Worksop Junior Council kick bullying and racism to the kurb with launch of new campaign

Members of Worksop Junior Council, made up of school children from schools in the area, have launched a new campaign to tackle racism and bullying.
Members of the Worksop Junior Council proudly display their KURB banner.Members of the Worksop Junior Council proudly display their KURB banner.
Members of the Worksop Junior Council proudly display their KURB banner.

The KURB (Kindness and Understanding beats Racism and Bullying) project seeks to promote and reinforce positive values and is designed to tackle concerns the Junior Council have over issues happening in and out of school, on the streets and in social media.

Junior councillors wanted to focus on combating displays of prejudice that can prevent all people from feeling valued and included.

The idea originated from the Prospect and Kilton Ward meeting of the Council which includes Prospect Hill Juniors, Sir Edmund Hillary and St Augustine’s Primary Schools.

Chloe Coulson in Y6 at St Augustine’s proposed the idea and it was developed in both the Ward Meetings and the Junior Council meetings.

The Junior Council then presented their ideas to Bassetlaw District Council’s Cabinet who very enthusiastically supported the aims and objectives of the campaign.

Members led assemblies back in their schools to help children understand prejudice, racism and bullying and then set them a task of creating posters for the campaign.

The winning design was by Grace Wooley from Prospect Juniors, who worked with both the District Council’s Graphic Design Team and local printers Redhead’s Digital to create a design that can be used across lots of different formats and locations.

Emily Gregory from St John’s School said: “It is an encouragement to stop others being mean to others, because you shouldn’t treat people differently. If you want someone to be nice to you then be nice to them.”

Chris Guest, Headteacher at Sir Edmund Hilary Primary School who this year is organising the Junior Council said: “The children have shown so much initiative and understanding through this project. We seeded a small idea with them and we have encouraged its growth because we want them to see how they can be ambitious for themselves and their community.

“I love the way in which the campaign immediately identifies the positive values we need in our society- well done to them for being such pro-active citizens.”

In addition, Nottinghamshire County Council is providing £4,000 towards the KURB project to roll out specialist Workshops in local schools.

Leah Sareen, community safety officer at Nottinghamshire County Council said: “We are providing funding and leading on workshops with the participating schools, which will involve educational specialists discussing issues around tackling prejudice and hate crime with pupils.

“Children of this age group are still forming their views and understanding of the world around them so it is an ideal time to encourage them to consider the impact of certain beliefs and behaviours on other people, which will help shape the future adult they will become.”

Stephen Brown, Head of Corporate Services at Bassetlaw District Council said: “We have been extremely impressed by the work of the Worksop Junior Council and the KURB project and look forward to seeing the posters and artwork appear around the town. The Junior Council have come up with a great way to reinforce positive behaviours and values and they are great ambassadors for both their schools and the Town.”