What if the world stopped shooting for just one day?


Peace One Day ON September 21st GCSE Citizenship students, sixth formers and teachers attended a launch event for a Global Truce at the 02 Arena in Greenwich. This event was launched by the Peace One Day charity which works tirelessly all year to secure one day of global peace on September 21st.


Citizens not forgotten On this day many countries across the globe currently


in conflict, called a ceasefire to enable medical workers and other aid agencies into the areas of conflict to help the local citizens desperately in need of food, medical care, supplies and emotional support. This has a significant impact on the lives and livelihoods of people living in war-torn areas of the world. It reminds them that they have not been forgotten, and gives them hope to keep going even when it feels like no resolution to the conflict in which they live can be found, and that which they are powerless to resolve.


A global truce Next year Peace One day is campaigning to have a total Global Truce, where every single country around the world will lay down their weapons in the streets and on the battlefields for a day, Peace Day on 21st September 2012.


Write for Rights Day


Freedom for prisoners of conscience ‘WRITE for Rights Day’ is on 9th December and is an opportunity for people across the world to show their support and campaign for the freedom for prisoners of conscience.


Letters for freedom and justice This year, the Villiers Amnesty Youth Group has recognised the power of the letter, and set about enlisting all forty tutor groups to write a letter to brave individuals who have been imprisoned for speaking out about human rights abuses. Five prisoners were specially selected because of their particular personal struggles in their fight for freedom and justice. Furthermore, this is an excellent opportunity for students at Villiers to utilise their language skills in English, Tamil and Urdu.


Secure fairness and equality The aim of this experience is for students to learn about people from around the world who constantly face a daily fight to secure fairness and equality. In early December students learned more about these individuals’ personal plights and penned their letters every day for a week. We hope so much the messages in the words will bring some kind of comfort and encouragement, and that they are not alone in spirit, in that our students think of them often and want to give even the smallest ray of hope to those so desperately in need. More on this in next term’s newsletter and the annual school magazine next summer.


Villiers makes front page news as they


‘Free2Dance’ to world record OCTOBER 30th marked the end of a five day 15 hour non-stop ‘danceathon’, for freedom for Burma. It was achieved by teacher Ben Hammond; an inspirational campaigner for charity ‘LearnBurma’, who has literally travelled and danced his way around the world, visiting schools to get them dancing and to join the biggest global dance event ever, called ‘Free2Dance’ while raising awareness of the ongoing plight of the Burmese people still living under military rule.


World’s biggest ever silent disco Fundraising students from Villiers High School joined Ben and hundreds of others in Central London on the 2nd day of his feat of endurance and helped him dance his way into the history books. Not even bad weather deterred them as they moved and grooved at the world’s biggest ever silent disco. There was a real sense of pride, understanding and solidarity in this impressive group achievement. Our very own Dahir Abdi (pictured) from Year 9 was featured break dancing on the Ealing Gazette’s front page on November 4th!


Free the oppressed of Burma From break dancing to belly dancing almost every musical and dance style was covered, supported by Choice FM radio, The Ministry of Sound, Glastonbury Festival and many more supporters campaigning to free the oppressed people of Burma. Now Ben and his dancing supporters from around the world really are ‘Free2Chill’! For details about LearnBurma and Free2Dance log onto www.learnburma.org or www.free2dance.com


Tate Modern inspires Year 10 art students to go


back and find out more YEAR 10 art students visited the Tate Modern in October, a first time for many, and were truly blown away by the experience!


Sketching and photography frenzy Seeing work by some of their hero artists ‘in the flesh’ inspired them into a


sketching and photography frenzy! The work they produced at the gallery has since become a powerful tool for generating new ideas for their coursework and shows promise in helping these budding artists reach a new level of skill, and to create pieces of work with more mature outcomes. Inthujah Ilanganathan said: “I wish we’d had enough time to look around all


the floors” and Aamir Kumar went on to say: “Seeing the portraits, the facial expressions; they are really going to help me in my work!”


A day is not enough Visits to places like the Tate Modern really make a positive impact on our students, and we cannot stress enough how important it is for our students to start to visit these places during the weekends and holidays with their parents or with their friends. Inthujah’s comment speaks volumes; there is never enough time in the day to see everything. Please encourage your child to start getting independent and to find their way around Central London on public transport and to enjoy what is arguably the most fascinating city for culture in the world. Get details of where to go and how to get there from the art teachers or any member of staff, and if we can’t help we’ll know someone who can!


Autumn 2011 Edition Issue 1


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