Community Action

At Harris Academy Bermondsey we strive to support all students to be Active Citizens, who lead with ambition, compassion and respect. 

We acknowledge that when students are inspired, they are motivated and empowered to make a difference in their community.  

We believe that through opportunities to explore their impact on society and the lives of others, students develop their own agency, and can make conscientious decisions to support and advocate for others.  

Our student leadership opportunities offer opportunities for students to lead within the Academy and make a difference to students in the Academy: 

• Reader leader mentors support with reading interventions to improve literacy with targeted students 

• HAB6 peer mentors with students in other year groups to support their wellbeing 

• HAB6 students volunteer to run breakfast club, offering bagels and a much needed energy boost in the morning  

• Students completing DofE often volunteer their time to support teachers with projects  

• At students request we are training HAB6 students as mental health ambassadors so that they can work with students to support their wellbeing 

• Our LGBTQ+ club provides access to, and support for members of the HAB student community  

• Gardening club  

Other examples opportunities for HAB students to be inspired and motivated to support the wider community are: 

• Care and Share Café (see below) 

• Fundraising and donations to Crisis  

• Age Concern events at HAB 

• Macmillan Coffee morning at HAB 

• Refugee week fund raising 

• Culture day bake sale  

• Christmas jumper day in aid of Save the Children 

Care and Share Café 
This year HAB students have partnered with Appleby Blue to provide students the opportunity to engage with the local community. 

Appleby Blue and Fooditude are working together to ensure that no food goes to waste. Our students will support Fooditude chefs to prepare food for Appleby Blue residents and the local community and will then support with serving food and drinks. We will continue to run these sessions monthly following the initial success of our first two Care and Share Café sessions.  

First Give at HAB 
This academic year, students in Year 9 at HAB are going to be working to tackle social issues by supporting local charities as part of a Programme provided by national social action charity First Give (www.firstgive.co.uk). Through taking part in the First Give programme. Students will investigate social issues, and meet with local charities that address them, in their local community. To support their chosen charities, students will engage in social action by fundraising and raising awareness. Students will then compete in a School Final, where judges will watch presentations from the students about their chosen charity and what they've done to support them. The winning group will be awarded a £1,000 First Give grant for their chosen charity. 

We are excited to see what Year 9 will achieve to support the HAB and local community!