On Monday we were delighted to welcome Alison Cope, an Anti-Violence Campaigner, to deliver a presentation to all our students from years 7 to 13. She does not believe in scaring children, but in educating and reassuring them.

Although many of the messages she delivered had been said many times before, she delivered her own story in a powerful, impactful and moving way.

Alison lost her own son to knife crime 10 years ago and she is passionate about educating young people through sharing her own story. In her own words ‘we have sold our young people the dream of social media’. In reality we know that by simply posting the wrong picture or message this can lead to online bullying and ridicule. In some cases it can lead to very much the wrong people becoming involved. Our students listened attentively as she described how our posts can give away our location, the school we attend and information we don’t realise we are sharing. 

She then went on to talk about a boy called Josh. She described Josh’s life and how he was destined to be the ‘next big thing’ in grime music before his life was cut short at 18 after he was stabbed by another youth following a misunderstanding. Only towards the end of the story did she identify herself as his mother.

Since her talk many students have given feedback directly to her acknowledging her story and thanking her for sharing this experience with them in the hope that youth violence is eradicated through education and understanding.

We would really appreciate the conversation continuing at home. If you or your child wishes to provide feedback please do so through the following link https://bit.ly/busheymeads-day.