Visiting Cuba with the Steve Sinnott Foundation

In April this year, I had the privilege of visiting Cuba with the CEO, Ann (my grandmother). It was a great experience although I was shocked at how run down the country was in terms of buildings and facilities. However, that doesn’t seem to affect people in the way they live their daily lives and the positive attitudes they have, whether in the city or the rural areas.

I was there to assist Ann to record the various meetings and workshops and there were many. We had to travel 8 hours by bus from Havana to Santa Clara. Before that we had to travel to the bus station to get the tickets as there is not an operational online system as many Cuban people do not have internet within their homes. One of the first things I noticed in Havana is that there are no cameras on every street corner.

My biggest disappointment was the food, we have such a wide selection of cuisines in the U.K. I guess I am spoilt for choice on a daily basis. This is not the situation in Cuba as they can only obtain seasonal fruit and vegetables (which is a good thing I guess) and sometimes, they cannot transport these from the rural areas due to fuel shortages. They also have a shortage of daily staples that we take for granted like milk, bread and eggs. I would advise anyone travelling to Cuba to bring some seasonings in their suitcase to add spice to the food.

Education in Cuba is free and from what I saw it seemed good but the difficulties are with obtaining educational resources for schools for example printing books. I found that women do not have the same opportunities and I witnessed racial discrimination, which surprised me.

The projects that the Foundation support such as Positive Periods could have a much wider reach with just a little bit more financial support to enable supplies to reach the country. It feels so unfair that women and girls cannot afford periods pads and this is not just a problem in Cuba it is worldwide. I was told that when people visit that they bring western period pads into the country and hand them out but that is not sustainable. It’s like the saying goes “teach a person to fish………the same applies to this project, once a girl has learned the skill of sewing her own period pads she has that skill for life and is independent of others.

Meeting teachers in Cuba and remembering meeting Billy Jean from Haiti a few years ago, reminded me of the differences between educational opportunities in different parts of the world.

Education in the U.K. in my humble opinion is very rigid and although education is compulsory, it is not equitable as we are unable to provide creativity and artistic opportunities for all children. Not all children are academic and they need different ways of expressing themselves, such as through music and art and parents cannot always afford to pay for these lessons. Children with mental health or SEN needs are often lost in the rigid system and unable to learn and flourish.

Whilst I witnessed fantastic music lessons and vibrant learning in Cuba, I am not convinced that there are equal opportunities to learning across the world and that is why charities like this Foundation are needed to plug these gaps.

On my return I decided to raise funds to support this work and I hope you will support me

https://www.justgiving.com/page/kaylemfightingforall

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Kaylem • Jun 26, 2024

Walking for Education For All

By Nicolet Nguyen & Becky Brace • 24 Oct, 2024

We both love London and walking, and this year, in honor of The Steve Sinnott Foundation's 15th Anniversary we have decided to embark on this journey. We planned to complete the 10KM walk along the river Thames, passing by many iconic London attractions on the way. We wanted to raise funds, and awareness, to ensure that every child worldwide, can have the opportunity to go to school, as well as adults too. It was an amazing experience and we enjoyed each other's company on luckily a very sunny day! “Since working for the Foundation I have witnessed firsthand the impact it has in supporting young people develop essential life skills by working to ensure provision of quality education for all children worldwide. The ripple effect of this education is truly remarkable as students go on to empower and educate others.” - Nicolet “I’ve been friends with Nicolet since we were kids, and I appreciate her and support her in any way that I can! She does amazing work for the Steve Sinnott Foundation and I want to be able to support her in this as well. A sponsored walk would not only be something we can accomplish together, but the fact that our efforts could go some way to making a difference for children around the world made it very worthwhile.” - Becky

Charities Working Together

By Ann Beatty • 29 Aug, 2024

H'arts in Mind is an inclusive mental health Arts charity run by people with lived experience. They support people with mental health or physical challenges who have an interest in Art. The Steve Sinnott Foundation (SSF) is an international education charity also based in Hertfordshire. The foundation is working with teachers and educators to deliver projects that progress the achievement if Sustainable Development Goal 4 - ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life long learning opportunities. Kim Rasit CEO and founder of H'arts in Mind met up with Ann Beatty CEO SSF to see how two small local charities might support each other. They decided they would work together to develop a space in the art gallery for future artists or others to exhibit in the space. SSF would be the first exhibition to test out the space. The exhibition took place August 21st to 25th and we are really pleased to report it was a great success. SSF provided workshops on Storytelling, Jewellery Making and Vision Board and Well-being as well as exhibiting their work on Positive Periods and Preventing Gender Based Violence.

UNESCO ASPnet schools’ contribution to the UK

By BY SAARAH RAHMAN • 08 Jul, 2024

The Foundation has been working in partnership with UNESCO since 2015 and Ann Beatty our CEO is the UNESCO ASPnet Co-ordinator in the UK. There are 145 schools in the programme and Coventry City is currently supporting all schools in the city with the opportunity of accreditation. In January, Warwick University and Coventry City Council hosted an event at the House of Commons to celebrate UNESCO ASPnet schools’ contribution to the UK. Saarah Rahman who helped organise the event, is currently studying at the University of Warwick in her final year, reading politics and international studies. Saarah shares her thoughts on ASPnet and her personal journey in education. I believe that being a part of UNESCO ASPNET and the Hidden Heroes project will help to lift hundreds of schoolchildren out of educational deprivation. This is an issue that I have personally grown up with my entire life. Educational deprivation is a very personal topic for me, as someone who originates from Tower Hamlets and as a British Bangladeshi Muslim, I am already socially and economically hindered. I went to your average underperforming state school, where I was never able to take part in programmes which helped to improve my confidence and critical thinking skills, as well as deepen my awareness of the world around me. I was always stuck in a bubble at school, believing that students like me would never be able to leave Tower Hamlets; that my whole life would only start and end here, in this small pocket of London. From not having a laptop until I was seventeen and being on Free School Meals when I was younger, I have faced the brunt of deprivation in education. It was when I got into The University of Warwick that I realised the deprivation gap between me and my classmates was much greater than it seemed. My classmates had opportunities to take part in initiatives such as Model UN at school, Pupil Parliament, and so many other extracurriculars that they had at their disposal, because of the type of funding their school during sixth form and secondary had received. Meanwhile, I had to scout for my extracurricular opportunities during school, alongside the challenge that they had to be free. The disparity gap is prominent in who runs for execs or higher student positions, and the common denominator between these types of students is they had leadership positions and extracurriculars handed to them during their time in compulsory education. They were given the confidence at an early age to apply for these roles inside and outside of the University, which will ultimately lead to them being in a better position to take up opportunities. This is why I am a massive advocate for initiatives such as UNESCO ASPnet, because giving young people the confidence to explore social issues alongside critical thinking skills, will boost their confidence in academic and nonacademic settings. Working-class, underprivileged students are always in competition with students who have been given the resources to enrich their education throughout their lives, which shows in their confidence in applying for and receiving opportunities throughout their time inside and outside of higher education. Hopefully, with initiatives such as Hidden Heroes and UNESCO, we finally give underprivileged students the stepping stones they need to get out of their comfort zone and take up opportunities. To find out more about UNESCO ASPnet in the U.K. and how your school can join, visit https://www.stevesinnottfoundation.org.uk/unesco-aspnet