Today Upper Sixth historians joined over 8,000 students across the country for a virtual student summit discussing 9/11 and its ramifications to mark Human Rights Day.
The summit was hosted by the ‘Since 9/11’ charity in partnership with the UCL Institute of Education and included guest speakers such as Sir Simon Schama and Sara Khan as well as people directly effected by the horrific events of that day. Whilst none of our students in school were even born when the planes hit, they have grown up in a world that has been irreversibly changed by it. 2977 people lost their lives that day, 2977 families were left devastated and the ramifications have been huge around the globe. Simon Schama talked about the main issues facing young people today and highlighted that in order to tackle them we need tolerance, empathy and if nothing else to “only connect”. The students came away with not only a better understanding of the events that occurred but also of radicalisation and how things can escalate. We all have a part in play in creating the world in which we want to live.
As Einstein said “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing” and doing something starts with education...
The Ground Zero Memorial in New York
