Eleven representatives from eight local charities and organisations put on an amazing exhibition at Blanchelande on Friday March 7th to inspire our Year 6 pupils to develop their own community-focussed persuasive campaigns.

Every year all our Year 6 pupils run a campaign as part of their Signature Work inquiry focussed on four of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Last year Year 6 raised almost £600 for a range of local and international charities, alongside running events, competitions and presentations within the school in support of a variety of causes such as healthy eating and beach cleaning. The goal is to show pupils that everyone can make a real-world difference.

This year we built local connections to inspire pupils to connect with the wonderful organisations that work on the Island to change the world for the better. The organisations involved were:

  • Dyslexia Day Centre
  • Edible Guernsey
  • Guernsey Trees for Life
  • Guernsey Waste
  • Health Improvement Commission:
    • Be Active team
    • Eat Well team
  • National Trust of Guernsey
  • St John Guernsey
  • The Tumaini Fund

Alex Kosmas, Eat Well lead said: “The event hosted by Blanchelande College, provided a great opportunity for their students to find out about the issues we face locally and consider actions that can make a change. As an organisation that empowers, enables and encourages people in our community to lead healthier lives, it was a great be part of their learning journey and help them engage with the topic of health. The actions they take today will shape their world for years to come. To achieve this, it is essential for them to build a strong foundation in health and nutrition.”

National Trust Land Manager Colin Gaudion said: “As a non-teacher, many years out of education, I was impressed both by the behaviour and diligence of the class and also the educational value of the changemakers approach.”

Janet Unitt from St John Guernsey said: “The children were so engaged and asked really good questions.”

Dr Susan Wilson, Founder and Chairman of the Tumaini Fund, said: “They were all a credit to the school – genuinely interested, caring, well-informed and able to ask pertinent questions. It was a privilege to take part with our future change-makers.”