In the UK, February is LGBTQ+ history month. Athena School is a Stonewall School Champion, so we will be looking forward to seeing plenty of LGBTQ+ history information go up around school.

The first ever LGBT+ history month took place in 2005. The official LGBT+ History month website defines the month as promoting equality and diversity, for the benefit of the public by:

• Increasing the visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (“LGBT+”) people, their history, lives and their experiences in the curriculum and culture of educational and other institutions, and the wider community;
• Raising awareness and advancing education on matters affecting the LGBT+ community;
• Working to make educational and other institutions safe spaces for all LGBT+ communities; and
• Promoting the welfare of LGBT+ people, by ensuring that the education system recognises and enables LGBT+ people to achieve their full potential, so they contribute fully to society and lead fulfilled lives, thus benefiting society as a whole.

Our Stonewall display, within school, will proudly feature historical LGBT+ people, and how they relate to the subjects we teach in school. For example, Jackie Kay is a well known gay author, and Frida Kahlo was a bisexual artist. LGBT+ history month is a great time to learn about people from the LGBT+ community and their contributions to society. For example, did you know that Alan Turing, a gay computer scientist, was responsible for breaking the German Enigma code in World War 2, and without his work, England would have continued to face a big disadvantage against the German military? How amazing!

You can find out more about LGBT+ history month on the Stonewall website, and the official LGBT+ history month website:

• Stonewall
• LGBT+ History Month

Holocaust Memorial Day is recognised on 27th January, and is a time to learn about and to learn from the events of the Holocaust, how the Nazis persecuted millions of people, and also more recent genocides and persecutions in history. HMD was first held in 2001 and has become an annual day of remembrance for all those, especially the Jewish community, who suffered in WW2, due to Hitler and the Nazi regime.

During the years 1941 and 1945, millions of Jewish people suffered at the hands of the Nazis, through persecution, discrimination and forced labour in concentration camps, and death. The Nazis attempt was to exterminate all the Jews in Europe. 

Holocaust Memorial Day is not only a day of remembrance, but a time to learn about the events of the Holocaust, and to learn from them. There are many ways that we can learn about such an important event in history, at school or at home. 

At 7pm today, you can watch the Holocaust Memorial Ceremony online here - the service will be fully digitised and will stream from 7pm to 8pm. At 8pm, if you are able to do so safely, join the millions of others and  light a candle and place it in your window as a sign of remembrance and respect. The theme of 'light in the darkness' symbolises remembrance of those who died in the Holocaust and a promise to fight against prejudice today. You can learn more about this year's theme here.

During the day, today, you can also take part in activities, at home or in school, and you can find out more here. There are cooking activities, plenty of videos to watch, artwork to create, and more. You can visit the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust website for more information on the Holocaust, what HMD is, and how you can take part.

Experience have just added some new virtual work experience opportunities that are looking for students like you to apply. Apply as soon as possible to give yourself the best chance of securing high quality work experience at a top employer and a boost to your future career aspirations.

New Virtual Work Experience Opportunities Recruiting Now:

· Royal Air Force Careers Insight Day - Access All Areas

· Eligibility: 15+

· 3 Dates still available:

o 2^nd March (Deadline 1^st Feb)

o 3^rd March (Deadline 2^nd Feb)

o 4^th March (Deadline 3^rd Feb)

· Time: 10:00 – 15:00

· ST EMpowered Working in the Water Industry

· Dates: 15^th February 2021.

· Eligibility: 16 – 19 year old students keen to find out more about a career in management.

· Application Deadline: 25^th January 2021

· Insights into Infrastructure and the Built Environment

· Dates: 15^{th – 19th} February 2021.

· Eligibility: 15– 19 year olds students interested in environmental sustainability, diversity and inclusion.

· Application Deadline: 15^th January 2021

· Virtual Work Experience with a leading Construction/Engineering/Infrastructure/Design Company

· Dates: 15^th -19^th February 2021.

· Eligibility: 14– 19 year olds students interested in Smart Motorways sector & technology

· Application Deadline: 29^th January 2021

· Wates: Insight Into the Construction Industry – International Women’s Day

· Date: 8^th March 2021.

· Eligibility: 14 – 19 female students.

· Application Deadline: 8^th February 2021

· The NDEC Women in Cyber Virtual Work Experience Day

· Date: 8^th March 2021.

· Time: 10-14:00

· Eligibility: 14-19 female students interested in cyber & security.

· Application Deadline: 17^th February 2021

· Royal Air Force International Women`s Day Webinar - Meet our Ambassadors - 10am-1pm

· Date: 8^th March

· Time: 10am-1pm

· Eligibility: 15– 19 year olds students interested in hearing some inspiring stories from some of our RAF Female Ambassadors

· Application Deadline: 8^th February 2021

· Magazine & Website Article Writing - Add to Your Creative Portfolio - 1 Week Virtual Work Experience

· Dates: 8^th – 12^th March 2021.

· Eligibility: Creative 15 – 19 year olds interested in marketing research, data collection and analysis. – Particularly from the East of England

· Application Deadline: 18^th February 2021

· Green Skills in the Construction and Engineering Industry

· Dates: 6^th -9^th April 2021.

· Eligibility: 14 – 19 year olds interested in the ‘green’ plans for the construction and engineering industry.

· Application Deadline: 7^h March 2021

· VWEX: Construct your Career with Kier

· Dates: 1^st – 5^th March 2021.

· Eligibility: 14 – 19 year olds interested in design, finance, Health & Safety, Sustainability, Planning or Community Engagement

· Application Deadline: 17^h February 2021

· East West Railway Company - Building a New Railway

· Dates: 6^th -9^th April 2021.

· Eligibility: 16 – 19 year olds interested in Technology, Engineering, Planning, Business Studies, Design and/or Customer Services

· Application Deadline: 28^h February 2021

Please complete your application early as employers may make selections before the advertised deadlines.

For a full list of placements - sign in here to search and apply.

If you have any questions about the process, have forgotten your login details or are having technical issues, please get in touch with experience@speakersforschools.org and the team will be more than happy to help.

Good luck!

The Experience Team

Each year, Athena School hosts a careers week for our pupils, but this year it had a little bit of a twist. Under normal circumstances, colleges, apprenticeship providers and careers leaders would be invited to Athena in order to speak directly with our pupils. However, this year, things were quite a bit different. But that doesn't mean that we weren't able to find a way around it! So with social distancing and lockdown, how did we make it happen? You guessed it: A virtual careers event!

Despite things being delivered in a very different way to what we are used to, we were able to host more events and speakers than ever before. We had a jam packed timetable of industry specific zoom lectures, an introduction to STEM, a CV and interview skills workshop, an introduction to apprenticeships, and much more! Members of staff who had worked in other industries, before education, also put together their own subject specific displays, and the entire school was kitted out in careers information.

We were fortunate to hear from speakers from all sorts of different lines of work. Some of these included the jewellery making industry, catering and becoming a chef, nursing, the Armed Forces, paramedics, veterinary nursing and policing. Many of our pupils, from all around the school, not just KS4, involved themselves in these zoom calls. They all listened with respect and asked some very thoughtful questions. We were also looking at post-18 education, as well post-16 education, such as degrees, and many of out pupils expressed interest in this.

As you can see, many of our pupils (and staff!) enjoyed some immersive learning, getting dressed up in career specific clothing!

Pilot Careers are hosting a live web event from Friday 6th November to Saturday 7th November 2020. Pupils are encouraged to register to join in on a virtual weekend of Keynotes speakers, meeting and networking with industry professionals, and bringing essential information to those who are keen in pursuing a career as a pilot.

The event is completely free and takes you through all the necessary information and routes you need in order to become a pilot. 

The information below is taken from the Pilot Careers Live Event webpage:

Who should attend Europe’s biggest Pilot Careers events?

The event is FREE for anyone to attend and is essential for:

• School or college graduates looking for the next step
• Anyone with an ambition to become a professional pilot
• Anyone interested in commercial helicopter flying career
• School or college advisors
• Anyone considering making a career change to avaiation

At Pilot Careers Live – The Virtual Edition you can meet:

• Leading pilot training academies from the UK, mainland Europe, USA and beyond
• Military air forces including the RAF, Army Air Corps and Fleet Air Arm
• Universities
• Pilots
• Former students
• Airlines

The website details what brilliant things you will get out of attending the careers event. If you are seriously considering a career in aviation, make sure you check this out!

2020 has held a mirror up to the world and forced many to see the reality of racism in all its guises. From Black people dying disproportionately in the pandemic, to the horrific murder of George Floyd and no justice for Breonna Taylor – the 26-year-old emergency medical worker killed by police in her own home. #BlackLivesMatter protests around the world sparked a commitment among many individuals and organisations to educate themselves about Black history, heritage and culture – as part of understanding racism and standing in solidarity against it.

Crucially, this year’s Black History Month is a time to shine a light on our shared British history and tell the whole story honestly and truthfully, to decolonise and reclaim history, and tell stories from the perspective of all people – not just the rich white men in power. The felling of contentious statues and monuments is just the start, now it’s time to ask communities how colonial objects and symbols are used to tell the true story of history.

Black History Month 2020 is also a time to look forward and celebrate the here and now – and the future possibilities. In years gone by, October has been the only time of year when the UK talks about the achievements of Black people in Britain. Hopefully, the events of 2020 will be a catalyst for Black history to be shared much more widely – in museums, galleries, schools, universities, public spaces and communities. 

Black History Month 2020 is a time for people to come together and hopefully learn lessons for the present and the future. It’s a time to honour the commitment to learning and standing united against racism. It’s a time to reclaim history and re-imagine how our shared history will be told in the future.

To celebrate Black History Month in our school, each classroom has created a display along with corridor displays, and children will be focussing on different parts of black history and learning about current movements. Black History Month 2020 is a time to teach our children to come together and hopefully learn lessons for the present and the future. It’s a time to honour the commitment to learning and standing united against racism. It’s a time to reclaim history and re-imagine how our shared history will be told in the future!!