By Raneem A, Freya H, Harinee S and Venus R, Amnesty Club

The cause of our walk was to raise money to abolish the death penalty in Iran. Many people were losing their lives unfairly and our aim was to help it stop. At first, we sent out a Just Giving link and hoped to raise £1000. However, with the help of the students and parents, we raised a grand total of £1307!

It was really enjoyable to walk knowing that we had done something to make a difference in the world. Throughout our Amnesty walk, we were impressed by the scenery surrounding us on our way to Richmond, but also the amount of people, especially young students, who took interest in our cause. While walking past neighbouring schools, we had numerous students approach us inquiring about what we were protesting for, some even asking to join us on our walk. While we were not permitted to allow them to join our walk, we were still grateful and excited to know our message was being heard.

This year we have tried to generate donations for Amnesty International, and raise awareness, through organising a ‘pie your teachers’ event. The event consisted of six teachers volunteering to answer a range of questions covering topics from pop culture to science but if they answered a question incorrectly, they would get pied in the face! For an additional fee we even allowed students to ask their own questions to whatever teacher they wanted… this ended up being unfortunate for Mr Khan who was tasked with answering peculiar questions such as “what is this doll’s name?” Through our event we were able to generate £120 to go towards Amnesty’s movement that helps women in Afghanistan with their right to education.

Following our resounding success, we are poised to make a grand entrance at Hillfest on July 5^th, marking our final charity event of the year. Inspired by the remarkable achievements of our recent walk, we are determined to captivate festival goers. With unwavering dedication to our cause, we strive not only to amass donations but also to raise awareness for Amnesty at Hillfest. The Amnesty Society’s participation in Hillfest serves a dual purpose. In addition to enchanting festival goers with our culinary delights and celebrating the performing arts, we are driven to ignite change and rally support for our noble cause. Each cupcake sold and every face painted brings us closer to fulfilling our mission of promoting human rights and social justice.

Looking ahead, we have exciting plans for the coming year, including a series of charity events in support of our cause. “Art for Impact: Harnessing the transformative power of art” will be a captivating exhibition that challenges perspectives and sparks meaningful conversations. Students will employ their creative expressions through paintings, sculptures, installations, and multimedia displays, shedding light on human rights issues and prompting reflection and empathy. This initiative aims to inspire a deeper understanding of the struggles faced by marginalised communities and illuminate pathways toward a more equitable world. Furthermore, the “Voices of Resilience Concert” will bring together music and drama students, who share a profound passion for human rights. With every note played and every lyric sung, this concert will celebrate the power of music as a catalyst for change. Through these initiatives, we strive to create lasting impact and foster a society that champions justice and equality for all.

If you would like to donate to our cause, using this link, we would be very grateful. Thank you.