10,000 Voices

It was a great honour to host Barnardo’s for their 10,000 Voices anthology launch on 8 October.

10,000 Voices is a collection of original poems written by students in UK schools, the result of a series of workshops designed to celebrate the culture and heritage of young people of African, Asian and Caribbean heritage. The anthology is published by Barnardo’s SEEN and partners and shared nationally as a testament to the talent and diversity of our young people. We are particularly proud that ten pieces within the anthology were written by Christ’s Hospital students.

The launch was attended by all the students who contributed to the anthology, along with accompanying teachers and family members. During the launch, Ghino Parker, Barnardo’s SEEN Director, and Adanna Onuekwusi, Project Lead, both made a speech. All the student contributors were then presented with a copy of the anthology and a certificate on stage, and one student performed their poem. The event closed with a rousing performance by the Christ’s Hospital Gospel Choir.

Simon Reid, Head Teacher at Christ’s Hospital, said: ‘We are truly honoured to be involved in this remarkable project; it has been a wonderful experience for our students to share their stories and have their voices heard through 10,000 Voices.’

Ms Onuekwusi said: ‘I am immensely proud of what this project has achieved. From the 600-plus pupils who attended the workshops nationally, to the 70 finalists selected for this anthology; the dozens of educators who passionately supported them; and the 10,000 – and more – histories, lived experiences and voices represented in this collection, speaking to us in each word of each line of each poem.’

Christ’s Hospital very much looks forward to welcoming Barnardo’s back in the future for other such events.

Barnardo’s is a British charity founded by Thomas John Barnardo in 1866, to care for vulnerable children. SEEN is a Barnardo’s initiative seeking to create better outcomes for more African, Asian and Caribbean heritage children and young people.