Hope in Tottenham held its 2022 Youth Summit at the Haringey Sixth Form College on February 4th.
By John Stevenson, Co-Chair and Communications Trustee
Carrying the theme, Helping Haringey young people stay safe, the successful summit brought together speakers and participants from StreetDoctors, Sister System, and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in collaboration with the Haringey Safer Neighbourhood Board.
From left: Three StreetDoctors, Sister System, IOPC and Mayer Jogee
The hybrid, live-streamed event, was formally opened and closed by Mayor of Haringey, Councillor Adam Jogee.
100 Haringey Sixth students attended the event in person, while an additional 500 students joined virtually from Woodside High School, Heartlands High School, Gladesmore Community School, Waltham Forest College, CONEL, Harris Academy, Park View Academy and Commerce House.
Ex – MPS Chief Superintendent Dal Babu spoke about his ongoing initiative to teach digital safety skills to young people in Haringey and touched on online threats facing our youth.
The IOPC’s London Director, Sal Naseem, in his virtual address, encouraged young people to acquaint themselves with the operations of the police watchdog.
StreetDoctors deliver a life saving demonstration to the students.
A video presentation showcased the recent work of the North Area Territorial Support Group (TSG) with students at Woodside High School.
The practical demonstrations from the StreetDoctors’ medical student volunteers on ‘How to tell if someone is losing blood?’ and ‘What to do if someone is knocked out?’ proved to be very instructive and informative and gripped the attention of all watching on.
The role-plays and explanations got to the nub of the event’s theme of empowering young people to respond to others in physical and frequently life-threatening danger in our local community.
StreetDoctors is a movement of young healthcare volunteers who train young people to become lifesavers in their communities, using ‘teachable moment’ style interventions with partners across the UK.
Max Copland, attending the event said:
The event was deliver to over 600 students who were split across digital and face to face sessions.
“The Street Doctors conference provided me with a lot of knowledge and has informed [me] about the great value of blood and how critical time can be when dealing with someone who is bleeding heavily.”
Monica Argyo, another student attendee, added:
“I really enjoyed the Street Doctors workshops led by the medical students. They helped me understand how to come to the of aid someone that has been stabbed. Seeing all of it in front of me in a live situation makes me feel confident that if I were to be in such a situation, I would be able to provide assistance.”
Haringey Sixth Form College Head, Russell Lawrence, compered the panel discussion element of the event, which featured Sal Naseem, CEO of StreetDoctors Lucie Russell, Sister System Co-founder and Director Okela Douglas and Councillor Jogee – all responding to fascinating questions put to them from the audience of young people.