Mitzvah Day visits Verulam School for World Religions Day

ON JANUARY 19, Verulam School in St Albans was delighted to host two representatives from Mitzvah Day to work with our year-10 and year-11 students as part of our curriculum enrichment for World Religions Day 2023.

World Religions Day is an annual interfaith celebration held on the third Sunday in January, which aims to encourage understanding and peace between all religions, as well as mutual understanding and acceptance between people from different backgrounds. The entire year-11 cohort have studied Judaism for their GCSE religious studies exam qualification.

Stuart Diamond and Laurie Shone from Mitzvah Day joined a welcome group of guest speakers representing Humanism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Students took part in five workshops across the day, having an opportunity to develop their curriculum knowledge beyond the classroom by asking questions and debating issues of human rights, social justice and social action in accordance with those religious beliefs represented on the day. Learning about, and from, religion via the personal accounts of the guest speakers was a truly special and enlightening experience for our students, an experience the school plans to nourish so that community bonds can be strengthened in the local area among our faith leaders and residents.

Future work between Verulam School and Mitzvah Day is in the pipeline. Discussions are under way about some interfaith charity project initiatives and sporting events involving Mitzvah Day with the primary aim being to promote good deeds and acts of kindness across the school and wider community, this of course being in line with some of the values underpinning Mitzvah Day.

Verulam School is proud to work with Mitzvah Day and is excited for the outcomes of this new collaboration.

A truly special and enlightening experience for our students