KS3 students at The Nottingham Emmanuel School have taken part in the Archbishops’ Young Leaders Award working through three modules exploring Faith, Hope and Action.

The students were particularly inspired by the concept of ‘servant leadership’ and by the stories of people of faith including Malala Yousafzai and Martin Luther King Junior which shaped their thinking about how they could best serve others in their own community.

To put their leadership into action the students took part in a range of local projects to ‘be the change they wanted to see’. Some students supported a local foodbank at their charity collection at Tesco. They spent a day handing out leaflets, engaging with the community and managed to collect around 600 meals worth of donations. They also were given money that had been donated to purchase items for foodbank users, and their thoughtful choices of what to purchase showed real care and compassion. Other students assisted at the Robin Hood Half Marathon where they were based near the finish line handing out water and helping to encourage people near to the finish engaging with volunteers and participants.

Another group of  students marshalled an event for local primary schools and supported students in running as many laps as they could for a record attempt. They engaged with staff and students and supported in directions, problem solving and encouraging others. They took real initiative during this as they chose the roles they would be taking and how they would split tasks between themselves.

Their teacher said “The student leaders have gained massive amounts of confidence from taking part in the award. The change in them and their skills and willingness to try new things has been noticed by me, themselves and the wider school community. They have grown better at working in teams, particularly with new people. They mentioned that they feel really fulfilled by being able to help the community- both the school community and wider afield. We're really proud of the contributions they have made through this.”

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