News PSHE Talks: Hibo Wardere and Satveer Nijjar 02.02.2022

This week we welcomed a number of speakers to the school as part of our PSHE programme to talk about important teenage topics  and support our commitment to promoting good mental health and emotional wellbeing.

On Tuesday we were particularly lucky to welcome two excellent speakers to the school. Hibo Wardere came to London as a teenager fleeing the Somali Civil War and is now a prominent campaigner and educator for #nofgm and related issues. Hibo spoke very poignantly to our Sixth Formers about her own trauma and the plight of an estimated 200 million girls who have suffered physical pain, emotional trauma, long-term health and gynaecological complications and, in the very worst cases, premature death because of the cultural, religious and social practices in their communities. Our students were absolutely inspired by this fierce campaigner who is working to make the world a better place for women.

Another speaker who joined us on Tuesday and spoke very honestly about her own experiences was Satveer Nijjar who delivered sessions to small groups of Year 10 students throughout the day on mental health and emotional wellbeing. These included the factors that can lead to emotional distress, anxiety, fear and feelings of negative self-worth and information on how students can support themselves and their friends if they are struggling.  Satveer then presented a session to staff covering issues relating to self-harm in  more depth. Staff found her ability to tackle difficult topics with such bravery and honesty, and to turn them into positive teaching experiences, quite remarkable and very engaging.

Thank you to both of our speakers.