On Thursday 3 March, Stephen hosted an event in the House of Commons, with Never Such Innocence, to celebrate the work of students in East Ham.
Never Such Innocence is a charity aiming to give young people across the world a voice on conflict. Their practitioners recently visited Brampton Manor, Little Ilford School and Plashet School to host free workshops on poetry, speech writing and song writing.
The students who took part were invited to Parliament to showcase their work. One of those students was Bakirathe, from Brampton Manor. She was awarded first place in the 11-14 age group in Never Such Innocence’s poetry, art, speech and song competition last year. She delivered her winning speech, Cultural Conflict, at the roadshow in Parliament, in which she shared her experience of living in the UK as a Tamil.
Speaking after the event, Stephen said “I enjoyed the roadshow, and hearing and seeing the students’ work on conflict. I applaud Never Such Innocence for supporting young people to achieve their full potential. There is a great deal of talent amongst young people in Newham. We need to hear their voices, and support local initiatives which enable them to flourish.”