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The City Academy, Hackney Homerton Row Hackney London E9 6EA Thursday 9th December Dame Meg Hillier House of Commons London SW1A 0AA Dear Meg Hillier, Have you ever noticed the lack of representation in the literature department in the education system? Imagine you are an aspiring black, Asian or Hispanic author, imagine that you are putting all of your pride and effort into your new book that is aimed towards young students, and imagine that book that took so long to make, being neglected by those who run the curriculum for literacy. To put simply, my goal is to change the curriculum for literature in schools, for the better. We as children learn so much about the likes of Roald Dahl and Shakespeare that it is honestly a surprise that we barely learn or even think about authors from different racial backgrounds unless we are the ones who decided to read their book. This is a problem because it means that our future generations grow ignorant when it comes to different authors of different racial backgrounds. In June 2021, a well-known news media company made an article that reported that fewer than 1% of students study books that were made by people of colour for their GCSEs in England in general. Now imagine how low it is in London and then imagine how even lower it must be here, in Hackney. That article is clear evidence of primary and mainly secondary schools, making students ignorant when it comes to people of colour and their works in literature. You may have been thinking that this isn’t truly a problem because of events such as Black History Month, which is praised for its racial inclusion,even though it has been around for decades, we can see that it has barely made a difference. We as a community must combat this. We should try to encourage students by adding books made by people of different races to the English curriculum. This does not mean that we should just add books made by black people to the curriculum and expect everything to be fixed. No. To truly tackle this issue, we need to take the time to read books that have deep meanings, books made by people who are black, Asian, Hispanic and so on and actually dedicate our time to making sure that students are interested in the book and are willing to have lessons based around it. I am hoping that changing the curriculum will help give students inspiration. In the near future, we could see a borough that has been reformed. A borough that does not have a near non-existent percentage when it comes to those specific types of GCSEs. This is the future that I strive for, the future I wish to achieve. I hope that you take my words into consideration. I wish you a wonderful New Year, Yours sincerely, Kamil
Dame Meg Hillier House Of Commons London SW1A0AA 020 7219 5325 Anna Wilson The Hackney Academy Hackney Homerton Row London E9 6EA Friday 10th December 2021 Dear Dame Meg Hillier, I am writing to inform you that in Hackney, many children are currently in poverty, them and their families suffering in silence. This needs to change now. There are children attending wealthy private schools, living in huge houses, who have more food, clothes, toys and money than they need. Then, on the other end of the spectrum, there are children who get a single small meal a day, are living in unsafe conditions, and struggle to get by. Does this seem fair to you? Imagine, if you will, that you are an eleven year old child. You are living in a tiny, rented house and you share a single bed with three younger siblings, who kick and cry all night. The bills are stacking up by the day, and your family is living under constant fear of being thrown out onto the streets when your struggling single mum fails to pay the rent to your landlord. Homework and study are near impossible with three younger siblings crying and screaming because they haven’t eaten all day. At school, you are laughed at for wrinkled clothes and shoes that are at least three sizes too small. Your teachers blame you for bad grades and poorly completed homework, even though it’s not your fault. Even though you are trying so hard. Childhood should be a time of innocence, of wonder, of safety, of love. It should be a chance to discover our passions, our talents, our unique basket of interests. It should give us the best possible chance to win our ‘me vs me’ battle and become happy contributions to society. Childhood is the foundation you need to get right if you want a thriving community, a thriving world. But so many children don’t get this. So much potential is being wasted. Research by Loughborough University suggests that 48% of children in Hackney are currently living in poverty. That’s almost half. How can you just sit and watch little dreams being crushed and little lives being wasted? I am speaking for all children in poverty whose voices aren’t being heard. Yes we are just children, and as children, we can’t resolve these problems ourselves. We need your help. There’s so much you can do, so please, do it. It amazes me, that our country has money for cinemas, fast food cafes, fun fairs, spas, swimming pools, iphones and computers, why don’t we have money to end child poverty in our area? You need to take care of children in poverty. We are the future of this country, we have a voice and you must listen. Yours sincerely, Anna
The City Academy, Hackney Homerton Row Hackney London E9 6EA Friday 10th December Dame Meg Hillier House of Commons London SW1A 0AA Dear Meg Hillier, Imagine you were a teenager once more,imagine learning something new and feeling confident enough to share it with others across the world.Your so happy about learning something new.Then you see “Omg she sucks lol” or “Not to be rude but you should try post something you're actually good at...”.For many people, young and old,this scene is a reality that the face every time they share something,and it shouldn't have to be like this! Over the past year and a half, everything shut down.Adults and children all confined to their homes,looking for a source of entertainment.And they found that entertainment in social media.Many people enjoy social media and think it is great when used responsibly and I agree;what I do not agree with is the people who purposely try to make others feel bad and find it ok because they hide behind a screen of usernames and profile pictures. Too many people are exposed to hurtful words like this in their day-to-day life without even realising that they have or are experiencing cyberbullying.The effects of cyberbullying could include mental health issues,increased stress an ,anxiety,low self-esteem,acting out violently and even depression.Long-lasting effects and emotional damage can be caused by it,even if the bullying has stopped. We need to stop and take a stand against cyberbullying,for the sake of ourselves and for to many generations to come after.Things like teaching children that it is wrong and teaching them how to handle it if they are ever affected by cyberbullying.This is our chance to make a change. Imagine a world where we can feel safe and confident online,where we can express ourselves freely.That is the kind of place I want to live in and I would love for us all to be able to experience. Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year. Yours sincerely, Indya
The City Academy, Hackney Homerton Row, London, E9 6EA Tuesday 14th December 2021
Dame Meg Hillier House of Commons London SW1A 0AA
Dear Dame Meg Hillier,
I am writing to you from City Academy Hackney to talk about my concerns about hate crime in Hackney. As somebody growing up in Hackney, I’ve seen Hackney’s level of hate crime increase every year. How would you feel if you were hate crimed because you didn’t fit what society would call ‘normal’? From somebody in all types of communities, I am firmly against matters like hate crime. This is because I believe in basic human rights ; I also believe in equality where everybody is treated the same regardless of their unique identities. This is an issue that should be at the top of your priorities as it is very unkind and it makes people feel as if they don’t belong or are unwanted. This is something relevant to you because you are our voice. As our MP, it is important that you fight for our concerns in the House of Commoners and with the Labour party. If you think my concern will make Hackney a better place, you should definitely look into my issue and make my communities proud. I know you are sympathetic and you will do what our generations have been looking forward to. The more we ignore hate crime, the more hate crime increases. For somebody with such a big platform, you should raise awareness and build campaigns. Imagine how safe people would feel, imagine the equality in the world. Imagine the big smile on people’s faces being complimented instead of being judged and upset. Imagine your child coming back from school saying she/ he had a good day. Yours sincerely, Daniella Y7 City Academy
Dear Meg Hillier, I have taken a lot of precious time to focus on an issue; it will be amazing if you respond and take action to my letter. This letter is about knife crime in Hackney. It is a very big issue in Hackney at the moment due to the increase of gangs and violence this year. Did you know, figures showed that between 2012 and 2019, knife-related incidents in Hackney occurred at a rate of 150 per 100,000 people. Hackney, which saw 350 stabbings across this time, also had the fourth-highest stabbing total.This makes our borough look like a very scary and dark place to live in. How would you feel if your relative, child or even a friend was stabbed? I hate it that every time I watch the news I hear that someone has been stabbed to DEATH! There was actually an incident not long ago, on the 21st november 2021 a man was left fighting for his life after a woman stabbed him in his chest. This issue is very emotional for me and the people of Hackney. As Hackney's MP we need you to take action NOW! We need you to make our borough safe and happy again. I have thought of some ways to reduce knife crime in our borough, which are: ● To invest in youth services, social care and extracurricular activities. ● To work with families and communities to support, educate and rehabilitate young people ● To provide educational support to reduce school exclusions and improve outcomes. These are things that I believe you have the power to do, making a positive change for young people, like myself and older members of the community. Making these changes should make life safer for us all. Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I hope to hear back from you soon. Kind regards, Mahin