28 June 2005

"Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom." Nelson Mandela at the Make Poverty History rally, Trafalgar Square, 3 February 2005

Langdon School pupils have played an enormous part in the run up to the G8 summit. They represented their peers at the Make Poverty History rally in Trafalgar Square, have played a pivotal role in the Send My Friend to School campaign, and in Edinburgh they will be speaking at the Make Poverty History rally and taking part in the J8 junior summit.

At the Make Poverty History rally on 2 July, Langdon pupils Matthew Hector, Shetal Patel and Alfie Sadler will be among the international speakers and celebrities addressing the crowd.

Matthew, Shetal and Alfie met Nelson Mandela on stage in Trafalgar Square in February, where they spoke to over 22,000 people about the importance of education for their peers. Mandela gave them a white band, the symbol of Make Poverty History campaign, and asked them to deliver it on his behalf to the G8 summit.

In the Send My Friend to School campaign, children worldwide have been making paper figures known as ‘friends’ or ‘buddies’ representing some of the 100 million children worldwide who are missing out on education. Langdon pupils helped with the UK launch of the worldwide campaign by appearing with Konnie Huq in a video for schools. On 16 June four of them, Priyah Prabhananda, Natyler Fisher, Lily Kingtaylor and Alfie Sadler opened an exhibition of buddies at thegallery@oxo.

Within school lessons Langdon pupils have learnt the importance of global citizenship, with resources and support from the international development charity ActionAid. Since February they have made hundreds of buddies, including three life sized ones, which will be handed in to G8 embassies ahead of the summit.

14-year-old Alfie Sadler said: "To represent young people at an event like this is a big honour and, I suppose, a big responsibility because we can make a difference. We can change things."

Langdon School has also won a competition to be one of three schools to form the J8, a three day forum modelled on the agenda of the actual G8 summit.

Headteacher Vanessa Wiseman said: "We are really pleased that the students have taken part in the Make Poverty History campaign and will take the message to the G8. We are pleased that they have shown such concern and interest in the challenges that other young people around the world face."