Dora Love Prize 2024 winner announced
Pupils at Saint Helena School in Colchester are being recognized for their innovative project focused on women's rights
Saint Helena School in Colchester has been announced as the winner of the 2024 Dora Love Prize, following the grand final held yesterday, June 20th, at the University of Essex.
This prestigious prize, named in honour of Holocaust survivor Dora Love, recognizes schoolchildren across Essex and Suffolk for projects that promote human rights and combat discrimination.
This year’s competition featured six finalists, each presenting projects aimed at raising awareness about various human rights issues. The panel of four judges ultimately awarded the prize to Saint Helena School for their innovative project focused on women's rights using the novel "The Breadwinner" by Deborah Ellis as a central theme.
"The judges were very impressed with Saint Helena's entry," the organizer professor Rainer Schulze stated. "They were focusing on women's rights, but instead of just doing it very generally, they used the novel 'The Breadwinner,' about a girl living under Taliban rule in Afghanistan, as the starting point."
Saint Helena School’s project went beyond classroom discussions. Students used their research to educate primary feeder schools about women's rights, comparing the situation in Afghanistan with that in the UK. They encouraged students to think critically about the impact of changes in governance on women’s rights and how these issues resonate globally and locally.
Moreover, the school introduced a cultural day to celebrate the diverse backgrounds of their community. Professor Schulze noted, "They changed the lesson plan for the day to actually focus on the different cultures and their contributions to British life. They choose food for all the various communities to actually present themselves to everyone else at the school."
The event involved students and teachers in celebrating their cultural heritage through food and national flags, fostering a sense of unity and appreciation for diversity.
This cultural day is set to become an annual tradition at Saint Helena School, contributing to the school's commitment to promoting ongoing dialogue about cultural diversity.
"The students and the teachers supervising them promised that this would be actually carried on as one day in the school year," Professor Schulze remarked. "This conversation about diversity, about what the different cultures actually bring to society, will continue at the Saint Helena School because of the Dora Love Prize."
The judges acknowledged the simplicity and effectiveness of Saint Helena School's approach, highlighting its potential long-term impact on fostering inclusivity and understanding within the school community.
For more information on the Dora Love Prize and this year’s winning project, visit here