges and professional development they need. We want all partners, such as parents, school governors, faith/belief communities and policy makers, to be positively aware of the benefits of a high-quality study of religion and worldviews. Our last annual review provides a summary of our mission, values and strategy work.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for new trustees with one or more of the following areas of expertise to advise and guide our Board and staff team:

• Educational leadership e.g. headteacher, governors, chief executives
• Communications, marketing, public relations
• Human Resources
• Investments, finance, accounts and controls experience
• Digital/Media expertise
• Advocacy, lobbying or campaigning

Culham St Gabriel’s embraces diversity, equity and inclusion. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds and especially those from historically underrepresented groups. Given the nature of our work we are keen to add voices from younger people and those early in their career. Previous trustee experience is not necessary.

Why become a Culham St Gabriel’s trustee?

You will have the opportunity to:

• Make important strategic decisions and develop new skills
• Network with professionals in other sectors
• Influence and shape our activities and programmes
• Improve religion and worldview literacy in the UK

What can we offer you?

We provide opportunities for training and development for those new to the role of trustee, as well as our own online events and conferences helping trustees understand in more depth the variety of programmes the Trust offers. Our Board meetings are a mixture of in person and online meetings. All committee meetings are held on zoom. We aim to make them as accessible as possible. All travel or other out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed. In addition, supply cover costs are available for serving teachers.

What is the time commitment?

The expected time commitment is four Board meetings, and between three and five online committee meetings per year. On average we would expect a trustee to spend about 16 hours per year in Board meetings, and between 5-10 hours in committee meetings.

I’m interested, how do I apply?

Please express your interest in this role by sending us your CV and a short covering letter explaining briefly why you would like to be considered as a Trustee. Please send this to deborah@cstg.org.uk

Closing date for Expressions of Interest is 5pm Friday 3rd March 2023, with Zoom interviews held in late February/early March. Successful applicants may be asked for details of two referees.

Our recruitment pack for new trustees is available to download below.

For more information and/or an informal chat, contact Kathryn at ceo@cstg.org.uk
For more information about the Trust visit www.cstg.org.uk

We are delighted to share our annual review and financial statement. We hope you enjoy reading about some of our highlights last year. In 2021-22, the Trust gave over half a million pounds to grant funded projects, strategic funding awards, campaigns and programmes to further its charitable objectives. Our review showcases some of the amazing work of those we have supported and partnered with over the last year.

What is Holocaust Memorial Day?

Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) takes place every year on 27 January, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp. It is an international day to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of other people killed under Nazi persecution of other groups and in genocides that followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. It is an occasion for everyone to come together to learn, remember and reflect.

Every year, a theme is selected for HMD and this year it is Ordinary People. Genocide is facilitated by ordinary people. Ordinary people turn a blind eye, believe propaganda, join murderous regimes. And those who are persecuted, oppressed and murdered in genocide aren’t persecuted because of crimes they’ve committed – they are persecuted simply because they are ordinary people who belong to a particular group (eg, Roma, Jewish community, Tutsi). Ordinary people were involved in all aspects of the Holocaust, Nazi persecution of other groups, and in the genocides that took place in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. Ordinary people were perpetrators, bystanders, rescuers, witnesses – and ordinary people were victims.

In the last year, Culham St Gabriel’s has become more strategic about its work furthering Article 18 of the UNDHR – the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). Following participation in an International Ministerial conference last July, the Trust is has become pro-active in its pursuit of FoRB through a broad based, critical reflective education in religion and worldviews. Educating ordinary children and young people so that they can become the activists of the future to advocate and stand up for ordinary victims of discrimination in all its forms is a vital element of this. In addition, by ensuring children have deep knowledge and understanding of past (and present) genocides may help to prevent them becoming ordinary perpetrators or bystanders.

We are delighted to be welcoming Joe Miller from HMD to share more about the importance of the day and how you can commemorate it at our In Conversation event on Monday 16th January at 4.30pm. You can register here: https://www.cstg.org.uk/activities/events/in-conversation/

We encourage you to learn, remember and reflect in your workplace, school or home. In particular we encourage you to register for the online commemoration on 26th January and join with thousands of others at 4pm on 27th January when we will light a candle in our windows to remember those who were murdered for who they were and to stand against prejudice- in all its forms- today.

Holocaust Memorial Day Trust

Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT) is a registered charity, funded by the UK Government, to promote and support HMD. They provide resources and support for thousands of HMD activities every year in workplaces, youth groups, museums, prisons, schools, colleges and universities, places of worship, and more.

To learn more about HMD and this year’s theme, or to access free resources, visit hmd.org.uk