Latymer Upper School at the Regional Finals of the Goldsmiths’ Company Community Engagement Awards

A team of Sixth Formers competed in the Regional Finals of the Goldsmiths’ Company Community Engagement Awards on Tuesday, 23 March against a selection of schools from across England. 

We had been shortlisted by Goldsmiths for our students’ outstanding volunteering work. As part of our Service in the Community programme, Year 12 students volunteer with local schools, charities and community organisations.

During the pandemic, students worked with the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, helping to create digital maps of the world’s most vulnerable and ‘forgotten’ places, directly improving the lives of some of the planet’s most vulnerable communities by quite literally putting them on the map. 

Students gave a virtual presentation on the programme in front of a panel of six judges, including Judith Cobham-Lowe OBE, a Liveryman and former Prime Warden (equivalent to Chair) of the Goldsmiths’ Company. The judges praised our team for their presentation and for the impact that Service in the Community has had on the local area and commented that our students had clearly benefited from the learning and development opportunities provided during the programme. 

The Goldsmiths’ Company Community Engagement Awards were launched in 2019. The awards, which are student-led, celebrate the positive impact schools have through charitable and voluntary initiatives within their local communities. Commenting on why the Goldsmiths’ Company had created the award, Judith said: “These activities are of vital importance to many people, but often go unrecognised. The Goldsmiths’ Company Community Engagement Award recognises the unsung heroes in schools up and down the country – young people who have given their time, energy and ideas to outstanding initiatives that support our local communities.”

We expect to hear after Easter if we have made it through to the Final which will be held this summer at the magnificent Goldsmiths’ Hall in London. The winners will receive an award, designed by the artist-craftsman Tom Fattorini, as well as a cash prize to support the continuation and expansion of existing community programmes.

Author: Karen Dove