This term, our class did something really special for the First Give Program. We worked in teams to help charities in our community, and my team chose RMNS (Refugee and Migrant Network Sutton). They help people who had to leave their home countries because of things like war, danger, or hard times. RMNS makes them feel safe and welcome in Sutton, which is super important. 

We learned that refugees often don’t speak a lot of English when they arrive and that it’s really hard for them to make new friends or understand how things work here. RMNS gives English classes, advice, and even has a coffee club where people can meet each other and chat. That sounded so friendly and warm, and we really wanted to help. 

For our social action project, we created fun games for the Year 7 students to play, with each activity designed to teach something about refugees and migrants. My group made a citizenship quiz — players had to score at least 75% to pass, but the highest anyone got was 60%! Every time a Year 7 played one of our games, they gave us an earbud as a token, and by the end we had collected an amazing 25 earbuds. It was a fun and creative way to help others understand how difficult it can be to move to a new country, and I felt proud that we could make learning something important feel exciting. 

In the big First Give final, our group (Throwley) got chosen to represent our class. We were nervous, but excited too. We worked really hard on our presentation — we added facts, pictures, and even a slide where you had to try to read Sanskrit. When the judges said we won, we couldn’t believe it!  The £1,000 we won went straight to RMNS, and they said they would use it to give more English lessons and help more families. 

Doing this project made me feel really proud. I learned that even kids can help change things, and that kindness is super powerful. RMNS is full of kind people, and I hope one day I can do more to help, just like them.

by Paarth Patil 8T