Hackney Schools and the Black Child Conference 2007
On Saturday the Hackney Ocean played host to the local offshoot of the London Schools and the Black Child initiative. The Hackney Schools and the Black Child conference 2007 was an all day conference aimed at helping parents, teachers, and community workers to improve the achievement levels of black children in the local area and beyond.
The conference got going with a bang with a performance from the London-based troupe Dance Masters. The African show included dancers, drummers and singers.
Speakers at the conference included the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington Diane Abbott (the founder of the initiative), winner of the BBC’s Apprentice show Tim Campbell, Mayor of Hackney Jules Pipe and the Chief Executive of the Learning Trust Alan Wood. The intensity of feeling on the matter of black children in education was evident in the lively atmosphere during the opening speeches.
Energetic discussions continued throughout the rest of the day in workshops which saw delegates dealing with difficult questions such as how single mothers can father their children, whether criminal youth culture can be counteracted, and the best ways of communicating with schools.
Organisers and delegates alike agreed the conference was a great success. One delegate commented:
“The venue was great, the event was well organised, and the workshops were thought- provoking and insightful.”
And conference organiser Diane Abbott said:
“I’m very pleased we were able to bring the conference back to its roots in Hackney, and to enable local parents and teachers to attend. We’ve had over 400 people today which shows just how important and timely the conference is. Parents and those working with black children are not willing to sit back and let the underachievement in education continue. Today has been really inspiring, there’s been some fantastic ideas brought to light and a very positive feeling about the improvements we can make.”
Ends
Editor’s notes:
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