Sir Lewis Hamilton visited Oasis Academy South Bank Secondary last week to hear from Oasis students, teachers and young people as part of a national campaign to reduce school exclusions.
The seven-time Formula 1 world champion visited the Tes Secondary School of the Year in Waterloo to hear how the ‘Nothing Happens In Isolation’ campaign, an initiative launched by his foundation Mission 44 to address disproportionate rates of exclusion amongst minority students, was progressing.
Oasis has been working on several projects as part of the ‘Preventing Exclusions Fund’ set up by Mission 44 to fund projects designed to tackle exclusion, including the campaign and Oasis 360 mentoring programme.
Hamilton said in words published on the Mission 44 website: “It’s clear that inclusion in education is not a side project, it’s crucial to unlocking potential, so that no matter where you come from or your background, you can achieve and succeed.”
The Oasis 360 mentoring programme, based at Oasis Ashburton Park & Oasis Hadley, connects young people at risk of exclusion with trusted volunteer mentors, and was one of the key projects Hamilton learned about during the visit.
A roundtable discussion took place with several partners connected to the Preventing Exclusions Fund, where Hamiliton heard from young people and staff about the impact it was having.
This included Prosper Karatunga, leader of Oasis 360 mentoring, and Sam, an Oasis Academy Arena student.
Sam received a range of provisions from the Oasis 360 mentoring programme after moving from Nigeria three years ago, including 1 to 1 support, work experience sessions, leadership opportunities at a local primary school, and lessons in CV writing.
Testimonials from the Oasis 360 programme include Kyla, a year 11 Oasis student, who said she doesn’t think she “would survive school” without her Oasis 360 mentor.
Salma, a 14-year-old Oasis Academy South Bank student and Youth Parliament member who attended the roundtable said: “I love being at a school that is so inclusive. It was amazing to meet Lewis and be in a space where young people’s experiences were genuinely listened to and taken seriously.”
