Unicef praises London South East Colleges' commitment to young people's rights

: Created: 29 November 2017

Having been awarded this accolade in the summer, the College’s Greenwich and Bexley campuses hosted a visit last week from Unicef’s Rights Respecting Schools Programme Director, Frances Bestley, to review progress.

Frances was taken on a tour of the two campuses and visited classrooms to speak to groups of young people about their rights and what they have learned. Students welcomed the opportunity to discuss their knowledge of their rights and how this has impacted on them.

This prestigious award is granted to schools, colleges and universities that have shown good progress towards embedding children’s rights in their policy, practice and culture. They must also demonstrate that students are beginning to see themselves as rights respecting global citizens and advocates for fairness.

Tweeting after her visit, Frances said: “Thank you @LSEColleges for hosting such a great day. Impact of #RRSA visible throughout campuses and in conversations with students.”

Executive Director of Corporate Development at London South East Colleges, Louise Wolsey, added: “Frances’ visit has cemented the College’s success in achieving Level 1 and moving along its rights respecting journey. It gave us the opportunity to showcase all the hard work being done by staff and students to promote and respect young people’s rights.

“We are now working towards the final stage of the award, level 2 and I am confident we will meet the requirements to achieve this in the near future.”

Following her meeting with Frances, Health and Social Care student Vikki, said: “Learning about young people’s rights and the UN Convention has not only helped me know what rights I have myself, but has helped me grow as a parent. I now feel more confident in sending my child out into education knowing what he is entitled to and how I can help him if things go wrong.”