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More than a hundred students from the Maidstone borough,
who have English as a second language, came to the International
Student Voice Network conference.
The event, held at St Simon Stock Catholic School, featured
activities including Irish dancing, art (mask making) and music
workshops. The network is the first of its kind in the county and
was launched earlier this year in response to the growing number of
students with English as an additional language.
Representatives from Connexions led anti-bullying workshops and
offered on the spot advice, as well as advertising their services
to students. Kent Youth Service and the Minority Communities
Achievement Service also assisted with workshops.
A total of 117 students from seven secondary schools and Mid
Kent College were at the event. There were also more than 10
unaccompanied asylum seeking young people - some have only been in
the country for a very short time and have not joined a school or
college yet.
Mid Kent College student Rahim,18, who is originally from
Afghanistan, said: "It was a good day and I got the chance to speak
to other people from Afghanistan and learn about many different
cultures. I enjoyed the activities and meeting new people. I've
been in England for one and half years and although the language
was difficult to learn I'm doing OK now and I'm a lot happier
here."
Valley Park student Asmita, 15, enjoyed the day. She said: "I
liked the Irish dancing at the start of the day - that was very
good. I enjoyed meeting other people too."
Franck, 17, arrived in England from the Ivory Coast three months
ago and has been in Maidstone for little over a week. He said:
"Some people in the Ivory Coast have many problems and need help.
I've been in England for three months and am very, very happy here.
I'm learning English, meeting new people and enjoying playing
football."
The various activities and opportunities for socialising meant
students could come together to share experiences and individual
cultures. The students were also given contact sheets and
activities to encourage them to work together and find out more
about one another.
Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Educational
Achievement
Chris
Wells said: "I'm pleased the International Student Voice
Network event was such a success. Being away from your home can be
lonely and isolating, so giving young people the chance to get
together and make friends is very worthwhile. Ultimately such
activities will help them to integrate with the wider
community." |