RE MATTERS
Challenging Religious and
WorldviewsStereotypes
RE Matters is a Newham business that seeks to support, inspire, and transform learning in schools.
Student RE Matters is a group of young people interested in moral and religious issues from different backgrounds and cultures who get together each half term from different Newham secondary schools. It gives an opportunity for these students to discuss spiritual and moral issues that are important to them.
Student RE Matters has been running in Newham for 18 years. It is known nationally for the innovative work it has produced on identity and faith sensitivities.
It provides schools with the opportunity to:
- Promote dialogue between young people from different religious and worldview backgrounds, supporting collaborative work.
- Contribute to community benefit, as it seeks to develop young people’s skills in understanding their concerns and provides a place for them to learn to become an initiator and developer of solutions.
It also gives students the opportunity to develop their leadership skills by becoming part of an Executive group, that help to plan meetings and represent the group at the adult SACRE meetings.
What have previous students said about Student RE Matters:
“This experience allows you to express your ideas and beliefs and learn about different perspectives. This also gives you an opportunity to show your leadership skills”.
“You should join Student RE Matters as it is a unique opportunity to explore a plethora of ideas, faiths and new to old concepts. Student RE Matters encourages us to strengthen and change ideas that we may share. It also tests us in many ways, but it is always a pleasure to partake in”.
“Student RE Matters allows us to unite and work together as representing Newham rather than just our school”.
“I enjoy learning about other’s religions, and what their religion says about certain topics, I get so much from that”.
“This experience allows you to express your ideas and beliefs and learn about different perspectives. This also gives you an opportunity to show your leadership skills”.
“You should join Student RE Matters as it is a unique opportunity to explore a plethora of ideas, faiths and new to old concepts. Student RE Matters encourages us to strengthen and change ideas that we may share. It also tests us in many ways, but it is always a pleasure to partake in”.
“Student RE Matters allows us to unite and work together as representing Newham rather than just our school”.
“I enjoy learning about other’s religions, and what their religion says about certain topics, I get so much from that”.
Each year the students work on a different project.
This year the project is ‘Challenging religious and worldview stereotypes’.
The students have been given the opportunity to meet with different religious and worldview representatives and to talk with them about stereotypes. They have found out about the religious and worldview stereotyping these representatives or others from their community have experienced. The students have had the opportunity to think how we can challenge and overcome these stereotypes.
As part of this, the project will produce four high quality films that will be used to produce assembly resources for Primary and Secondary schools across the country.
Previous resources have been made available through out YouTube Channel RE Matters - YouTube
To read more about previous projects, including ‘Bullying and Belief’ which was also supported by Westhill Endowment please see rematters.co.uk
