Children from eight secondary and primary schools in the Slough area joined forces for an inter-faith eco conference last week.
The conference, hosted by Slough and Eton Church of England Business and Enterprise College, was organised by the Oxford diocesan committee for inter-faith relations to bring together environmental speakers to inspire the children to think about our world and the climate crisis we face.
Kamran Shezad, Director at the Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences, was a keynote speaker, alongside the Rt Revd Olivia Graham, Bishop of Reading, who leads the diocese on environmental matters.
Kamran said: “It was important to do. There were lots of discussions, adults talking to youngsters and also hearing from youngsters about their vision, their ideas and empowering each other. All of us in the room, people from different backgrounds, different faiths, different cultures, all working towards a better and greener future.”
There were discussions about the impact of climate heating on pollution and biodiversity loss and looking after our resources. A presentation from Maranda St John Nicolle, World Development Advisor for the Diocese of Oxford, asked the children to think about how they could connect with other eco projects around the world.
Aaradhya, a student from Pippins Primary School, said: “I have really enjoyed it because we got to learn about our world, about things in danger from global warming. It was good how we had two perspectives, it was very interesting learning from them.”
Pupils from each of the secondary schools also presented triptych artwork based on the theme of the environment. The project, supported by David Sparrow of Art Beyond Belief, produced some thoughtful pieces, calling on the public to take action.
To end the day the Growing Better Lives project, led by Greencare, showed the delegates how your mental health can be supported by nature.
Schools taking part were Pippins Primary School, Colnbrook CofE Primary School, Eden Girls School, Slough and Eton CofE Business and Enterprise College, Beechwood School, St Bernards Catholic Grammar School, Pioneer Secondary Academy, and St Mary’s Primary School.
Visit our Facebook gallery to see more photographs from the day.
Notes to Editor
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