Non-violent Conflict Resolution through Forgiveness
Bexhill High School, East Sussex
17 October 2008
Thanks for welcoming us back to your school. Mary’s calm but heart rending telling of the tragic loss of her daughter Charlotte, It’s hard not to feel personally affected. Words she never had a chance to tell her daughter, she told you.
You heard some very emotive stories today, but I hope it will encourage you to forgive the things you deal with everyday. Please let us know what you thought and how you think it might apply in your life. Have a great weekend!
Hazel said:
thank you for coming to our school today. you were amazing. i couldnt stand up there infront of everyone and tell them things like that. it took courage and guts to do what you did today. it opened my heart up. i have never felt like i did todaY. it made me think alot today because i went through a similar situation and i forgave the person and it took alot to do it. it really changed my view of crime and forgiveness. it made me think about how much knife crime and gun crime there really is and why. im glad you came. i really hope that everyone appreciates what you had to say and takes it on board its soo important they do. i would definately go to another of your assemblys thank you soooo much for the books. i will definately read it. and respect everyone in my life more. hate is neva the way forward.it will only bring hrt and pain with it. its not worth losing a life over. im sorri you lost you brothernathan im sure he was lovely and im sure you loved him more than anything. thankyou nathan and jhon. you were great.
thank you for coming to our school today. you were amazing. i couldnt stand up there infront of everyone and tell them things like that. it took courage and guts to do what you did today. it opened my heart up. i have never felt like i did todaY. it made me think alot today because i went through a similar situation and i forgave the person and it took alot to do it. it really changed my view of crime and forgiveness. it made me think about how much knife crime and gun crime there really is and why. im glad you came. i really hope that everyone appreciates what you had to say and takes it on board its soo important they do. i would definately go to another of your assemblys thank you soooo much for the books. i will definately read it. and respect everyone in my life more. hate is neva the way forward.it will only bring hrt and pain with it. its not worth losing a life over. im sorri you lost you brothernathan im sure he was lovely and im sure you loved him more than anything. thankyou nathan and jhon. you were great.
J said:
I am a student at bexhill high school. I was one of maney in the audience today at the assembly. I thought is was amazing i have never felt so emotionally attachted to the speaker until nathan told us about his brother and how him and his family forgave the boy who killed their brother and son. The talk that nathan gave was so inspiring if that had happened to my brother i would never had been able to forgive the person who killed him. I think hat nathan was so brave to come and talk to a bunch of year 11 students who aren’t the best of people of talk to but i think he done well to speak and help us understand in more depth about gun and knife crime. We hear about this all the time but never really get effected by it. Gun and knife crime arn’t really an issue in bexhill but it was still a great pleasure to hear the stories the speakers have told and be able to take something away with me. I will remeber this day for the rest of my life and proberly tell me children about it. I hope that the victims of gun crime will R.I.P and that gun and knife crime will stop before it happens to someone you love and know. so thankyou for coming to bexhill high school.
I am a student at bexhill high school. I was one of maney in the audience today at the assembly. I thought is was amazing i have never felt so emotionally attachted to the speaker until nathan told us about his brother and how him and his family forgave the boy who killed their brother and son. The talk that nathan gave was so inspiring if that had happened to my brother i would never had been able to forgive the person who killed him. I think hat nathan was so brave to come and talk to a bunch of year 11 students who aren’t the best of people of talk to but i think he done well to speak and help us understand in more depth about gun and knife crime. We hear about this all the time but never really get effected by it. Gun and knife crime arn’t really an issue in bexhill but it was still a great pleasure to hear the stories the speakers have told and be able to take something away with me. I will remeber this day for the rest of my life and proberly tell me children about it. I hope that the victims of gun crime will R.I.P and that gun and knife crime will stop before it happens to someone you love and know. so thankyou for coming to bexhill high school.
Megan said:
I just want to say that, that assembly was the best assembly I have ever had! It really opened up my heart and it gave me this feeling I have never felt before. It was amazing! As John Fransham and Nathan Levy were talking, it really made my listen and concentrate so hard. I really listened to the message they were saying and it has completly changed my veiw to violence and crime. I didn’t want to leave the assembly, I could’ve listened all day long and not lost focus. And I think that that assembly will make a change in future for people who commit crime, and it has really given me and all my friends and probably everyone in our school a different veiw of it all. Also, they were such nice people and brave too, because it takes alot to stand up there in front of alot of people and talk about situations they know or have been involved with. I am very grateful to them for coming in, it really did make me feel completely different and really opened up my heart. Thankyou so much for the books too, I will definately read it more than once. Thankyou sooooooo much, Megan x
I just want to say that, that assembly was the best assembly I have ever had! It really opened up my heart and it gave me this feeling I have never felt before. It was amazing! As John Fransham and Nathan Levy were talking, it really made my listen and concentrate so hard. I really listened to the message they were saying and it has completly changed my veiw to violence and crime. I didn’t want to leave the assembly, I could’ve listened all day long and not lost focus. And I think that that assembly will make a change in future for people who commit crime, and it has really given me and all my friends and probably everyone in our school a different veiw of it all. Also, they were such nice people and brave too, because it takes alot to stand up there in front of alot of people and talk about situations they know or have been involved with. I am very grateful to them for coming in, it really did make me feel completely different and really opened up my heart. Thankyou so much for the books too, I will definately read it more than once. Thankyou sooooooo much, Megan x
Alii said:
To ‘breakthecycle’ You came to bexhill high today and i was one of the many in the audiance. The things you said today were incredible. Most of my friends were of crying and if they didnt cry they held it in well!! (me included!) I think it takes someone SO strong to forgive somone. I am not one for forgiving people, when i think of forgivinbg people i find them weak people; but now i have heard what you all had to say, that boy was a victom of hate and Robets mother saw this and she didnt want to become a victom of hate, so she forgive him; That is…I dont think i can write it in words. So if Roberts mother could forgive her childs murder then i think i can forgive people too and i dont think there is any excuse not to. The two storys that we were told today really put my life into perspective. What do i want to live for? What am i going to do with my life? Am i rally treating people with respect? When Robert came out of the house and put his arm round that little year 7 he risked everything, That is amazing. To do that and not know what the outcome would hav been tkaes guts, serious guts. Thank you so much much coming to Bexhill High you’ve helped me understand why people care for others and why people forgive others. I will now start looking out for others more, respectnig them more, and most inportantly FORGIVING THEM MORE. I do hope you come back to our school again, even if you repeated what you said today it wouldnt matter you would still be here, you’ll still be telling people it’s okay to forgive, Thank you, xxxXxxx
To ‘breakthecycle’ You came to bexhill high today and i was one of the many in the audiance. The things you said today were incredible. Most of my friends were of crying and if they didnt cry they held it in well!! (me included!) I think it takes someone SO strong to forgive somone. I am not one for forgiving people, when i think of forgivinbg people i find them weak people; but now i have heard what you all had to say, that boy was a victom of hate and Robets mother saw this and she didnt want to become a victom of hate, so she forgive him; That is…I dont think i can write it in words. So if Roberts mother could forgive her childs murder then i think i can forgive people too and i dont think there is any excuse not to. The two storys that we were told today really put my life into perspective. What do i want to live for? What am i going to do with my life? Am i rally treating people with respect? When Robert came out of the house and put his arm round that little year 7 he risked everything, That is amazing. To do that and not know what the outcome would hav been tkaes guts, serious guts. Thank you so much much coming to Bexhill High you’ve helped me understand why people care for others and why people forgive others. I will now start looking out for others more, respectnig them more, and most inportantly FORGIVING THEM MORE. I do hope you come back to our school again, even if you repeated what you said today it wouldnt matter you would still be here, you’ll still be telling people it’s okay to forgive, Thank you, xxxXxxx
And I think that ,that assembly will make a change in future for people who commit crime, everyone in our school a different veiw of it all. Thank u..!!!–