LA communications to schools

Title: /

The Heartstone Odyssey Project

Summary: / ‘The Heartstone Odyssey’ is a project for schools which aims to address the issue of hate crime and promote an understanding of difference, identity, and tolerance. The project follows out of a fantasy story book centred on a female heroine, Chandra, and documents her quest to overcome intolerance, prejudice, and racism.
Target school(s): / Primary
Specific schools
For attention of: / Heads
Author:
Contact: / Phoebe Carpenter
Email: /
Telephone:
Newsletter date: / 06/11/2017
Action required/
due date: / Contact Phoebe for further information

THE HEARTSTONE ODYSSEY PROJECT – CHALLENGING HATE CRIME AND BUILDING COMMUNITY COHESION/INTEGRATION

A Project for Schools

‘The Heartstone Odyssey’ is a project for schools which aims to address the issue of hate crime and promote an understanding of difference, identity, and tolerance. The project follows out of a fantasy story book centred on a female heroine, Chandra, and documents her quest to overcome intolerance, prejudice, and racism.

Why should we participate?

•  Established Program: Over 300 schools nationwide have been involved in the project to date along with private and third sector organisations.

•  Curriculum connections: The story can be incorporated into part of curriculum such as Literacy or RE, or some schools have used it frame discussions around “British values”. It is not designed to be an ‘extra thing to do’.

•  Sustainability: Once in place, the project pack can be used year after year with new classes. Heartstone will maintain contact to ensure schools are aware of all updates and new resources so that this becomes an ongoing and growing resource.

What is involved?

Age group: The project is designed to be delivered to a Year 5,6 or 7 class in school and led by their teacher.

Resources: Each participating school will be provided with the following (for free):

1. Heartstone resource pack

• Class set of 30 copies of The Heartstone Odyssey book and the Heartstone photostories connected to the narrative and discussion topics.

2. Training session for teachers

• 2 hours delivered by a Heartstone trainer. There are no lesson plans, just guidelines for discussion topics based on feedback from other projects.

• One further training session if required.

About Heartstone

Heartstone, is a non-profit national organisation which uses story - fiction, photodocumentary and historically based story themes - to raise social and environmental issues with children and young people. Funding from MOPAC (Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime) has been secured to extend this project into additional boroughs of London following a successful event at the House of Commons in November 2016.