Determined Daventry ‘Diamonds’ make their school a better place

Twenty-seven pupils from year 9 at the Parker E-ACT Academy in Daventry have been awarded the Changemaker Diamond Award by the University of Northampton, recognising their efforts to boost the schools feel good factor.

The Changemaker Diamond Award, recognised the power and determination this group of pupils from the Parker E-ACT Academy had to make a positive change to their school community. Determined to make positive changes to their school community, the students created and ran four projects to tackle issues they felt were important, focusing on health, the environment, heritage and education. Each project was created based with the four University’s Changemaker Challenges.

Michael Hodgson Assistant Head teacher at the Parker E-ACT Academy said: “The student action groups ran assemblies to raise awareness of the things they felt were school challenges, along with what they had planned to tackle them. They also organised fundraising events, student led days of action and more after school clubs. It was wonderful to see these students motivated to create these social action projects, run them, and talk about them passionately to the rest of the school.”

Through a number of fundraising events, the students raise money which will now be used to buy stationary for students who struggle to afford this, as part of the ‘pen’ scheme at the school, which aims to reduce the number of students forgetting their pens for lessons.

To boost pride in the school grounds and facilities, the students took on vandals who had caused damage to changing rooms, repainting both the boys and girls changing facilities in school colours, white and purple, as well as fundraising for more litter bins to clean up the campus.

Liam Norton, Pathways co-ordinator at the University of Northampton, who worked with the students and school to develop the social action projects said: “As part of the Changemaker Diamond award, the students were part of a two-day programme led by Humanutopia and students from the University of Northampton, which helped them develop the confidence to tackle the issues they felt were important; as well as develop their problem solving, communication, creative thinking and planning skills. We’ve then supported the students in their action groups through their chosen project and are now celebrating their successes.”

“This award has provided a platform the student’s needed to think creatively and work to together as a team to deliver the social action projects. The school and its students have made a positive difference in other young people’s lives all in the space of 50 days! An in creditable achievement, one the students should be very proud of.”