Ending the Isolation

Submitted by: Steadfast Trust correspondent, 27th Dec 08

Helping English children understood their roots

Back in 2007 a respected Home Office advisor, Sir Keith Ajegbo, reviewing citizenship lessons in schools reported that “white” (i.e. English) children suffer "labelling and discrimination" as a result of marginalisation.

Official Report:

White pupils in areas where the ethnic composition is mixed can often suffer labelling and discrimination, Sir Keith says. " They can feel beleaguered and marginalised, finding their own identities under threat as much as minority ethnic children might not have theirs recognised.

"It makes no sense in our report to focus on minority ethnic pupils without trying to address and understand the issues for white pupils. It is these white pupils whose attitudes are overwhelmingly important in creating community cohesion. Nor is there any advantage in creating confidence in minority ethnic pupils if it leaves white pupils feeling disenfranchised and resentful."

The report will quote the example of one white pupil in her early teens who, after hearing in a lesson that other members of her class originally came from the Congo, Portugal, Trinidad and Poland, said that she "came from nowhere".

These issues were important in white schools as much as schools with a mixed race intake, the report will say.

"Even though the white population who live in predominantly white areas might be removed from the immediate personal experience of ethnic diversity, it is still likely to be an issue for them because they encounter diversity through media representations."

Sir Keith's report is based on interviews with pupils, community organisations and faith groups across the country about what they thought of citizenship lessons.

To see the review of the report, visit our Resources section of the site.

It is heart breaking to realise that children, such as the young girl quoted, have been so deprived of their heritage in order to enforce the multi-culturist social engineering that they have no awareness of the proud identity shared by the extended ethnic English family she belongs too.

What can the Steadfast Trust do?

Well, without your help, not much. But as a charity we plan to produce education curriculum packs that can be provided free for schools. In addition, home packs will also be provided to allow responsible parents to enable their children to have an awareness of their ancestry.

These are just some of the planned projects we have for 2009, but we do need more support to make this a reality.