The Telegraph features a poem by NSI Poet in Residence

Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir Nick Carter wrote a special article on Remembrance Sunday, which features a poem written by our Poet in Residence, Clive Sanders. ‘This year Remembrance Sunday will be very different. There will be no parades, no march pasts, no festivals. It will be a lonely affair, conducted in lockdown, without the chance for people to come together, to share memories and to show their respects. It will be particularly difficult for our veterans. So, this year we need to work harder to remind people why Remembrance matters.’ Read the full article here.

NSI Winner Donates to Local Teachers and Students

A 15-year-old student of Olabisi Onabanjo University International School, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Mariam Ayolola Kaka, who emerged the overall winner of a global art competition has given a scholarship and bursary awards to needy students in the state. Kaka who is the daughter of a former Deputy Governor of the state, Senator Adegbenga Kaka, had outshone over 4,000 participants in the international art competition entitled “Fight for Freedom” organised by a charity group, Never Such Innocence,” with her artwork entry: “Nostalgic Salutation to Fallen Heroes.” Read more here…

Larbert Schoolgirl Impresses Army Musicians

Schoolgirl Leila McPhate had her rap recorded by Army musicians after they were impressed by her efforts.

The 12-year-old Larbert High pupil wrote The World is a Dark Place for international arts competition Never Such Innocence, which gives children and young people a voice on conflict.

Leila had learned at school how people from the Caribbean were invited to the UK to help it rebuild after WWII but frequently faced injustice and discrimination. After seeing the black British artist Dave on the Brit Awards she decided to address the issue with a rap

Read more…

PM Mitsotakis Received Award-Winning Student Poet at Maximos Mansion

ATHENS -- A young Greek student who won a prize in an international competition was received on Monday by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who told him ‘you have made us proud’…..

https://www.thenationalherald.com/greece_politics/arthro/pm_mitsotakis_received_award_winning_student_poet_at_maximos_mansion-674863/

Second Prize Art Competition Winner Makes the News in India

Soham, the brilliant puppeteer who created the second prize piece in the international art competition has been featured in various local news papers and also few national news channels. While the report is in the native language, it is amazing to see the effort he put in to create his piece!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5i3KJW0LYU

British Council in Greece Holds Ceremony for Competition Winners

Our friends at the British Council held a special ceremony for winners from Greece…..

https://www.facebook.com/184795288650/videos/726673431236350

Young Greek Wins First Place in World Poetry Competition

Young Dimosthenis Dimitrios Despotidis who hails from Andros has won Never Such Innocence foundation’s 2019/2020 ‘Impact of Conflict on Communities’ competition.

The Never Such Innocence foundation in collaboration with The British Council chose the theme of A Fight for Freedom, asking participants to “highlight the contributions made by the countries of the Commonwealth in Africa and the Caribbean during the Second World War” through a poem, speech, song or piece of artwork…..

https://neoskosmos.com/en/169216/young-greek-wins-first-place-in-world-poetry-competition/

Ex-Ogun Deputy Gov’s Daughter Wins Global Art Competition

Mariam Ayolola Kaka, a 15-yearold student of Olabisi Onabanjo University International School, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, has emerged the overall winner of a global art competition. The winner, who is the daughter of a former deputy governor of the state, Senator Adegbenga Kaka, came tops amongst over 4,000 participants in the competition organised by a charity group, Never Such Innocence. Never Such Innocence runs an international poetry, art, speech and song competition for young people aged 9 -16, focusing on conflict and its impact. Kaka’s entry titled, “Nostalgic salutation to fallen heroes” received applause from the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson…..

https://www.newtelegraphng.com/ex-ogun-deputy-govs-daughter-wins-global-art-competition/

Preston Teen Artist Katie is World Class

The 14-year-old is a pupil at Archbishop Temple School in Fulwood, and was one of hundreds of youngsters across the world to enter the poetry, art, speech and song competition run by charity Never Such Innocence.

The competition, which focuses on conflict and its impact, is open to young people around the world aged from nine to 18.

Katie's' pencil drawing of three young boys wearing gas masks wowed judges and scooped firsdt place in her age group……

https://www.lep.co.uk/education/preston-teen-artist-katie-world-class-2888227

Never Such Innocence visit SOAS, University of London to give children and young people a voice on conflict.

Never Such Innocence were invited to SOAS by Dr Eleanor Newbigin, Senior Lecturer the History of Modern South Asia at the university. We were joined at the institution by pupils from Kingsbury High School, Lea Valley Academy and the London Nautical School. 

On the morning of the event, the young people were joined by two SOAS undergraduates who presented two short lectures to the children. The first lecture focused on the Partition of British India, a conflict covered in our online resource,written with assistance from Dr Eleanor Newbigin. The second lecture explored the contributions made by African soldiers and their communities during the Second World War. This lecture inspired entries to a bonus strand of our competition entitled: A Fight for Freedom. Encouraged by their learning, the young people then participated in either a songwriting or poetry workshop with our brilliant practitioners Clive Sanders and Bethzienna Williams.

Following time for lunch, rehearsals, and a tour of campus, the young people were then seated ready for the NSI Community Roadshow to commence.  After a welcome to the venue from Dr Eleanor Newbigin, Lady Lucy French OBE, Founder and CEO of Never Such Innocence took to the stage. Lucy discussed the origins of Never Such Innocence, the development of our 2019/20 international competition, and informed all of the young people in attendance that they had become a part of the Never Such Innocence global movement!

Lucy was followed onto stage by Lynelle Howson from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). Lynelle gave a wonderful talk about the work of the CWGC, and shared personal stories of those who the commission commemorates around the world. 

Throughout the event pupils from Kingsbury High School and The London Nautical School displayed their wonderful poetry reflecting on conflict throughout history. For the big finale, pupils from Lea Valley Academy sang a song that they had written during the workshop with Bethzienna Williams, reflecting on the contributions made by African soldiers and their communities during the Second World War

The event was hugely enjoyed by our guests, and Never Such Innocence is delighted to have had such a great response from local children and young people. 

Never Such Innocence at the Ministry of Defence

Students from Larbert High School performing their brilliant song ‘life in colour’ - what talented musicians!

NSI were joined at the historic Ministry of Defence Main Building by pupils from across the UK. The nine schools represented were as follows: St Joseph's Primary School, Army Foundation College Harrogate, Birkdale School, Royal School Armagh, Ysgol Maes Garmon, St Mary Magdalen’s Catholic Primary School, Mulberry Academy, Larbert High School and St Vincent de Paul Primary School. Students from St Joseph’s and St Vincent de Paul were lucky enough to take part in songwriting and poetry workshops prior to the event, with our brilliant practitioners Bethzienna Williams and Clive Sanders!

Following time for lunch, rehearsals, and a tour of Henry VIII’s wine cellar, the young people and other esteemed guests were seated, ready for the NSI Roadshow to commence. After a welcome to the venue from Lt Col Elisabeth Roberts, Lady Lucy French OBE — Founder and CEO of Never Such Innocence — took to the stage. Lucy discussed the origins of Never Such Innocence, the development of our 2019/20 international competition, and informed all of the young people in attendance that they had become a part of the Never Such Innocence global movement! Lucy also shared some special messages. The first was a video from the Chief of the Defence Staff, Sir Nick Carter, who stressed the importance of young people understanding the ‘rhythm of history’. The second was a message from none other than the Prime Minister! 

Junior soldier Ben reads his speech, which won first place in our speech Competition in our ‘a fight for freedom’ bonus strand

As the event progressed, we heard a wonderful selection of poems, speeches and songs. We were also able to enjoy artwork from Junior Soldiers at AFC Harrogate, which was put on display. One of many highlights occurred when students from St Joseph’s were joined on stage by two students from Ysgol Maes Garmon, who played the guitar whilst the younger children sang an original song. Other memorable moments included powerful speeches read by students from Mulberry Academy and a fantastic song from students at Larbert High School titled ‘Life in Colour’. NSI Young Ambassadors Becki Pinkerton and Molly Meleady-Hanley were also kind enough to recite their competition-winning poems: ‘The Poppy’ and ‘Invictus is Me’. 

In addition to the many talented young people that shared their work, we were lucky enough to hear from Imam Asim Hafiz, The Chaplain-in-Chief RAF John Ellis and Max Dutton from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). Max gave a wonderful talk about the work of the CWGC, and shared personal stories of those who the commission commemorates around the world. Closing remarks were delivered by Lieutenant General Tyrone Urch, who offered words of encouragement to the young people present.

The event was truly unique - the first of its kind to be hosted at the Ministry of Defence. Never Such Innocence would like to thank everyone that helped make the day such a big success.

Never Such Innocence visit Ark Greenwich Free School to host a collaborative poetry and art workshop!

On Wednesday 18th December 2019, Never Such Innocence (NSI) visited Ark Greenwich Free School alongside artist Josh Wright and Slam the Poet to host NSI’s first ever collaborative art and poetry workshop! 

The day was one to remember, as pupils created a wonderful installation reflecting on the evacuation of young people during the Second World War. 

To start the day, Josh and Slam the Poet introduced themselves and their nature of work. Following introductions, Josh briefly introduced the topic of evacuation during the Second World War and encouraged pupils to think about how it might have felt to have been an evacuee. 

Josh then invited the students to sit in pairs and discuss how they would like their art installation to look. After a quick show and tell, students decided they would like to create a large suitcase created out of ‘evacuee tags’. As a visual representation of the chaos of migration, the students suggested randomly hanging string from the suitcase throughout the room. The pieces of string would also have ‘evacuee tags’ hanging off them, with fragmented lines or phrases from students poems written onto the tags as a metaphor of displacement. 

After planning how the installation would look, pupils then entered a poetry workshop with Slam the Poet. Once the pupils had completed their work, the students chose lines from their poems to be written onto the evacuee tags before they headed off to lunch.

Refreshed after lunch, pupils worked together to cut paper, glue tags and help bring the installation to life! 

House of Lords Special Event

NSI ambassadors with special guests and Lady Lucy french

On December 2, the Right Honorable Earl Howe, invited NSI to the marvelous River Room in the House of Lords for a special evening presenting the work of young people from around the UK. Four students who had created wonderful pieces of poetry and song for our international competition came for the event.  The work was presented to VIPs, both new to NSI and supporters from the very beginning. Molly, one of our previous winners, recited her poem Invictus Is Me. Oliver, ten years old, read the poem that he shared at our competition launch Community Roadshow in South Ribble, Stop the War. Next, Jasleen, another competition winner, wowed the crowd by reciting her poem, Indian Soldier, from memory. To close the evening, Maple from St Vincent de Paul School in London wrote a wonderful song that she sang with her dad and everyone in attendance sang along for the chorus. Following the presentations, a reception was held for all of the guests overlooking the Thames and London Eye. It was a lovely, celebratory event highlighting the accomplishments of the young people who have entered our international competition and have been ambassadors for NSI.

Never Such Innocence visit Plymouth to to give children and young people from both service and civilian communities a voice on conflict.

The Never Such Innocence Community Roadshow was a day to remember at Plymouth Guildhall. Children and young people from Plymouth displayed their beautiful poetry, art, and songs to an audience of their peers and local dignitaries.

Never Such Innocence were invited to the west coast by Heather Ogburn on behalf of the Military Kids Club Heroes Plymouth Cluster. We were joined by three schools from Plymouth; Chaddlewood Primary School, Woodfield Primary School and Salisbury Road Primary School. Children from all three schools participated in the event, either by reading out poems or singing a song. All the children’s hard work was supported by all of our guests, including Mrs Patricia Southby-Tailyour, Deputy Lieutenant of Devon, Captain S C Martin LVO OBE RN, High Sheriff of Devon and Councillor Terri Beer, Deputy Lord Mayor of Plymouth.

After a welcome to the venue from Heather Ogburn, Councillor Terri Beer, Deputy Lord Mayor of Plymouth delivered a speech to the audience and thanked NSI for visiting Plymouth and providing young people with an opportunity to reflect on local history.

The Deputy Lord Mayor was followed onto stage by pupils from Salisbury Road Primary School who performed a song created during a songwriting workshop with 2019 Voice UK finalist and NSI Artist in Residence - Bethzienna Williams. The song focussed on the Plymouth Blitz and its impact on the community.

Following Salisbury Road Primary School, Lady Lucy French OBE, Founder and CEO of Never Such Innocence took to stage. Lady Lucy French discussed the origins of Never Such Innocence, the development of the 2019/20 international competition, and informed all of the young people in attendance that they had become a part of the Never Such Innocence global movement!

Throughout the day there were many moving poems read by pupils from Chaddlewood Primary School and Woodfield Primary School. Poems created by students from Chaddlewood Primary School focussed on the evacuation of young people from Plymouth during the SecondWorld War, and were created during a poetry workshop facilitated by Never Such Innocence practitioner Rebecca Tantony.

We were also joined at the event by Rebecca Smith from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). Rebecca gave a brief background about the work of the CWGC and highlighted sites in the local area.

For the big finale, a second group of pupils from Salisbury Road Primary School sang a song that they had written during a workshop with Bethzienna Williams. This time, the song explored the subsequent redevelopment of Plymouth following the Plymouth Blitz.

The event was hugely enjoyed by our guests, and Never Such Innocence is delighted to have had such a great response from local children and young People.

NSI and UK-German Connection Partner for a Workshop in Wales

In collaboration with the UK German connection, students aged 12-14 from Wales and Germany came together for a weekend of learning and fun! A series of workshops on the impact of conflict on communities were held to develop strong international bonds and create a deeper cultural understanding of people their age from other countries. The weekend was held in Llandudno, Wales and welcomed 13 students from Wales and 21 students from Germany.

The first time all of the students met, there was a clear division- German and Welsh, as would happen with any group! We went over goals for the weekend, but little did they know that Katie would be changing that dynamic very quickly! Before we invited them to dinner in the wonderful hostel we were staying in, she offered them a challenge: sit by someone who didn't speak their language and wasn't from their country. A look of fear flashed across their faces as they realised their comfort zone was about to be shaken, but, you should have heard the roar of sound as the kids chatted and got to know each other!

The next day, we started the workshops by letting the kids tell us what they wanted to “Learn, See and Do” over the weekend - by the end we accomplished most of these goals!  The first workshop looked at what the words “Conflict” and “Community” meant . The groups met within their countries and the children shared their definitions out loud.They found that they both had the same ideas and they weren’t as different as they may have initially thought. To further their cultural understanding, we created a poster where the kids could write a word they wanted to learn in the other language - trilingual learning at its best!

As a fun excursion for the young people, we went to Conwy Castle and they learned about the history of the castle from one of the Welsh teachers. The Welsh students were so excited to share their country and took the German students to a local fish and chips shop!

Hannah sharing about the history of conwy castle

Young people at the top of a tower in conwy Castle

Train ride up to the Great Orme

The next session was led by Max Dutton, a historian from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. He shared the very important work that his organisation does to commemorate service members who died during the First and Second World Wars. To further illustrate the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, we took a trip up the Great Orme  Tramway to visit a cemetery that had graves maintained by the Commission. Max showed the young people what made the headstones of the service members special and told stories about the people who were laid to rest there. When asked to reflect on what was shared, the students were able to tell the stories through poems and artwork, yet again remembering those who had fallen.

Bethzienna practicing a song with the kids

The final day culminated in a songwriting workshop with  NSI practitioner, Bethzienna Williams. The children created an amazing tri-lingual song that they performed at the end of the day. The German students worked on a verse in German, the Welsh students worked on a verse in Welsh, and together they created the chorus in the shared language of English. Hearing them sing together was a beautiful moment that showed that international cooperation is possible, even when culture and language are different.

Since returning to their schools, the young people have kept in touch with each other and have even exchanged gift boxes at Christmas. We look forward to having another event of this type where young people can have a deeper understanding of other cultures and other people.

Inter-generational Workshops with Chelsea Pensioners

young people at a workshop with chelsea pensioners.

In early October, NSI visited the Royal Hospital Chelsea and held several inter-generational poetry and songwriting workshops with local school children from Sacred Heart High School, Garden House School, Marlborough Primary School and Chelsea Pensioners. Workshops were held in the museum at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. The beloved Chelsea Pensioners, in their bright red coats, shared with children about their experience with conflict. During one of the workshops, one of the Pensioners came into the room playing bagpipes. The children were so excited! Inspired by the Pensioners stories, the children created moving songs with NSI Songwriting Practitioner, Bethzienna Williams, and powerful poems with NSI Poetry Practitioner, Clive Sanders.  These wonderful pieces of work were shared in the beautiful Wren Chapel on the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Many VIPs were present at the event, but as always, the children were the real stars of the show. Following the Community Roadshow, a reception with squash and biscuits was held in the beautiful State Apartments to celebrate the young people's accomplishments.. NSI very much looks forward to working alongside the pensioners for future events. Below is a song inspired by the Chelsea Pensioners:

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Do you know the feeling,

you’re about to go to war

From the books you’re reading

I don’t think you’re really sure

Here’s an army veteran

with so many tales in store

Do not forget,

The Chelsea Pensioners said

We were only seven

when the first bombs fell

Sacred heart school performs in the Wren chapel.

The gas masks and rations

is how it was back then

Women had to do more work

and fill in for the men

Do not forget,

The Chelsea Pensioners said

Do not forget,

The Chelsea Pensioners said

Never Such Innocence launch international competition - ‘Giving Children and Young People a Voice on Conflict’.

The launch of our 2019/20 international competition was a day to remember at St Andrews Church, Leyland. Children and young people from South Ribble showcased their beautiful poetry, art, and songs to an audience of their peers and local dignitaries.

To mark the start of the next phase of Never Such Innocence, we were invited to South Ribble by Seema Kennedy OBE. We were joined by four schools from South Ribble; Bishop Rawstorne Church of England Academy, Hutton Grammar School, Moor Hey School and St Mary Magdalen’s Catholic Primary School. Children from all of the schools participated in the event, either by reading out poems or singing a song. All the children’s hard work was supported by all of our guests, including the Mayor and Mayoress of South Ribble, Warrant Officer Rob Lockyer, and local Chelsea Pensioner Steven Allen. 

After a welcome to the venue from Reverend David Whitehouse, Seema Kennedy OBE, MP for South Ribble delivered a speech to the audience. Seema followed onto stage by Lady Lucy French OBE, Founder and CEO of Never Such Innocence. Lucy discussed the origins of Never Such Innocence, the development of our 2019/20 international competition, and informed the young people that they had become a part of the Never Such Innocence global movement!

Throughout the day, there were many moving and touching poems read by pupils from Hutton Grammar School, Moor Hey School and St Mary Magdalen’s Catholic Primary School. Poems created by students from St Mary Magdalen’s Catholic Primary School were created during an intergenerational poetry workshop facilitated by our practitioner Nik Perring and local playwright Andy Bennison.

We were also joined at the event by Lynelle Howson from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) and Dr David Hunt from the South Ribble Museum and Exhibition Center. Lynelle gave a brief background about the work of the CWGC and highlighted sites in the local area. Dr Hunt informed the audience about the history of St Andrews Church and the work of the closely situated South Ribble Museum and Exhibition Center.

For the big finale, pupils from Bishop Rawstorne Church of England Academy sang a song that they had written during a workshop with Never Such Innocence Artist in Residence - Bethzienna Williams.

Following the song, guests and schools were invited by Lady Lucy French  to visit an exhibition inside the South Ribble Museum and Exhibition Center. Here, people were encouraged to view work that students from all four schools produced for the Never Such Innocence competition.

The event was hugely enjoyed by our guests, and Never Such Innocence is delighted to have begun the next phase of our competition in South Ribble and to have had such a great response from local children and Young People.

Shaping the future of Never Such Innocence - our focus groups

We have run a number of nationwide focus groups to inform the next phase of Never Such Innocence.  We also have an online survey available if you'd like to contribute, here.  Read more about some of the focus groups below...

In June 2018, we spent some time reflecting on the incredible success of the 2017/18 Poetry, Art, and Song competition commemorating the First World War.  In the final year of the annual Centenary Competition, young people from around the world had engaged in numbers we had never seen before, nor anticipated! We were amazed and impressed by the quantity and quality of submissions we received.

We were also looking forward to amplifying their voices and making sure children and young people were strongly represented in the Armistice Commemorations.  Following four remarkable centenary years, we were concerned that after the end of the First World War Centenary opportunities for young people to engage in commemoration and reflect on conflict might be reduced.

We wanted to  create a long term legacy to ensure that children and young people continued to have the opportunity to learn about, and reflect on conflict. We wanted to develop a project that supported educators in the best way possible. We devised an online survey for teachers and educators and questions for young people to help shape our future.

St. Andrew’s, Scotland

We were fortunate to attend a conference at St. Andrew’s University, The Home Front: The United Kingdom 1914-1918.  The conference lasted three days, one of which was reserved for children and young people. On this day, our Artist in Residence Bethzienna Williams delivered an amazing songwriting workshop for five school groups.  The students all worked together and contributed to an anthem to the tune of Niall Horan’s Slow Hands.

Students also joined us for a workshop and focus group about the future of commemoration. We asked each of the children to learn about a person or a group featured in our First World War resource, and write a few words to commemorate them.  Walter Tull (p. 67) was remembered as ‘The Bold Boy’, Agnes Florien Forneri (p. 113) as ‘The Thoughtful Nurse’, and Dogs (p. 22) were commemorated as ‘The Furry Soldiers’.

The students then expressed their views on the value of commemoration and how we should remember in the future.  We were interested to hear the children say they were worried about past conflicts being forgotten, so thought it was important to continue actions like a minute of silence, and wearing poppies.  They also told us that they’d like to commemorate other things like conflicts that are ongoing today, and people who have lost their lives in natural disasters or acts of violence today. They said they would like to learn more about the world around us today, and commemorate and remember people who are experiencing conflict today.

As our first pilot focus group, we found the session at St. Andrew’s incredibly informative and helpful, it was a privilege to work with the children and their reflections were very thought provoking. The workshop at St. Andrew’s was key to the formation of the new project - Giving Children & Young People A Voice on Conflict.

You can also listen to a podcast about the conference here.

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Dublin and County Waterford, Ireland

As part of our Island of Ireland project, NSI Artist in Residence Marty Longstaff visited two of the schools who had taken part, and along with Eleanor, ran a songwriting workshop and focus group.  At the first school in Dublin, the pupils were incredibly excited at the prospect of having their voices heard by adults in important positions, and children from far and wide.  They worked hard on their song with Marty, and wanted to use the song as an opportunity to speak out on issues they were passionate about like conflict, poverty, and homelessness.  

Students visiting the First World War memorial at Glasnevin Cemetery

At the second school, the children asked Marty and Eleanor for a new learning resource that had lots of information about children’s lives during different periods of history and different conflicts.  Inspired by figures like Anne Frank, they wanted to learn what it might have been like to be a child of their own age. The Primary 6 children at this school were also keen to share their passion for local history.  They had completed a brilliant project investigating their local area during the First World War, and wanted to do similar work on different periods.

A few days later, both schools joined other children and young people from across the Island of Ireland at Glasnevin Cemetery Museum, to sing their songs and commemorate together all those who lost their lives in the First World War.  The positive atmosphere of this event and the coming together of young people from different backgrounds, impressed upon us even more the necessity of continuing to run events that allow young people to form real and lasting connections.

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Bellingham, Northumberland

Following a request from Bellingham Middle School for an NSI songwriting workshop, Marty Longstaff visited the school to offer year 7 and year 8 pupils an introduction to songwriting techniques, and hear what they would like NSI to offer them in the next academic year.  

Having already studied the Holocaust, year 8 felt that this should be the subject of their school song. They helped their year 7 classmates understand the necessity of remembering this event, and the whole group took part in some exercises to imagine how different people might have felt during this terrible event.  The song that the group learned together was from the perspective of a British soldier encountering a Concentration Camp for the first time.

Together we talked about remembrance and commemoration, and why it is important and helpful to commemorate.  The group decided the four key reasons we commemorate are:

• because someone / something made a big impact on the world,

• because we care about someone personally,

• because we feel gratitude,

• because we need to learn lessons.

These four points resonated with us strongly; we felt they encapsulated the reasons why we as individuals and communities feel the need to commemorate the past.  

We also asked the students what else they would like to commemorate, and the suggestions ranged from negative events such as the current refugee crisis and those who have lost their lives in terrorist attacks, to more positive moments like the Queen’s birthday and the achievements of rights throughout history, such as women’s suffrage.

We thoroughly enjoyed working with the students at Bellingham and can’t wait to hear what else they come up with for the next competition.

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St. Vincent’s School, Liverpool

The NSI competition has received some extraordinary entries from St. Vincent’s students for three successive competitions, so we were very excited to visit in February and hear the students’ thoughts on commemoration and conflict.  We were also delighted to be joined at the school by many leading members of the local community, who very kindly shared their thoughts and expertise with us.

It was great to see students again who had sung at our Gala Dinner at Canada House in 2017, and students who had attended the Awards Ceremony for Together, in Berlin, after their beautiful ceramic piece won a prize in the art competition.  NSI Artist in Residence Bethzienna Williams also held a workshop,. working with a group of students to write a moving song.

The community leaders provided us with invaluable insight into how we can continue to support them, and the young people they work with, to engage with challenging topics and to play their part in commemoration.  Representatives of the Police force, the City Council, local Multi-Academy Trusts and the Rotary and Lions clubs spoke about their goals for the city and the challenges that face young people, and how Never Such Innocence can support and help young people in Liverpool and more widely.

The event ended with students who had worked with Bethzienna performing their new song to the assembled community leaders.  The song was about the importance of young people having their voices heard, and the brilliant performance showcased what the pupils could accomplish.

Never Such Innocence and Glasnevin Trust Certificate Giving Event

On Thursday 13th December we were delighted to visit Glasnevin Cemetery Museum in Dublin, to award certificates to pupils from across the Island of Ireland who have taken part in commemorating the First World War through the Never Such Innocence poetry, art, and song competition.
The largest cemetery in Ireland, where many significant figures of Irish history are buried, provided a poignant setting to mark the centenary and also to look to the future.

Children travelled from far and wide to receive their Certificates of Commendation for taking part in the special joint project from the Chairman of Glasnevin Trust, John Green, and the Chief Executive George McCullough.  Never Such Innocence Founder and CEO Lady Lucy French spoke at the event and was honoured to also visit the grave of her own Great Aunt, Charlotte Despard, who is buried in the cemetery. 

The extended Island of Ireland bonus competition culminated in the creation of a special booklet, to commemorate all those from the Island who lost their lives or were affected by the First World War.  This booklet contained the top entries from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland for each age category as selected by our panel of judges, and was presented to several VIPs on Armistice Day at Glasnevin.  We were delighted to present a copy of this booklet to all attendees on the 13th December.

On the day, everyone had the opportunity to look around the museum and view the brilliant exhibitions on offer.  We then began proceedings with the striking backdrop of the cemetery visible through the window, as a reminder of the reason for our commemoration.  John Green, Chairman of Glasnevin Trust, spoke about the First World War in Ireland and the tragic loss of life and division that it entailed. 

Throughout the event, children and young people shared the incredible work that they had produced in response to learning about this conflict.  Some of the brilliant poetry and artwork that was showcased at the event can be viewed here.

Every young person at the event received a personalised Certificate of Commendation, a well-deserved reward for their brilliant creative work to mark the centenary of the First World War. 

Dalkey School Project National School and Kilrossanty National School both attended as groups, and ahead of the event both classes worked hard in workshops with Never Such Innocence Artist in Residence Marty Longstaff.  Marty visited both schools in the week before the event to provide a free songwriting workshop and facilitate the groups to write
songs that expressed their reflections on the First World War, and on conflict more widely.

Kilrossanty National School perform “A Land Full of Dreams”

A land full of dreams, by Kilrossanty National School 

They built a land full of dreams
They built a land bathed in light
Because of them here we stand
We will keep their dreams alive

Burn Bright, by Dalkey School Project

We are standing here together
Through lonely nights, and stormy weather
Although the future may seem dark
The fire of hope needs just a spark
And it will burn bright forever

We would like to say a huge thank you to the Glasnevin Trust for kindly hosting the event and for partnering with us on the extension of the competition, and to the schools and young people who took part in the competition and attended the event!

In September 2019 Never Such Innocence will be launching a new project, Giving Children and Young People a Voice on War.  Building on our four years of commemorating the First World War, this new phase of the project will give children and young people an opportunity to process, respond to and reflect on war and conflict throughout the ages including violence of all forms today.  We will invite young people to create a poem, song or piece of art reflecting on something they feel strongly about within their local community, or wider society.  If you would like to be involved please do let us know by emailing enquiries@neversuchinnocence.com, or signing up to our education newsletter.

Jasleen Singh takes part in Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey

We were incredibly proud of Jasleen and Becki, two Never Such Innocence poetry competition winners who were selected by the Department for Culture to take part in the Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey on Sunday 11th November 2018. The two winners were asked to read a prayer during the Service, in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen and His Excellency Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of The Federal Republic of Germany.
Here is Jasleen’s account of the experience….

Jasleen speaking with the BBC at Westminster Abbey
Credit: Dean and Chapter of Westminster

Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to attend the Never Such Innocence Awards Ceremony in the Guards’ Chapel, Wellington Barracks, as my poem won first place in the age 11-14 poetry category. Following this fantastic event, Never Such Innocence emailed all the winners from the four years the competition has been running and invited us to the NSI Centenary Finale at Buckingham Palace. This was a fantastic and truly memorable experience. It was my first time inside the Palace and it is such a stunning building. As I had been asked to read my poem at the Ceremony, I arrived a few hours before the event was due to start. Upon arrival we were directed to the South Drawing Room, where all the winners who were performing were able to practice and take in the amazing views from the windows. The event itself was held in the magnificent Ballroom, it was ornately decorated with red, white and gold. After the performers had a rehearsal, the guests began to arrive as the RAF Salon Orchestra played the theme tunes from many popular films. We were also treated to the Marine Drum Corps and the band of the Scots Guards as part of the celebration. It was a fantastic experience to be able to read my poem in front of all the past winners and dignitaries.  The whole event had such a memorable atmosphere and it was inspiring to see the contributions of young people through poetry, art and song to remembering the centenary of World War One. A huge thank you must go to Never Such Innocence for organising the event and making sure it ran smoothly and was the enjoyable event it was.

Jasleen reading a prayer at Westminster Abbey, live on the BBC

On Sunday 11th November I was privileged enough to read a prayer at the National Service of Thanksgiving to mark the Centenary of the Armistice at Westminster Abbey. This was because Never Such innocence passed my name on to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport as someone who had made a significant contribution to the Centenary of World War One. This meant attending a rehearsal on Saturday 10th where we had a run through of our parts for the Service. We were also able to explore the Abbey which is incredibly rich in history. We were able to see the graves of many famous people such as Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton. We also saw the fresh flowers being carefully arranged around the grave of the Unknown Soldier in preparation for the Queen and the German President to lay wreaths there to mark the centenary. It was amazing to see the architecture, the stained glass windows and the elaborate memorials to famous figures throughout history.

I was also able to have a practice interview with the BBC about my personal connection to World War One. My poem titled 'The Indian Soldier' was inspired by my family history. My great great great grandfather Lehna Singh was a highly decorated soldier, as was his son Labh Singh and then it was his son Jagat Singh who fought in the First World War when he was just 17 years old and survived. The BBC wanted to capture my personal connection so I was interviewed about this, and the interview was aired as part of the ceremony on BBC One. I am incredibly proud of my family heritage and it was such an amazing experience to be able to share this on live TV. It was also fantastic to see behind the scenes of how they film the service and all the technology involved in capturing the ceremony.

Honorary Captain Subedar Major Sardar Lehna Singh, Sardar Bahadur, O.B.I. 1st Class, I.O.M. (1825–1916)

The ceremony itself was so special and it had such a deep feeling of remembrance. The service featured readings from the Dean of Westminster Abbey as well as Theresa May, Prince Charles and the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. It was amazing to see the Royal Family and other important Members of Parliament. It was such an incredible experience as we were sitting only a few rows from the front so we had a perfect view of the podium where the readings were given. When it was my turn to read, it was a truly exhilarating moment. I could see the Queen was only about 10 feet away from me and I could see the Royals as well as the Prime Minister and other Members of Parliament. I took in that moment and read my prayer with conviction that I hope did justice to all the brave soldiers we were gathered to remember. We then read the Lord's Prayer together and the Prayer readers exited. I couldn't quite comprehend what I had done until I watched the Service back afterwards and I saw myself on TV and it was really interesting to see what I looked like to the millions of people watching at home. The prayer readers then sat down while a hymn was being sung. At the end we all sang 'God Save The Queen' while Her Majesty exited followed by other members of the Royal Family. After the ceremony, I received many congratulations from audience members which was lovely. We then were able to take in the beauty of the Abbey again as we made our way outside. It was beautiful to see the Abbey lit from the outside and take in the beautiful ambience of London on our way back. I am honoured to have been given the opportunity to take part in such an historic event.

by Jasleen Singh

Jasleen’s poem ‘The Indian Soldier’, along with all of the winning poems and artwork from the 2017-18 competition, can be viewed here.