Davenant International

Last updated

Davenant International is the innovative student forum on global issues launched by the students of Davenant Foundation School in Loughton, Essex, England. This new forum was launched in September 2005 and received widespread media coverage. Davenant Foundation School was founded in 1680 by the Reverend Ralph Davenant. It is a Christian Ecumenical School. Ralph Davenant (Rector of the parish of St. Mary Matfellon) was passionate about social justice, he had a heart for the poor, hence the fact that he left everything he had to the poor in Whitechapel in the East End of London. The Rector bequeathed a handsome legacy for the education of forty boys and thirty girls of the parish in 'reading, writing and the casting of accounts.' You didn't have to go far to come across the poor in the time of Ralph Davenant – the almshouses were situated close by in Whitechapel Road.

Contents

Davenant International was formed against a backdrop of increased awareness and concern for social justice and a stand against world poverty. In the summer of 2005 a massive campaign, 'Make Poverty History' captured the imagination of young people not only in the United Kingdom – and even in Loughton in Essex – but right across the world. Bob Geldof launched a series of music concerts during the G8 Summit to drive home the message that people wanted to eradicate poverty. It struck a chord with Davenant students who were moved by statistics like 15,000 children die each day from hunger and starvation.

The launching of Davenant International was so much in keeping with the ideas and the personal Christian ethos of the founder of the school, Ralph Davenant.

Davenant International, now entering its fifth year is headed by Mr Lennox Morris-Whitehead, a science teacher at Davenant Foundation School. He has now taken lead role and has attracted great new talents among the students and many have had great new ideas for fundraising and charity work.

There are many new plans in the pipe line for the global issues forum – such as a visit to parliament early next year, a trip to the EU Conference, and most importantly, a group of students from D.I. will be travelling to New York for their UN Summit, and will submit a paper on Global Warming.

Global issues

The ground breaking Davenant International put global issues on the agenda and attracted worldwide attention. The students of Davenant Foundation School heeded the call to take global issues such as Make Poverty History, Aids, The Tsunami Disaster, Children of Chernobyl seriously.

'We live in one world. What we do affects others, and what others do affects us, as never before. To recognise that we are all members of a world community and that we all have responsibilities to each other is not romantic rhetoric, but modern economic and social reality.'

'The school curriculum should contribute to the development of pupils' sense of identity through knowledge and understanding of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural heritages of Britain's diverse society and of the local, national....and global dimensions of their lives....the schools curriculum should...secure their commitment to sustainable development at a personal local, national and global level.'

Davenant International has been exploring the global dimension to the curriculum – through eight concepts:

Dignitaries from around the world sent messages of support when Davenant International was launched at Davenant Foundation School in September 2005.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II sent her best wishes to all those present for a successful and enjoyable event. The former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela also sent his warm greetings to Davenant students. Former British Prime Minister, John Major, writing to the students in Loughton hoped that they would take these issues seriously.

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair in a special message to Davenant students said: 'I am delighted to hear about the launch of 'Davenant International'. The forum will provide an opportunity for pupils to debate and discuss a range of global issues in a lively and meaningful way. It is essential that all young people be given the opportunity to learn about the global community of which they are a part. I wish the school every success in fostering the enthusiasm and creativeness of their pupils through this forum and their future work in this area.'

Lee Scott (UK politician) MP, speaking to Davenant students said: 'You are our future. You must make sure you make that difference that I think you can make.'

Headteacher Christopher Seward said: 'Congratulations to the students who have worked hard in getting Davenant International launched and to Mr. Ivan Corea (Head of Religious Education) who worked hard in giving this some vision and then making it a reality.'

A global focus

Davenant International have met the Governor of the tsunami-hit Southern Province of Southern Sri Lanka Kingsley Wickramaratne, who discussed the reconstruction program with the students. Davenant Foundation School raised a substantial amount of funds for the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC).They have debated The Da Vinci Code with the renowned speaker, Paul Harcourt and commemorated the 20th Anniversary of the world's worst nuclear disaster, Chernobyl. Students have also been in the forefront of raising funds for various charities including Christian Aid, World Vision, CAFOD and Jewish Care.

Students of Davenant International plan to go to the United Nations in New York City for a UN Student Conference on global issues. The Sri Lanka-born star Nimal Mendis released a special CD 'Light Floods In' for Davenant International – songs from the CD were featured on BBC Radio (Chris Bard Show) and Premier Radio (Breakfast Show with Tony Miles and Dave Rose) in the UK.

The school enjoys warm links with Africa and students from Umlazi School in South Africa flew in to spend time at Davenant and addressed a meeting sharing social stories on school life in South Africa. The school also participated in the British Council's Africa Dreams 2010 project. Christopher Seward, Headteacher of Davenant visited Umlazi School in Durban, South Africa along with two students in 2005. Davenant Foundation School is a leading Sports College and the Rugby team toured South Africa in the summer of 2005.

The former Bishop of Northern Uganda Rt.Rev.Gideon Oboma was another visitor to Loughton in 2006. The Bishop recounted his moving story of suffering persecution and even witnessing the murder of his own children. They were shot dead by unknown assassins dressed in military uniform. The students were touched by his message of forgiveness.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CAFOD</span> UK Catholic overseas development agency

The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) is an international development charity and the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It aims to tackle poverty globally. Through local Catholic Church and secular partners, it helps people directly in their own communities and campaigns for global justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Campaign</span> Non-profit organisation fighting extreme poverty and preventable disease

ONE Campaign is an international, non-partisan, non-profit advocacy and campaigning organization that fights extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa, by raising public awareness and pressuring political leaders to support policies and programs that save lives and improve futures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Education in Uganda</span> Overview of education in Uganda

The system of education in Uganda has a structure of 7 years of primary education, 6 years of secondary education, and 3 to 5 years of post-secondary education. Education in Uganda is administered in English. All throughout the levels in the education structure, modules are taught and assessed in English. The government of Uganda recognizes education as a basic human right and continues to strive to provide free primary education to all children in the country. However, issues with funding, teacher training, rural populations, and inadequate facilities continue to hinder the progress of educational development in Uganda. Girls in Uganda are disproportionately discriminated against in terms of education; they face harsher barriers when trying to gain an education and it has left the female population disenfranchised, despite government efforts to close the gap.

The history of education in Africa can be roughly divided into pre- and post- colonial periods. Since the introduction of formal education to Africa by European colonists, African education, particularly in West and Central Africa, is characterised by both traditional African teachings and European-style schooling systems. The state of education reflects not only the effects of colonialism, but instability resulting from and exacerbated by armed conflicts in many regions of Africa as well as fallout from humanitarian crises such as famine, lack of drinking water, and outbreaks of diseases such as malaria and Ebola, among others. Although the quality of education and the quantity of well-equipped schools and teachers has steadily increased since the onset of the colonial period, there are still evident numerous inequalities in the existing educational systems based on region, economic status, and gender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davenant Foundation School</span> Academy in Loughton, Essex, England

Davenant Foundation School is a Christian Ecumenical secondary school, founded in 1680, currently in Loughton, Essex, England.

Davenant is a surname, and may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Student voice</span> Perspectives and actions of students

Student voice is the individual and collective perspective and actions of students within the context of learning and education. It is identified in schools as both a metaphorical practice and as a pragmatic concern. Tech educator Dennis Harper noted that student voice gives students "the ability to influence learning to include policies, programs, contexts and principles."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eco-Schools</span>

Eco-Schools is an international programme of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that aims to “empower students to be the change our sustainable world needs by engaging them in fun, action-orientated, and socially responsible learning.”

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Cotton</span> Welsh entrepreneur and philanthropist (born 1950)

Ann Lesley Cotton OBE is a Welsh entrepreneur and philanthropist who was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2006 Queen's New Year Honours List. The honour was in recognition of her services to education of young women in rural Africa as the founder of Camfed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davenant Centre</span> Building in Tower Hamlets, London, England

The Davenant Centre, situated in Whitechapel in the East End of London, England, was a centre of excellence for youth services in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Education in Tanzania is provided by both the public and private sectors, starting with pre-primary education, followed by primary, secondary ordinary, secondary advanced, and ideally, university level education. Free and accessible education is a human right in Tanzania. The Tanzanian government began to emphasize the importance of education shortly after its independence in 1961. Curriculum is standardized by level, and it is the basis for the national examinations. Achievement levels are important, yet there are various causes of children not receiving the education that they need, including the need to help families with work, poor accessibility, and a variety of learning disabilities. While there is a lack of resources for special needs education, Tanzania has committed to inclusive education and attention on disadvantaged learners, as pointed out in the 2006 Education Sector Review AIDE-MEMORE. The government's National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty in 2005 heavily emphasized on education and literacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Joseph's College, Reading</span> Private day school in Reading, Berkshire, England

St Joseph's College is a coeducational private day school in Reading, Berkshire, England. In September 2010, it changed its name to St Joseph's College to reflect the move into co-education from being a girls' school. The junior section is known as St Joseph's College Prep School. It was a member of the Girls' Schools Association until the move into coeducation. The school is now a member of the Society of Heads. It won the TES Independent School of the Year award in November 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African Leadership Academy</span> Premier Pan-African high school in South Africa

The African Leadership Academy (ALA) is an educational institution located in the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa, for students between the ages of 16 and 19 years old, with current alumni coming from 46 countries.

WhizzKids United is a youth HIV / AIDS prevention, care, treatment and support programme that uses football as an educational medium to facilitate healthy behaviour change. The programme is based in Durban, South Africa and is run by Africaid, a registered charity in the United Kingdom and South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Global Philanthropy Forum</span> World Affairs Council project and network

The Global Philanthropy Forum (GPF) is an initiative of the World Affairs Council which acts as a peer-learning network of philanthropists — grant-makers and social investors — committed to advancing equity and opportunity in the developing world. Its community of donors and social investors work on international causes through strategic philanthropy, operating on principles that overlap with those of impact investing.

Global citizenship education (GCED) is a form of civic learning that involves students' active participation in projects that address global issues of a social, political, economic, or environmental nature. The two main elements of GCE are 'global consciousness'; the moral or ethical aspect of global issues, and 'global competencies', or skills meant to enable learners to participate in changing and developing the world. The promotion of GCE was a response by governments and NGOs to the emergence of supranational institution, regional economic blocs, and the development of information and communications technologies. These have all resulted in the emergence of a more globally oriented and collaborative approach to education. GCE addresses themes such as peace and human rights, intercultural understanding, citizenship education, respect for diversity and tolerance, and inclusiveness.

Ayrton Cable is a social activist, known for his activism on issues surrounding food and water security.

<i>AmaZulu: The Children of Heaven</i> 2006 British film

AmaZulu: The Children of Heaven is a 2006 British documentary film directed by Hannan Majid and Richard York. The film follows seven teenagers in a township in Umlazi as they come together to learn under the leadership of headmaster, Mr. Mtshali at Velabahleke High School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Varkey Foundation</span>

The Varkey Foundation, initially the Varkey GEMS Foundation, is a global charitable foundation focused on improving the standards of education for underprivileged children. It was formed in 2010 by Indian businessman Sunny Varkey, the founder and chairman of GEMS Education, the world's largest operator of private kindergarten-to-grade-12 schools. The foundation's main focuses are improving global teacher capacity by training tens of thousands of teachers and principals in developing countries; providing access to education via a variety of programmes and projects; and advocating for change in, and conducting research that can help develop, education policies worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Happiness Curriculum</span>

Happiness Curriculum is an educational program for children studying in nursery to grade eight in schools run by the Government of Delhi since July 2018. The objective is to improve the mental well-being of pupils, and it teaches mindfulness, social-emotional learning, critical thinking, problem solving, and relationship building. Its purpose is to build emotional awareness, to support decision making with that emotional awareness, to equip pupils with the necessary skills and environment to become purpose-driven, and explore a nuanced idea of happiness. The introduction of the curriculum into government schools of Delhi has been called a reformative step towards school education in India.