Oakhill Secure Training Centre hosts the Anne Frank Exhibition.

Young people at Oakhill Secure Training Centre, taking their peers and Staff around the Anne Frank Exhibition.

Rachael Wood & Nick Daines (Oakhill PVE Team) coordinated the event at Oakhill STC. The aim of this project was to encourage the young people to turn their backs on prejudice and hatred and embrace positive attitude and diversity within society.

Guests invited to experience the event included, members from the community and local partnerships, including the local school. On the last day the establishment was also honored to have Iain Stewart MP (Milton Keynes) experience the closing ceremony for the event, to which he commented: “Thank you for showing me this important lesson from history so well, we must never forget what happened”.

Rachael Wood commented, “This exhibition will be remembered and spoken about with fondness at Oakhill for many years to come, may we never forget how this historic event has and will continue to shape our future”!

Young people had the opportunity to; work towards an OCN accredited course in Diversity, experience creative writing workshops with spoken word poet Leah Thorn, and were guided through the life and time of Anne Frank by their own peers. Below is one of the poems from a young trainee who attended Leah Thorn’s workshop:

My life is hard,

I’m in Secure,
I know there’s hope
because I’ve been before
How many months? Maybe nine.
That’s too long till I see the sun shine.
I can’t wait until I see my family,
I wait and I wait,
I think they’re not coming,
I’m not thinking straight.

You think my life is easy. It’s not.
You don’t have to trust me
but just believe me.
See, I’m only fourteen,
what happens when I’m eighteen?
Will I be in YOI?
I don’t know…..

Poem written by Reece (Oakhill STC)