SACRE AT SOAR VALLEY COLLEGE

At Soar Valley College, Gleneagles Avenue, this afternoon for the regular scheduled meeting of Leicester SACRE (Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education).

We hear Sandfield Close Primary School's petition for determination, presented by Head Teacher Amanda Dhillon.

We have the third presentation in our ongoing series, Faith Focus, in which one of the members of SACRE is given the opportunity to introduce the group to their religion or belief. Today it’s a presentation on Humanism by Allan Hayes.

We’re brought up to speed with the latest developments in our series of electronic booklets of guidance for schools staff, Engaging with Leicester’s Faith Communities.

We’re presented with the SACRE Annual Report and with the SACRE development plan, January 2011 – January 2013. This plan describes the following five key priorities:

1. To monitor the impact of the Leicester Agreed Syllabus on raising standards of RE in schools
2. To raise the profile of SACRE and the positive contribution it can make to community cohesion
3. To support the work of the Youth SACRE
4. To provide guidance and support for schools of effective provision for Collective Worship and support for determinations
5. To develop links between Leicester SACRE and schools as well as local / national bodies

CHALLENGING RELIGIOUS EDUCATION: YOUTH SACRE CONFERENCE

At Holy Trinity Church, Regent Road, for "Challenging RE": a Religious Education conference for gifted and more able RE students, years 8-11. There are pupils and students from eleven city schools here today:

• Babbington Community College
• City of Leicester College
• Fullhurst Community College
• Leicester High School
• Madani High School
• Moat Community College
• New College
• Rushey Mead School
• Samworth Enterprise Academy
• Sir Jonathan North Community College
• Soar Valley College

Teachers from Hamilton Community College and Judgemeadow Community College are leading workshops today, though no students from either of those schools are attending the conference.

After the words of welcome from Jill Car (RE Consultant for Leicester City Council) and the introductory talk by Fiona Moss (Consultant for RE Today Services), attendees get to choose from a variety of seminars and workshops:

Visual RE: Breathe Breathe is a resource for exploring the themes of belief, journey and values. It is a large mat with 12 interactive and reflective activities. It is an imaginative way of asking some of life's big questions. (That's a photo of Breathe above.)

Ethical RE: Right and wrong? A multifaith perspective Examining the theme of good and evil and if religion can make a difference to life here in Leicester both now and in the future.

Reflective RE: A Buddhist perspective What does Buddhism teach about how should live our lives? Could we find inner peace by following the precepts of Buddhism?

Controversial RE: Early life issues, a multifaith perspective The Youth SACRE invites you to investigate arguments for and against abortion from a multifaith perspective? Whose life is it anyway?

Controversial RE: A Jewish perspective Wrestle with topical, ethical issues such as euthanasia, racism, genetic engineering and the Holocaust standing in the shoes of the Jewish community.

Enquiring RE: Persecuted for your faith? A Christian perspective Would you be prepared to die for what you believe in? Some Christians around the world are doing exactly that! True, harrowing stories from around the world.

Active RE: Euthanasia. A Hindu and Christian perspective Take part in an active workshop that uses drama, roleplay and reflection to allow you to truly understand the debate that surrounds this controversial issue!

Creative RE: A Sikh and Christian perspective on poverty RE invites you to reflect on all sorts of issues ... be challenged transfer your ideas and images onto glass and take away a reminder of the day.

Enquiring RE: using P4C (Philosophy for Children) to explore a topical RE issue Thinking aloud about RE: What do you really think about some of the "Big Issues" in contemporary society? Does religion help or hinder our thinking about such issues? Come along to ask some questions and think about some "answers" for yourself.

Extreme RE: Contentious issues from a multifaith perspective The death penalty? Homosexuality Islamophobia? Tackling some of today's taboos interactively.

Exciting RE: Religious Education and Community Cohesion Did the summer riots show that we are unable to work as a cohesive society? Are there lessons to be drawn from religion?

Creative RE: Green issues from a Humanist and Muslim perspective Live in this world as if you were going to live forever! How do the ethics of Humanism and Islam help us to preserve the planet? A creative workshop.

After lunch, I take part in a panel with six others:

• Kartar Singh (Sikh)
• Dave Smith (Christian, Youth Worker, Holy Trinity church)
• Sheila Markham (Leicester Progressive Jewish Congregation)
• Kishan Devani (Hindu: Swaminarayan School, Brent)
• Allan Hayes (Leicester Secular Society)
• Selma Ravat (Muslim)

A Buddhist was invited and accepted the invitation, but hasn't shown up.

The panel is introduced and chaired by Jill Carr (Secretary of SACRE), who pulls from a bag a number of questions submitted in writing by attendees.

1. "Why do Protestants and Catholics hate each other even though they believe in creation and in the same God?" Jill gave this question to Dave and Sheila (although I, with my background of having grown up in the blue half of Glasgow in the 1960s and 70s, couldn't help but wade in!)
2. "What makes you believe that God exists?" Jill gave this question to Selma and Allan (so the latter could tackle the question from the opposite end).
3. "What exactly is the Bahá'í Faith and who are Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá?" Jill gave this one to me - surprise, surprise - though I'd have liked to hear another member of the panel to try it on for size before I answered it. I can't help but think that Jill slipped this one in just for my benefit.
4. "From a Hindu perspective, if we have souls and go through the cycle of samsara - who are we? And when we die, will we know who we have been?" Jill gave this one to Kishan.
5. "Can God help with life?" Jill gave this one to Dave and Kishan.
6. "What do you find difficult about your faith?" Jill gave this one to Selma and Sheila.
7. "Is it right to abort a child if it has disabilities?" Jill gave this one to Allan and Kishan.
8. ""Why do Muslims agree with Halal meat which is not the most humane way of treating an animal, when the Qur’án teaches that animals should be treated with kindness? Jill gave this one to Selma and Sheila (and Kartar chips in).
9. "Is Jesus watching us?" Jill gives this one to Dave.

After these written questions, Jill opens the floor so that pupils and students can ask questions of the panellists directly.

• To Kishan: "What do you class as 'the soul'?"
• To Selma: "With Muslims teenagers and young adults, do you think it's hard for them to follow some of the rules, such as not having a boyfriend or girlfriend and not drinking alcohol?"
• To Dave: "If Christians believe that God is omnipotent, how come there's so much suffering in the world?"
• To Kishan: "You say that in Hinduism, all animals have atman. If that's true, why can't animals think and reason, like humans?"

The day ends with a rousing performance by a choir, put together on the day.

LEICESTER YOUTH SACRE

At Beaumont Leys City Learning Centre for the final meeting this academic year of the Youth SACRE. Today, members of youth SACRE have been designing and making models for resources that students can use in schools across Leicester: RE resources made by young people for young people. The following activities are also on their agenda today:

• Filming footage to complete their Youth SACRE DVD.
• Planning two seminars for the RE Conference in November 2011.
• Working on a Youth SACRE website.
• Developing posters and flyers advertising the work of the Youth SACRE.
• Planning an event during National Inter Faith Week (20-26 November).

I've been invited by Jill Carr, Secretary to SACRE, to speak to the students about developing their own blog (with reference to social media alrady familiar to them, such as Facebook). I'm given the services of a small group for half-an-hour or so this afternoon (in the photo around the table, above - joined by Jennie Duce, Head of RE and Citizenship at Sir Jonathan North Community College). My assistants in this session (and their lunch choices) are:

• Abdi (prawn mayo sandwich)
• Azim (cheese and tomato sandwich)
• Eeti (cheese and salad sandwich)
• Mariam (cheese and salad sandwich)

• Mohamed (cheese and pickle sandwich)
• Mohammed (cheese and onion sandwich)
• Saaima (cheese and coleslaw sandwich)
• Vinita (chicken burger)

My assistants think that a Youth SACRE blog should be:

• informative
• up-to-date
• attractive (people should want to read it and recommend it to their friends)
• useful
• inspiring
• appropriate

I set our group the task of completing the following statement: "I would like more people to know about Leicester Youth SACRE because ..."

• "... it gives an opportunity for the other young people to talk about their and others' religious views."
• "... it gives young people a chance to have their say in religious aspects which will affect them in future."
• "... because we could make the communities' future better."
• "... because it gives young people a chance to voice their opinions about Religious Education."
• "... because there are lots of things to learn in the Youth SACRE which will help in future. You learn about different religions and beliefs of different people from different backgrounds."
• "... because you can learn more about different religions and to communicate with someone who is a different religion, skin colour and race."
• "... because you can discuss about other religions and cultures involving people to know each other."

I show our team how, within 90 seconds of publishing this very post, it gets its first viewing, the next one following some 30 seconds later. They're quite excited by this and it appears to be enough to convince them that Leicester Youth SACRE should have its own blog! by the time I get to show this to the larger group at the end of the afternoon, the post has had nine viewings from as many as five different countries - a nice illustration, if ever there was one, of just how their work can be amplified!