Supported Learning Prevent Week empowers students to stay safe and promote positive values

A Terrorism survivor joined West Midlands Police to deliver sessions to Walsall College’s Supported Learning students about keeping safe, as part of a week-long programme to raise awareness of the Prevent Duty, radicalisation and extremism.

Prevent Week, which kicked off on 5th March at the College’s Wisemore campus, saw students take part in a number of sessions that aimed to provide them with the knowledge to keep themselves and others safe.

On Friday 9th March, Ahmad Nawaz delivered a talk and shared his experiences about being a survivor of a terrorist attack. 16-year-old Ahmad Nawaz was shot in the arm when Taliban terrorists stormed his school in Peshawar in 2014. His younger brother and dozens of friends were among over 140 mainly young people murdered in the attack.

Following Ahmad’s talk, West Midlands Police delivered interactive sessions to improve students’ knowledge of the Prevent Duty, and to raise awareness of the dangers of getting involved in Far Right Extremism.

Prevent Duty is a legal requirement for schools and colleges to show ‘regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism’.

Activities throughout the week included sessions on Discrimination, Personal Safety and Social Media & Radicalisation. There were also activities encouraging students to learn about different cultures and common values for society, including democracy, rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect.

Supported Learning Performing Arts students performed a devised theatre piece to various groups of students, which aimed to help their peers identify and report signs of extremist behaviour.

Carol Egan, Director of Student Journey at Walsall College, said: “As a college, we make it our mission to ensure that staff and students can study and work in a safe and welcoming environment, and that involves ensuring that everyone is aware of their rights and responsibilities.

Prevent Week was a good opportunity to raise awareness of radicalisation and extremism, and for our students to develop the knowledge to keep themselves and others safe. Here at Walsall College, we embrace these values, along with equality, diversity, democracy, rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect.”

You can find out more about our Supported Learning courses on our website at www.walsallcollege.ac.uk. For more information about enrolling on a course at Walsall College, please call 01922 657000.