This week, our Year 12 Wellbeing Ambassadors have been building connections and inspiring conversation across our Berkhamsted Schools Group Community. Receiving training and support from the organisation humanutopia, they have led invaluable and brave conversations in two sessions, firstly with Berkhamsted Prep and Heatherton pupils from Year 5, and then with Year 9 pupils across Kings and Castle.
Humanutopia are an educational consultancy who want to ‘empower young people to make positive change.’ They visit Berkhamsted Schools Group annually to run a series of reflective and powerful workshops that connect and inspire members across the School community.
This begins with the training of our Year 12 Wellbeing Ambassadors, or ‘Heroes,’ as they were named by humanutopia instructors. They discussed how to connect with new people and lead reflective conversations, establishing various activities and sharing knowledge that would help them later in their sessions.
Year 12s were launched straight into building connections from here, as a host of Heatherton and Prep pupils from Year 5 arrived at Deans’ Hall after lunch. Starting with a series of team-building games designed to bring their groups closer, Year 12 designed activities that allowed Year 5 to reflect on their relationships and time at School. Our Ambassadors listened intently and offered pupils meaningful advice from their own experiences.
Year 5 teacher Liz Benson reflected:
‘Through a series of games and discussion activities the children were encouraged to feel positive about themselves, their future and fostering positive relationships. The session was a positive celebration of our pupils and how they are able to support each other as they progress through the school.’
On Tuesday, the Wellbeing Ambassadors returned for their second session: this time, with Year 9. The theme of this session was, ‘Who Am I?’ encouraging pupils to reflect on themselves as individuals. Tamara, one of the instructors at humanutopia, described this as a ‘massive day’, where Year 9 reflected on ‘about who they are as people, why they’ve become the version of themselves that they are, and what kind of barriers get in the way.’
‘Today was very eventful,’ Yasmina, a Wellbeing Ambassador, agreed. ‘We started off reflecting on the past, and how that affected us. It was a great way to get to know each other, and it really helped us bond in a way we wouldn’t have otherwise.’
Jonny, another Ambassador, continued,
‘we learned how to communicate with each other, and they [the Year 9s] actually asked some pretty deep questions about who they actually are with new people’.
This was a moment for Year 9 to sit and discuss their own values in a collaborative, supportive environment. Tamara praised their respectful communication and willingness to reflect on themselves, saying, ‘they were really brave, they were really honest, and they had some big conversations.
The Year 12s were amazing at supporting both groups, leading them through challenges, and giving them advice. It was just one big celebration of how cool it is when we connect with each other a little bit more!’
Humanutopia’s visit was a wonderful celebration of the connections we can spark when we empower members of our School community. At Berkhamsted Schools Group, character education is central to pupil development, and opportunities like these allow our pupils to flourish. Our pupils showed a willingness to Be Adventurous and Serve Others as they shared their stories.