SLN has always believed in the need to support schools to develop an ethos and curriculum that allows for children and young people to develop critical thinking skills and emotional literacy.
Our work using the four questions Who am I? Who are we? Where do we live? How do we all live together? helps to increase pupil engagement and raise achievement and aspirations in young people so that they believe in themselves and their ability and responsibility to contribute to society.
When it comes to community cohesion, my argument is that a body of work is developing, that it is important, and that it needs support and direction. The official duty to promote it may fade, but I believe that in the 21st century it must be a moral imperative for those working with young people.
Sir Keith Ajegbo, Chairman, SLN
The organisation was founded on strong principles, outlined in two key reports published by the government, Our Shared Future and the Diversity and Citizenship Review. The work of SLN is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, predating the duty to contribute to community cohesion and evolving beyond the duty.
As thinking in relation to cohesion, integration, multiculturalism changes, our work remains focused on materialising those principles for professionals working with children and young people, we know that young people need intercultural competencies to be successful in the world they are growing up in.
