Pupils showcase their challenging causes

Schools from across Buckinghamshire took the limelight on Thursday (July 14) to showcase national and local causes close to their hearts.

Hosted at Aylesbury’s Waterside Theatre, the Go-Givers Make a Difference Challenge involved around 300 pupils from20 schools.

Each had chosen a cause and developed an awareness-raising, fund-raising or direct action campaign around it, then presented it on Thursday to fellow pupils and teachers.

They each produced a presentation scrapbook for judging, and the three winners were Great Missenden Combined, who did a project on road safety in the village, Bearbrook Combined, Aylesbury, who developed an anti-litter campaign, and William Harding Combined, Aylesbury, whose presentationfocused on older people.

The Challenge, led by Buckinghamshire County Council Children’s Programmes Team in partnership with the Citizenship Foundation,was woven intoeach school’s Citizenship curriculum.

Noel Brown, Deputy Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, who presented pupils with participation certificates, said the range of causes chosen by pupils demonstrated how carefully they had thought about issues not only locally, but nationally and internationally.

‘I was so impressed with the challenging causes they had chosen, and how well they tackledsome very difficult topics, and this showed a real depth of understanding,’ he said.