Two students from a Derby school were recognised as future leaders and invited to host a day-long workshop that provides young people with a voice and focuses on their hopes for the future.
Year 10 pupils from The Bemrose School, Fatimah Ali and Prayer Fiona Edwin, impressed the organisers with their leadership skills when they stood to deliver their ideas and perspectives at the Hope Hack event hosted in 2024.
Recognising their potential, the organisers invited them to host the day-long workshop at Chesterfield Football Club in February this year.
During the Derby event, held at Derby Theatre, pupils in attendance from schools across the city were placed into mixed groups to discuss a topic and present solutions to the others. Hosted by the Derbyshire Violence Reduction Unit, the Hope Hack initiative is a series of talks and workshops from The Hope Collective designed to inspire and empower young people.
Fatimah said: “It was an honour to be selected to host the entire Chesterfield event. The organiser told me I should apply, but I still had to go through the process to be selected, so I did and was successful.
“I was so nervous before but once I got into the flow, I really enjoyed the experience.
“As a school mental health ambassador, it’s great to have a wider knowledge on the topics discussed and be able to feed this back into the school and teach my peers.
“Not only have I met pupils outside of the school, but it has also strengthened my relationship with pupils at Bemrose.
“We were responsible for absolutely everything, we introduced ourselves, gave a speech about Damilola Taylor a ten-year-old who died after a fatal stabbing, introduced guest speakers, we even had to shush the audience at times when we needed quiet and at the end we had to encourage everybody to come on stage for photos.
“This experience has taught me I can do anything I set my mind to and made me feel a lot more confident in myself.”
The event is part of a wider series aimed at creating hope for youth who may be vulnerable to negative influences, providing them with opportunities to shape their futures positively.
The two students – who are both mental health ambassadors for the school – attended Ripley Police Headquarters ahead of the event to meet the team and were provided with a script template which they then personalised by adding their own insights and ideas.
Prayer said: “I was so scared in case I made a mistake, especially in front of so many pupils I didn’t know, plus the age range went right up to adults.
“But the crowd were so nice and respectful, it made it so much easier and in the end, I really enjoyed it.
“I am so proud of myself, it has definitely boosted my confidence and I would love to do it again.”
Tremayne Blair, community and young person involvement officer at Derbyshire Police, who organises the events, said: “It was an absolute pleasure to work with both Fatimah and Prayer, they are a true credit to their school and community, demonstrating the talent and dedication of future leaders.
“Providing them with a platform to showcase their unique personalities on a national stage is something I take great pride in.”
Karen Lamb, the school’s Mental Health Lead, said: “Fatimah and Prayer have done Bemrose proud, firstly for being selected to host the event and secondly they showcased great presenting skills on the day.
“They both put in a lot of effort, and it really paid off. The feedback has been very positive.
“As mental health ambassadors, they have brought back a wealth of knowledge to support their peers.”
This press release was distributed by Penguin PR. To find o ut more contact Sarah-Louise Elton on 01332 416228 or by email at sarahlouise@penguinpr.co.uk
