果冻影院

As part of the 'Educating and Organising for Social Justice' module, undergraduate students from IOE, 果冻影院鈥檚 Faculty of Education and Society learn about effective community action on social justice issues and take a hands-on role campaigning with and for the benefit of local communities.听

The students visited 8 London primary and secondary schools and worked with over 100 children to examine the negative impacts of the housing crisis and living conditions in the UK.听

They produced an action report published with Citizens UK, titled 鈥極ur homes, our rights鈥�, in connection with Citizens UK鈥檚 national Housing and Homelessness campaign. The report highlights the consequences of poor housing conditions and housing instability on听children鈥檚 wellbeing. 听

The projects culminated with 39 果冻影院 students leading a demonstration at City Hall, joined by over 50 children and teachers from three of the partner schools. Together, they called for measures that will end child homelessness and improve the standards and affordability of housing in the capital and across the UK. 听

At City Hall, 果冻影院 students led a discussion on the housing crisis with Tom Copley, London鈥檚 Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development, and urged him to commit to acting on the report鈥檚 key housing policy proposals. Located in Newham, City Hall is the current headquarters of the听Mayor听of听London听and听London Assembly.

Workshops with the school students formed an integral part of the report鈥檚 creation. The experience emphasised the importance of community involvement and listening to affected individuals, especially children and young people.听

BA student . Sophie comments: 鈥淩unning these workshops provided a first-hand perspective on the power of engaging children in discussions about social justice and empowering them to take action.鈥澨�

Conversations showed that even young children are aware of social injustice around them and disparities in how their needs are being met. Overcrowding was a prominent concern, and children were worried about how poor housing conditions could increase their susceptibility to getting ill. 听

A spoken word performance by Lewisham's Trinity Church of England secondary school students encapsulated these feelings:

"Mould! Leaking into my walls! Mould! Seeping into my soul! Bacteria, bacteria, it鈥檚 affecting my interior! What about my health too?鈥�

Rising prices and the search for clean and safe homes are forcing many families to move further away, resulting in longer journeys to school听and inadvertently affecting children鈥檚 academic performance.听

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to draw my house鈥�: during workshops, some children struggled to complete the task of drawing their own house, indicating difficulties in expressing deeply personal and emotional experiences.听

Jehan Hafiz (third year Psychology with Education BSc), who was one of the student leaders for the campaign, said: "I'm proud of our team for listening to our children and putting in the hard work to make sure their voices were heard. One thing is for certain - these children are victims of London's housing crisis. Change to housing is necessary, and it needs to happen now."

Emilia Campos, an Associate Community Organiser for Citizens UK, added: 鈥淚 work with around 15 schools in Lewisham, and in every single one housing is the biggest issue. But this isn鈥檛 just a problem in Lewisham. Community leaders from across Citizens UK identified that poor conditions in social homes and the PRS, as well as the rocketing numbers of children in Temporary Accommodation, were major issues that we highlighted in the run up to the London and General Elections."

*Formerly known as the Education Studies BA, for cohorts who started degree courses prior to the academic year 2024/25.听

尝颈苍办蝉听

• 听
• 听
• Educating and Organising for Social Justice module听
• Education, Society and Culture BA at 果冻影院*听

Images听

Top: School children, teachers, community leaders听and 果冻影院 students听holding hand-illustrated signs campaigning for housing action. Credit: Rui Zhang.听

Middle: In discussion with Deputy Mayor Tom Copley outside City Hall. Credit: Rui Zhang.听