OLDER schoolgirls who proudly support younger students have won the Diana Anti-Bullying Champion Group Award.
The Peer Mentors scheme at Bentley Wood High School, in Bridges Road, Stanmore, involves a selection of year 11 pupils donating their time over nine months to assist those lower down the academy as a confidant, advisor and friend.
Toyin Oluwa, art teacher and peer mentor coordinator for 2011/12, said: “In October 2012, our Peer Mentors were nominated and successfully awarded the Diana Anti-Bullying Champion Group Award by The Diana Award.
“The award acknowledges the pupils’ commitment to helping others and recognises the amazing things young people do to help in schools and the wider community.
“The school received positive feedback from the application and the assessors were really impressed.
“They particularly thought that the students were excellent role models and that the nomination really did have that wow factor they were looking for.”
The initiative has been run at the school for the past 10 years and each new academic year, 11 peer mentors are recruited.
Ms Oluwa said: “It has had an immense impact in our school. Younger students, who may feel daunted at the prospect of going to a teacher, feel there is someone they can speak to who will make a difference to their lives.
“The Peer Mentors have been the bridge between students and teachers, helping their mentees to access the right help. Both individually and together as a team, they have done their utmost to ensure that they contribute to the happiness and well-being of the students.”
The peer mentors who won the award, and a certificate signed by Prime Minister David Cameron, are Angelica Sharma, Yanika Bateikina, Ladan Yusuf, Manisha Pillai, Aarani Sivanesan, Christina Lewis, Fatema Gulamali, Nuranisa Mohamed Ali, Samar Mohammed, Tawasul Mahmoud, Samiya Scannell, Meiron Avidanm Riddhi Thakrar, Shabri Mehta and Yvonne Marsh.
