key_stages: Key Stage 3 (Age 11-14)

Join Maria and Jayne as they explore the key similarities and differences between Roman Catholic and Protestant branches of Christianity. Through a conversational format they discuss these denominations and their shared beliefs and unique practices, offering insights into the historical, theological, and cultural distinctions that shape their faiths.

The film delves into topics such as the structure of church leadership, styles of worship, sacraments, and the role of tradition versus scripture. It examines rituals like baptism and communion, contrasting Catholic beliefs in transubstantiation with Protestant symbolism. It also touches on theological concepts like salvation, confession, and the afterlife, presenting perspectives on purgatory, saints, and direct prayer.

The film highlights both common ground and diversity within Christianity, encouraging viewers to appreciate the richness of its traditions. Perfect for students and anyone interested in the history and practices of Christian faith.

Transcript

Understanding Denominations: Christianity

Hi. I'm a Christian and so am I. But we come from different denominations of Christianity. A denomination is a branch or group within a religion. I'm a Roman Catholic and I'm a Protestant. We both believe that Jesus is the Son of God, who died and rose again and then went to heaven. Jesus left his apostles, his messengers, to spread his teaching and made Peter their leader. And we believe that's when the Catholic Church started. The word Catholic comes from the Greek word katholikos, which means universal because the church was for everyone. But in the year 1054, the Great Schism happened. The church split into the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, so called because it was based in Rome, and it became more and more powerful throughout Europe. Then in 1382, a professor at Oxford University, John Wycliffe, argued that it was time for the church to be reformed. But the Reformation Formation didn't really get going until 1517, when a German priest called Martin Luther started a protest against the Roman Catholics and the Protestant Church was born. Or the Protestant churches were born because there are different denominations within Protestantism, right? Yeah. In fact, I wouldn't usually call myself a Protestant. I'd call myself a Baptist, which is the Protestant denomination which I belong to. But there are also Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Quakers. There are lots of them. I get it. So what are the main differences between Roman Catholics and Protestants? Well, let's start with the church itself. The building, I mean, take a look. Roman Catholic churches usually have a lot of decoration and other stuff. The most common symbol we use is the crucifix. Jesus on the cross. It's a reminder of the sacrifice Jesus made for us when he was crucified. Protestant churches tend to be plainer. Our symbol is an empty cross. Sometimes called a Latin cross. It reminds us that Jesus rose from the dead.

A Roman Catholic church is led by a priest. Only men can be priests and they can't get married or have children. They usually wear a white dog collar and put on long robes called vestments during services. We tend to call our church leaders ministers or pastors because we believe in the priesthood of all believers, that the leader of the church is no different to the rest of us. Most Protestant denominations have male and female pastors. They can get married, and they don't usually wear dog collars or vestments, although some do. The priesthood is something special in the Roman Catholic Church, especially the Pope. We believe that the Apostle Peter was the first pope, and the blessing he was given by Jesus has been passed down from man to man until we get to the present day Pope who leads the church. It's called the apostolic succession. We don't have a single leader. There's the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England. But other Protestant churches have their own leaders. The Roman Catholic Church's authority comes from the Bible and 2000 years of tradition. In Protestant churches, authority comes just from the Bible. We both believe in the Bible, which is a collection of 66 books written by different authors over about 1500 years. Reading the Bible and learning from it is really important to Protestants. The main focus of our services is a sermon, a talk given by the pastor to help explain the Bible's teachings. The Roman Catholic Bible has 73 books. The Protestants removed seven of them. Bible study is less important to us. We tend to concentrate on the sacraments, which are seven special ceremonies that were given the stamp of approval by Jesus. Baptism. Confirmation. Eucharist. Confession. Anointing of the sick, holy matrimony, and holy orders. Most Protestants would say there are only two sacraments Baptism and Holy Communion, but we do them differently. Baptism is a ritual wash symbolising the removal of sin and the start of a new life. Yeah, although we would say it's more than just a symbol, it's important that people get baptised so that they can become part of the church as soon as possible, whether they're babies or adults. We do it by sprinkling them with holy water from a big basin, like this, called a font. We have believers baptism, which means we only baptise people who can decide for themselves if that's what they want. Jesus was baptised in the river Jordan, so most Protestant churches will imitate that with baptism by full immersion, which means they go completely underwater in a baptismal pool or baptistry. Like this.

Celebrating the Eucharist, which we do during a service called mass, is central to Roman Catholic life. We're more likely to call it Holy Communion, the Lord's Supper, or breaking of the bread. It's when we share bread and wine to symbolise the body and blood of Jesus. He asked his followers to remember his death on the cross in this way. But again, we would say it's more than just a symbol. Roman Catholics believe that while the outward form of the bread and wine stays the same, their essence becomes the body and blood of Jesus who is there again at the mass. The belief is traditionally called transubstantiation. People usually come up to the front of the church to receive the bread and wine from the priest. Although wafers are often used instead of bread, in Protestant churches, it's more usual for everyone to stay in their seats and for the bread and wine to be passed along the rows. The bread is usually actual bread, but a lot of churches use red grape juice instead of wine. You don't believe the bread and wine changed in any way? No, mostly some Protestants believe that the bread and wine are changed in a spiritual way. That they are blessed by God and become holy. But we don't believe that they are Jesus's body and blood. One of the sacraments you don't have is confession. We sit with the priest and tell him our sins, the things we've done wrong, and he forgives us on behalf of God and gives us a penance, which is something we do to show that we're sorry. We usually give him prayers to say. We can go to our pastors for advice, but we pray directly to God for forgiveness. We can pray directly to God as well, but our priests act like go betweens for us.

You also pray to Mary, the mother of Jesus and the saints, don't you? That's right. Saints are people who lived really holy lives. People we can be sure are in heaven. And do the saints answer your prayers? No. It's still God who answers the prayers. It's a bit like asking a friend to pray for you, but a saint has the advantage of already being in heaven and closer to God. It's why we have pictures and statues of saints and the Virgin Mary, which you won't find in a Protestant church. We only pray to God. Our worship tends to be very traditional classical music and prayers from a book. Up until the 1960s. It was all in Latin. But since then our worship has been in the language of the worshippers. Although some churches still like to use the Latin Mass, Protestant worship has always been in the worshippers language, and we tend to have a more modern style of music. Many churches even have their own bands to lead the singing. The mass follows a written pattern called a liturgy, and it's been the same for centuries. Our worship is a bit looser, although our service will still have a structure with singing, prayers and a sermon. You don't use a prayer book? No. Although I should explain the Church of England here, which is a special case. It all started with Henry VIII, famous for having six wives. Exactly. Until the 1530s. England was a Roman Catholic country. But Henry VIII wanted to divorce his first wife and marry his mistress. The Pope said no. So Henry told the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, to create a Church of England that wasn't under the pope's authority. This developed into a church with Protestant beliefs, but a lot of Catholic traditions. So many of them still use prayer books and more formal styles of worship. And they have priests. Yeah, but men and women can be Church of England priests and they can get married. Okay, so what happens when we die? Salvation. We're saved from hell and go to heaven to be with God. It's not quite that simple for Roman Catholics. We believe that salvation is a lifelong process. We're saved by our faith in God and the good works we do. Protestants believe that salvation is by faith alone. You've probably heard us talking about being born again, yeah? Well, we believe that once you've accepted Jesus as your Savior, that's it. You're going to heaven. It's a once in a lifetime thing, so you don't have to do any good works. We don't have to. But we believe that once a person is saved, the Holy Spirit will help them to become a better person. So they'll be doing good things for other people anyway. Roman Catholics believe that after death, really good people go straight to heaven and really bad people go straight to hell. But we also believe in a place called purgatory, which is where most people go to be purified of their sins before moving on to heaven. Protestants just believe in heaven and hell. We've got this life to get saved, and then we go to one or the other for eternity. But in the here and now, would you say we have more in common than differences? I don't know. What do you think?

Understanding Denominations: Christianity

Video length - 09.50

Published date - Jan 2025

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Join us on Luke’s journey in our short animated film I Believed in Father Christmas. As his Baptism approaches, Luke finds himself grappling with questions about his faith in Christianity, a central part of his identity that has always provided him with a sense of purpose and belonging. Through a series of reflective moments and poignant scenes, the film explores Luke’s internal struggle as he begins to question the beliefs he once held so strongly. The story delves into the complexities of faith, doubt, and personal growth, shedding light on the pressures Luke faces from both external expectations and his own evolving understanding of spirituality. As he navigates these challenging questions, Luke must come to terms with the shifting nature of his beliefs and their place in his life. Will he rediscover his faith, or will this journey lead him to redefine what faith means to him? This heartfelt narrative offers a powerful exploration of identity, belief, and the transformative process of self-discovery.

Transcript

I Believed in Father Christmas

Luke: My name is Luke. I'm 12. I'm into music and science, and I'm a Christian. Except, I'm not sure about that last bit anymore. I want to believe, like it's something I can make myself do. I don't want to lose it.

But it was the same with Father Christmas. I totally believed in Father Christmas, and I carried on believing in him long after all my friends stopped, long after I knew, really, deep down that he didn't exist. But I loved the idea of him - the magic and the mystery. I wanted to believe, so I did. But it couldn't last forever.

One year I asked my mum if Father Christmas was real. She didn't know what to do with her face. She smiled, but then realised I was afraid to hear the truth, and she looked so sad. I wasn't her little boy anymore.

Is that what this is? Am I just growing up? But it can't be that because Mum and Dad and everyone at church still believe in God and Jesus and miracles. They say that God must exist because who created the world and all the animals? But you can explain it with science.

We went to the zoo on a school trip, and Miss Wilson - our science teacher - gave us some questions to do. One was, "The human neck has seven bones. How many do you think a Giraffe has?" I thought, must be 50? 100? And then we found the answer: seven.

A giraffe has exactly the same number of neck bones as a human. Miss Wilson says it's because we evolved from the same fish or something. Mum and Dad said a giraffe has seven bones in its neck because that's the way God designed it. But I dunno. You can prove science, but you have to believe in God. Can you do both? Miss Wilson runs the Christian Union at school, so... maybe?

Sophie in my form won't say prayers in assembly because she's a Humanist. She says that we only have one life, and that it's up to us to make everyone's lives better now, because she doesn't believe in Heaven or Hell or God. She's an atheist. Is that what I am? Or an agnostic? Sophie says that's someone who can't make up their mind if there's a God or not.

And what about all the other kids in my form? Hamza and Ayesha are Muslims, Malathi's Hindu, Dilpreet's a Sikh. Who's right? Or maybe we're all right in different ways.

Dilpreet's great. Eurgh! His Gurdwara gives out food to homeless people and runs a clothes bank. I think they do more than our church!

But church is pretty much my life when I'm not at school. Sunday, I go to the family service in the morning and the worship service in the evening. Tuesday night it's house group, Thursday night it's band practice, Saturday it's youth club, and then it's Sunday again. Most of my friends are at church. I feel safe there.

But I've got my Baptism soon. I've got to stand up in front of everyone and say I believe in God and Jesus and everything. What would Mum and Dad say if I told them I didn't want to go through with it?

My name is Luke. I'm 12, I'm into music and science and... and I'm still working everything else out.

I Believed in Father Christmas

Video length - 03.52

Published date - Dec 2024

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Downloadable resources

Join us for Diwali (or Deepavali) for The Festival of Lights. Come inside a vibrant Mandir, where Hindus of all ages come together to celebrate one of the most cherished festivals in Hindu culture. Feel the spirit of Diwali, following families, children, and elders as they prepare offerings, light diyas, and share moments of reflection. People share what Diwali means to them, weaving a tapestry of personal meanings and traditions that reflect resilience, unity, and the victory of light over darkness.

The ancient story of the Ramayana is depicted with colourful illustrations, bringing to life the journey of Rama, his loyal brother Lakshmana, and devoted wife Sita. Together, they embark on a journey marked by courage, loyalty, and the ultimate triumph over the demon king Ravana. The visuals depict their trials and victories, culminating in the joyous return to Ayodhya and the lighting of countless lamps to celebrate good’s triumph over evil.

Through these interwoven narratives Diwali offers a heartfelt exploration of cultural identity, tradition, and spirituality, reminding viewers of the universal themes of hope and resilience celebrated during the festival Diwali.

Transcript

Diwali

Every autumn, Hindus like me celebrate the festival of Diwali or Deepavali, which means “row of lights”. It happens on the days surrounding the night of the new moon that marks the end of the Indian month Ashwin and the beginning of Kartik, which is also our New Year. It usually falls somewhere in October or November. We prepare for Diwali by cleaning and decorating our homes and the Mandir, and we buy new clothes to wear, and presents for our friends and family.

So every year we come to the temple because it's our second home. It's nice to celebrate Diwali together with friends and family.

I celebrate Diwali, or Deepavali as it's called in southern India and Sri Lanka, by coming to the temple and celebrating the festival with all of my friends, and just enjoying the serenity of the temple.

It's a time for relaxation, eating, cleaning the house, doing some thorough cleaning because it's a very auspicious time.

So you visit your parents, you visit your in-laws, and all get together to celebrate this as a family get-together.

I celebrate Diwali by me and my family coming to the temple to gather and meet other families who are also celebrating this festival.

It's really nice seeing everyone taking part in the temple festivals, and sharing food afterwards is always a highlight!

Diwali marks the end of the harvest and the beginning of the New Year in India. We celebrate the victory of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. Diwali also commemorates an important event as told in a story called the Ramayana.

Long ago and far away in the land of Kosala, King Dasharatha ruled over his subjects from the city of Ayodhya. He was a good king, but he was getting old and looking forward to handing over his responsibilities to Prince Rama, the son of his first wife. But he had three wives and the youngest, Kaikeyi, had other ideas. Kaikeyi had once saved Dasharatha’s life, and in return, he'd promised to give her whatever she wanted, thinking that she would ask for jewels or expensive clothes. But Kaikeyi had waited for the right time to claim the king's promise, and now she gave him her demands: Prince Rama to be banished from the kingdom for 14 years, and her son crowned as king in his place. Dasharatha was horrified, but Kaikeyi was his wife, and a promise was a promise. Rama always obeyed his father, so he agreed to leave the kingdom and live alone in exile. But Rama's devoted wife Sita and his half-brother Lakshmana insisted on going with him. So together, they went to live in the Panchavati forest. After the palaces and gardens of Ayodhya, it seemed a terrible place: dark, forbidding, full of wild animals and dangerous demons. But Rama was an expert archer, and with his bow and arrows he protected Sita. They built a little cottage in a clearing, and lived on the fruit and vegetables that grew in the forest. Ravana, the demon king, lusted after Sita and was determined to make her his queen. And whatever Ravana wanted, he usually got. He had ten heads and all of them were ugly. He had 20 arms and carried a sharp, jagged and deadly weapon in each one. Even other demons were frightened of Ravana, but he had no hope of kidnapping Sita while she was under Rama's protection. So Ravana enlisted the help of a shape-shifter called Maricha.

One day, Sita looked out of the cottage window to see a beautiful golden deer crossing the forest clearing. She was afraid it would be killed by a wild beast, so she begged Rama to go out and bring the deer back to the cottage. Rama suspected a trap, so he told Lakshmana to look after Sita while he was gone, and rushed off after the deer. But a few minutes later they heard Rama's voice crying out for help. Sita was distraught, so Lakshmana told her to stay in the cottage where she'd be safe, grabbed his bow and ran out into the forest to find Rama. So far, Ravana’s plan was going perfectly. Maricha had transformed into a deer and drawn Rama out of the house. Then she doubled back to the cottage and imitated his voice, calling for help. Lakshmana had taken the bait and now the coast was clear. There was a knock on the cottage door, and Sita peeped out to see someone wearing a long orange robe. It was a holy man. So she opened the door and stepped out. But then the man threw back his hood and Sita screamed. All ten of Ravana’s faces were leering down at her. Rama and Lakshmana returned to find Sita gone,but Jatayu, the vulture, told them that he'd seen Ravana carrying Sita off to his fortress on the island of Lanka, which was protected by an army of demons and surrounded by a stormy sea. Hanuman, the monkey hero, went on a daring mission to the island to spy on Ravana. He found where Sita was being held prisoner, gave her Rama's ring and told her not to lose hope - a rescue would be coming soon. But Ravana’s demons caught Hanuman before he could get away and set light to his tail. Hanuman wriggled free and jumped from rooftop to rooftop, his tail setting fire to the fortress. The demons panicked, and while they rushed around with buckets of water, Hanuman put out his tail and made his escape from the island. Rama, Lakshmana and Hanuman's army of monkeys made their way to the shore and looked out across the sea. They were ready. The monkeys built a magic bridge of floating stones, and the army charged across it towards Ravana's fortress. The battle was fierce, but the demons soon fell back under Rama's attack. Ravana fought viciously, all 20 arms, whirling all 20 weapons and dealing death in every direction. Rama aimed his bow and loosed an arrow. It pierced Ravana's heart and killed him instantly. Rama rushed to be with Sita, and together with Lakshmana and the triumphant army, they travelled back to the kingdom of Kosala. The 14 year exile was over and people lit the streets with lamps to welcome Rama back to Ayodhya. Their rightful king was home.

So Diwali is when Rama and Sita returned to their hometown Ayodhya from their 14 years of exile. So it's kind of like a celebration of joy and togetherness, and it's kind of celebrating them coming back to us.

It's because the village or kingdom where Rama and Sita lived - they really missed Rama and Sita when they were sent to the forest for 14 years, so they lit lamps to guide their way because they really wanted their dear Rama and Sita back.

So lighting diyas is a symbolic event. It's about lighting the way for Rama and Sita and remembering what they told us in their moral acts, but also to light the way forward in our lives as well, and ward off all evil.

We also put diyas in our windows and doorways to welcome the Goddess Lakshmi into our homes.

We worship Goddess Lakshmi during Diwali because she's the goddess of wealth and prosperity, so we worship her.

And particularly in this time of year, we like to look towards her, and pray for her as well, as she brings love, light and prosperity to families.

Lakshmi is usually shown wearing a red sari which is a lucky colour in India. She'll be standing in a lotus flower which symbolises purity, and there are often showers of gold coins falling from her hands to represent good fortune, which we ask her to bless us with for the coming year. At home and in the mandir, we do Lakshmi Puja - when we make offerings and say prayers to Lakshmi. And she's also linked to the story of the Ramayana because we believe that Sita was Lakshmi in human form.

A rangoli pattern is a design that's created with coloured rice powder, and it's really nice to have those in front of your houses or temples as they welcome God into your home, and it shows how much love you have for God.

It's done typically in the mornings. The house-members will clean the front of the house to kind of ward away all evil and dirt, and create a nice rangoli pattern to welcome guests, and also welcome love, light and prosperity to their house.

Celebrations continue long into the night with lots of good food, and fireworks!

Fireworks are often used for celebration, which once again ties into the fact that Diwali is like a big celebration of the light in our lives.

Diwali means having new beginnings for me. As I get to come to temple and I get to spend time with people, and that means that I get to have, like, that light that illuminates the darkness. I think for us, it changes every year, but the one thing that stays the same is kind of togetherness. So we always meet up with friends and family wear our traditional Indian clothes, eat some nice Indian food, and just have a good time.

Diwali for me means good overcoming evil, light coming into darkness. We have a beautiful prayer called asato ma sadgamaya tamaso ma jyotirgamaya - lead me from darkness into light.

Deepavali for me means giving myself and my family a fresh start. And this is shown through lighting the lamps and getting rid of the darkness, and also coming together at the temple with my friends and family.

It's just very fun - lighting of the sparklers, and lighting the diyas and everything together.

I think it's just such a celebration of love and light and joy. I think it's really enjoyable.

Diwali

Video length - 10.46

Published date - Oct 2024

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

In this film we explore Jewish perspectives on climate change through the lens of religious teachings and ethics. Judaism emphasises the concept of Tikkun Olam—the responsibility to repair and care for the world. The Jewish faith teaches that humans are stewards of God’s creation, tasked with preserving the environment for future generations. Jewish commitment to sustainability is an important value and the avoidance of waste (Bal Tashchit), and the moral obligation to act in ways that reduce harm to the planet is integral to the religion. Through these core values, the Jewish tradition calls for proactive efforts to combat climate change, emphasising both individual responsibility and collective action to protect the Earth for all living beings.

By linking spiritual values with environmental activism Climate Change: Judaism shows how faith can inspire a greener, more sustainable future.

Transcript

Climate Change: Judaism

Rabbi Mark Goldsmith: Jewish teachings start with the idea that humanity has a responsibility to nature and to the environment around us. Our foundation story has the idea of a human being being created and then being given responsibility for the animals, for the birds, for the trees, for all the nature around them. The idea being that they're not simply a user of nature, they're a steward of nature. What we mean is that I am responsible for something. It's a little bit like you're looking after somebody at school who's new doesn't know what to do. You steward them through the day, help them to know what to do. And it's a little bit like that with nature. We steward it, we look after it, we consider it to be our responsibility.

So our Jewish teachings then continue from there. One of them that I feel is incredibly strong is the idea of bal taschit. This is the concept that as a person, you shouldn't destroy things. And that could be destroying fruit trees. And in fact, when it comes up in the Torah, that's exactly what the idea of bal taschit is about. It's set at the time of war, when you would have thought that destroying the enemy's fruit trees would be a really good idea, because then what are they going to eat? But you're not meant to do that because those fruit trees are a legacy for all humanity. Another big Jewish concept is tikkun olam, which asks the question, what are we here for? Literally, what are we here for as human beings? And we have a concept in Judaism that we are partners with God in the repair of the world, that the world was not left absolutely perfect. Instead, there were parts of the world that don't function too well, and we know that we experience it in our lives, whether it be through illness, whether it be through degradation of the environment around us. So what's our job? Le tikkun from which comes the word tikkun, which means to repair olam, the world, the universe. So what can we do to do that? And we all know that some of the choices that we make, the choice perhaps to walk to school or walk to work or take the bus rather than put another car on the road with all its emissions, will help to repair the world. The choice to be an environmental scientist and come up with great discoveries as to how we can make a difference to the future, that is, tikkun olam. But honestly, it can be as little as this package. Now, I'm not going to throw it away into a regular bin. I'll take it home and put it in the recycling. That's a little bit of tikkun olum.

In the Torah. In the book of Leviticus, there is a wonderful idea. The idea is, number one, that every seven days you need to have a day of rest. But it's not just for you as a person. That's the Shabbat we call it, or the Sabbath. You also don't do new creative work. You don't use much of the Earth's resources. You reduce the impact you have on the world, and you do that by choice. But then came the idea that every seven years we should let the lands do the same. In the ancient land of Israel. Every seven years the land wouldn't be farmed for a year. Just whatever grew naturally would be picked. But we wouldn't exploit the land. And what that enabled the land to do was for the earth to begin to recover, for the soil to recover, to be more productive for the future, because it had had the chance to rest in the current state of Israel. There were quite a few farms which still do this practice called the Shmita year. You don't plow, you don't use all the intensive techniques you would normally use to get the most out of the land, and you just pick what naturally grows there, and that's that. And then the following year you go back to your regular techniques of agriculture or whatever you need. In Judaism, there is a key prayer that every Jew is meant to say twice a day. It's called the Shema, and for us it's a declaration of one God, but especially that that one God therefore means there's a unity in all of creation, that everything is one. Everything impacts on each other. And in the Shema, in its second paragraph, it says that if you don't behave well, then the rains may not come. And we used to think, well, it doesn't really work like that, does it? But now we know there's really some truth in that, the way that humanity. And I'm not just talking about Jews. I'm talking about all of us. Behave and treat. Our planet does make a difference to the weather that we experience, and we can make a change for the positive. So eco synagogue is part of eco Judaism, and that's the idea that Judaism in our day, has got to be really responsive to the crisis of climate change, to making a difference. We do it because we want to encourage all Jews to be better environmental citizens looking after our planet better.

We're about to reach the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, and on Rosh Hashanah there is a tradition called tashlich, which is where you go to a local water source and you throw bread on the water, and the bread is meant to represent your sins, the things you've done during the year that you really regret, that you want to change for the next year and behave better. So a brilliant organization called Repair the Sea came up with an idea to unite Jewish communities all around the world, and they call it Reverse Tashlich. Why not, instead of putting something into the water, we clean up the water. They call it repair the sea, because it doesn't matter if it's a tiny brook or it's a big river, or if it's the seaside itself. Everything flows into the sea and we know our seas are becoming more and more polluted. So what we're going to do as a synagogue is we're going to a local water source in a park, which we know eventually flows into a river, and that river flows into the sea. And we're going to clean it up. And through cleaning it up as we come to celebrate the Jewish New Year. We are trying to make the world that little bit better. Our Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah tradition, has the idea that it is ha-yom harat olam the day on which the earth was conceived as if it's the earth birthday. So what better birthday present to give to the world than to clean up a local river.

Volunteer 1: We're here today in Watling Park, cleaning up the Silk Stream, which feeds into the River Thames ultimately and part of Thames 21 initiative to, you know, just to clean up the waterways. But here today, representing eco Judaism as part of our core ethos, really, of being responsible communities and caring for our environment. We want to repair the world not just through good deeds, but through environmental action, to really get our community to think more about it.

Volunteer 2: So I feel this is a lot more meaningful than throwing breadcrumbs into the stream. It's so satisfying being able to clean up a park where I live is so important because it makes me feel home, and it also makes me appreciate the nature around me.

Volunteer 3: It feels so special to be involved in something like Reverse Tashlich today with the members of the community on such a beautiful day. It makes me feel that I'm doing something good not just for myself, not just for the members of my community, but for the wider community as well. Also, it focuses me on how much rubbish we as humans throw away, how much we pollute this beautiful, wonderful planet, and particularly this beautiful park.

Volunteer 1: It's really wonderful to be here today. It's just a lovely community activity, something to do with like minded people really feel like you're making a positive impact on the local environment and just it's very healing as an individual as well as actually for the place that we're cleaning up. So it was so great to be here today, and there were some young people in the park and they saw what we were doing, and they immediately wanted to help and took some of the litter tools and helped us clean the park.

Volunteer 3: It is really important for the Jewish tradition, for Jewish faith to care about the environment. There are lots of laws and commandments starting from the Torah by taking care of the world around us. My favourite one is the Midrash from the book of Ecclesiastes Rabbah, and that Midrash talks about God taking Adam by hand and taking him through the Garden of Eden. Beautiful place. And he shows him different beautiful trees, beautiful plants, and says, look how beautiful this place is. Look after it. Do not destroy it, because if you do, there will be no one else to repay it.

Climate Change: Judaism

Video length - 10.02

Published date - Sep 2024

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Meet Brother Matthew, he is a Carmelite Friar. Check out the daily routine of his life as friar. We’ll see his commitment to a life of prayer, contemplation, and service. Carmelite friar’s spend their time doing early morning prayers, time spent in quiet reflection, communal meals, and work dedicated to both spiritual and practical tasks. The friars balance their contemplative practices with efforts to help the community, embodying their deep devotion to their faith and spiritual discipline.

Transcript

Brother Matthew: Hello, I'm brother Matthew, I'm a Carmelite friar here in the UK, and that means I live in a community with other friars. So a friar is a man who is drawn to serve God and to live according to a certain set of rules in the Roman Catholic Church. A priory is just a word we use to describe the place where friars live. So the word friar comes from the Latin word frater, which means brother. And I think overall that describes perfectly how we relate to one another in the community. Monks and friars are quite different. Monks live in monasteries and generally you'll find monasteries out in the countryside a long way away from towns and cities, whereas friars, you'll find our prior is in the middle of towns, in the middle of cities. And for us that's really important, not only because we rely on the generosity of others, but because of our ministry we really see ourselves as ministering in the midst of the people, sharing our experiences of God, but also being there so people can share their experiences with us.

So different priors do have different timetables, but here in Aylesford I get up at 6:30 usually. So normally when I wake up I just go and have a shower straightaway, and once I'm dressed, I'll go down to our community kitchen and make a cup of tea. I'll usually then come back up to my room with my cup of tea and do my first prayers of the day, which we call the Office of Readings. And really, we can do it at any time. But I like to do it first thing because it really sets me up for the day.

As a Carmelite, we wear this habit and it helps us to be identified as Carmelite. So the Carmelite habit is made up of a brown tunic, a brown scapular which is like the apron at the front and the back, the hood, which we call the capuche. And then it's tied together at the waist with a leather belt. On special occasions or big events, will also wear a white cloak over the top. And here in the UK, the Carmelites have also got another name which is the White Friars, and that comes from that white cloak. I think for me, as I put the habit on, it reminds me that I am doing something different and that I am called to do something different. On those occasions where I do walk down the street to get some funny looks, but then you realise sometimes you forget why, and then you look down and realise that you're not wearing the latest trend. So we wouldn't wear our habit all the time, but we would usually wear it when we are together and praying. So morning prayer, evening prayer, mass. And I think it's one of those great symbols of something that unites us as brothers together, but also in our ministry and serving in the church together. Morning prayer here at Aylesford is at at 8 a.m., and it's the first opportunity we have together as a community to gather in the chapel and the chapel is just another word, another place of worship. Is it usually a little bit smaller than the church. And morning prayer here at Aylesford is open to everybody, not just the friars.

Friars: Oh God come to our aid. Oh Lord make haste to help us.

Brother Matthew: And it consists of a hymn, some psalms, a short reading from Scripture, and then some intercessions, some prayers. Now, as brothers, we all have different ministries, and some are called to serve as priests, and some are called to serve in different ways. But really what's most important for us is that we are brothers. We are all that family together. So all friars are men and we live in communities of men. That integral part of being a friar. I suppose the female equivalent of a friar is a sister or a nun.

Brother Matthew: And the Carmelite Order takes its name from Mount Carmel in the northwest of the Holy Land. It's a mountain and around the 13th century. So in the 1200s, a group of men, we think maybe pilgrims or crusaders returning home, settled on Mount Carmel to live a life of prayer. And they settled near a place called the Well of Elijah. And they really took the spirit of Elijah as their role model. So Elijah was a prophet in the Old Testament, and he spent a lot of time in silence alone with God, discovering that relationship with God, but also going out and ministering and being a prophet to the people as well, taking what he learned from that silence to the people.

So morning prayer is usually half an hour. So around 8:30 we'll leave the chapel and go to our ministries, go to our work. It could be meeting those that have come to visit us, celebrating mass, giving retreats or just meeting people. But overall, they're just ways in which we serve the community and we serve the church and we serve God. I'm studying at the moment, so my work would generally be reading for essays, writing essays, or I might have a class that day.

All friars take vows, and vows are promises that we make to God. I haven't made the vow of silence, but as a Carmelite friar, I've made a vow of poverty, chastity, and obedience. The vow of poverty means that I don't own anything. Before I joined, I had a car. I had a job. I was earning money. I had a laptop and things. When I joined and made my vow of poverty, I gave up those things. It doesn't mean I threw them away. It just means that what I now have, I share with my brothers. Overall, I think it's just been really conscious of not using the word mine. I've made the vow of chastity, which means I will always be single. I'll never have a partner. I'll never get married. Now, the vow of chastity doesn't mean that I can't love. But it means that I'm called to love everybody equally. The vow of obedience is a promise to do as I'm told to do as I'm asked by the brother who's been chosen in my community to be in charge, obedient to the brother who is in charge of all the friars in the country, and obedient to the friar, the brother who has been chosen to represent us in the world. I also vow to be obedient to the church and most importantly, to be obedient to the will of God. It's living a life that allows me to be really fulfilled, trusting that those who have responsibility over me have my best interests at heart. The vows don't just come from anywhere. We find them in the Bible, and we find them specifically in the life of Jesus. And so we try to imitate that life in really concrete ways.

So at midday, we gather together for mass, and mass is a celebration of who we are as Catholics, gathering together to celebrate this great gift that we have, where God becomes present to us in the bread and wine. Jesus says in the Bible, this is my body, this is my blood. And the mass we really celebrate those words as God becomes truly present to us. Another word for Mass is Eucharist, and Eucharist is a word that just means thanksgiving. And it's a time for us to give thanks to God in the way that Jesus showed us during his life. And here at Aylesford, when we have school groups or visitors, mass is open to everybody. Everybody is welcome to that community to remember that God is at the centre. And after mass is always a great opportunity then to chat to those people that have joined us as we go back out into our world.

At 1:00, we join together in our big dining room and we have a meal together. We have lunch together. Most of our meals are quite simple. That vow of poverty again, of not having always what we want, but just what we need. Living by our means. Living simply. After lunch we go into midday prayer. But it's not really a midday it's at 2:00 after midday prayers, which are about 15 minutes. We would return to our work and our ministries, so around 2:30 there's usually one brother on duty, so they would hear confessions of people visiting or give tours around the grounds of groups, give talks, reflections.

The process to become a friar is a long one. It takes around 5 to 7 years and we call that period initial formation. There are set stages of formation, but overall it's a constant process of speaking to others, listening to others, praying and trying to work out what God is asking of us and we call this discernment. It begins with what we would call a pre-novitiate. So that someone who is going to be a novice and it's a time of openness, discernment, where someone will come and live alongside the community and live in the style of a friar. After that period of time, they may ask to become a novice, to move into what we call the novitiate. And it's not just that person asking the community, but also the community deciding amongst themselves is this person a good fit? The novitiate then is a really intense year of prayer, where we live the life of a Carmelite friar, learning more about the tradition and the history, but also our role within the church and building that relationship with God. At the end of the novitiate, the year of being a novice. And if you still feel called to live this way of life, you would ask the community if you could take these vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. We call this Simple Profession, and that's the stage of formation that I'm in right now. Most friars like myself will go through a course of philosophy and theology, and it's so we're really equipped to answer those questions that people will ask us. At 6:30, the community will gather again for evening prayer.

Evening prayer will be around 15 minutes, but we go up to 7:00 and spend an extra 15 minutes in silence together. It's not the same as sitting in silence on your own. There's something really different about sitting in silence with other people. We work together. We laugh together. We talk together. But also we listen together and we pray together. After that silent time, we go up to the community kitchen and we will have supper together. Some will make sandwiches or eat the leftovers from lunch. After that, we're sort of free. Then we might watch TV in the TV room or sometimes we'll just sit around the kitchen table and chat. Living in a religious community is just like living in a family. You have those moments together, but moments on your own. But you know that in whatever you're doing, you are supported. It's not always easy, though, and they say that you can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family. And sometimes community life is a bit like that. I think it's the way of life that allows me to be exactly who I am. This is a way of life that isn't very fast, and it doesn't ask us to go after the next big thing, but it's just been able to stop and think just one thing. Yes, this is good and I'm happy. I wonder how many people can say that about their lives and about their work, but also it's just the freedom to be completely comfortable with who I am.

A Day in the Life of a Carmelite Friar

Video length - 12.06

Published date - Sep 2024

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Two people from different backgrounds meet in a busy city. They each face their own problems and deal with society’s judgments, but they form an unexpected friendship. The film shows how, despite their differences, they share many things in common. Through strong acting and a touching story, “Human Me Human You” conveys a powerful message about empathy, connection, and our common desire to be understood.

Human Me Human You

Video length - 06.14

Published date - Jul 2024

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

One Life, Live it Well, featuring Alice Roberts, explores the humanist approach to living a fulfilling life. Comparing our lives to a piece of string, with a beginning and an end, this short animation emphasises the ways non-religious people might shape what lies in between and find happiness and meaning in their lives. Highlighting the arts, science, health, relationships, and human rights as the ingredients of a good life, it explores the importance humanists place on freedom, responsibility, and connections, and how they believe we might live life to the fullest and leave something behind after we are gone.

https://understandinghumanism.org.uk/

One Life, Live it Well

Video length - 02.36

Published date - Jul 2024

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Downloadable resources

Grmalem, a 25-year-old from Eritrea, recounts his harrowing journey of escape from compulsory military service and economic hardship. Leaving his homeland at 14, he embarked on a perilous five-month odyssey through Ethiopia, Sudan, Libya, Italy, France, and finally to the UK. Facing inhumane conditions from smugglers in the Sahara to a treacherous sea voyage, Grmalem eventually found refuge in the UK, where he lived in foster care, discovering his passion for art and education. Despite ongoing challenges and discrimination, Grmalem dedicates himself to supporting others and raising awareness about the refugee experience, hoping for a future where empathy and humanity prevail.

Transcript

Refugee Stories: Grmalem

Grmalem: My name is Grmalem. I'm 25. I'm from Eritrea. The reason I had to leave Eritrea is mainly politically economic and education. I was turning about 14, and I knew I'm gonna have to face this same story as my uncles, my dad and my sisters and all the village who has to join the military army. My dad did not have any income or salary from the government, and his whole life was serving the government. And that was not something I was planning to do for my future. And the only thing was like to run and escape the country. So this many reasons is that I have to live and change my family's future and change my future. One day I just said I'm leaving. I don't told anybody I can't because it's risky. I had to leave at night with one friend and we don't even know where we go. We don't have any torch. We don't have any lights, you know. I wasn't scared, I wasn't I wasn't scared. I was like, no, let's do it, let's, let's. It's because it's more scared. What I left is, uh. I prefer to die. My story. My journey takes five months. Stepping in my journey from Eritrea to Ethiopia, from Ethiopia to Sudan, from Sudan to Libya, from Libya to Italy, from Italy to France, from France to here. Every step I take was really, really hard and difficult. In the Sahara Desert, there were smugglers. They were kept us like really unhuman, holding guns like they ready for a war, feeding us as an animal as well. So all our life was theirs. We only give them the breath and they, they, they control the body.

I don't know how many days and nights were spent on the sea, but we spent more than a week. And the sea doesn't motivate you to survive. The sea never ever motivated. Really hard memories I have is people shouting from underground of the boat, vomiting as well, like people. So much vomiting. And just because so many, all the dead seaweed and fish and everything is so disgusting. I saw people come in to us in very small boat. They moved us to a bigger ship. Very, very, very, very, very big. It's like towns. It's bigger than any town I ever seen. Now. In Calais. There was a camp and people were there like for two and a half years and three years trying to go to England. We tried days and nights. I tried in every way of the lorry. I tried in everywhere of the car and we get fined every time we get tried everywhere. We fined by police. Police dog, uh, by scanned and oh, in Calais, the worst thing was the spray they spray in your eyes. And it was more than a gun surely. It was really hurt. This is where the point, I said. You call me illegal? I am legal because there is no legal rights. So I have to figure out my own legal because there were no other options, that is. But a day came. The minute came. The hours came. My I was scared. A lorry was stopped next to where I was lying in the grass. I was like, okay, let's try in this place again.

So I have to climb to the top of the lorry. I climbed there and tied myself really tiny and get to the UK. Junction 11, Folkestone to Ashford. He parked there. That 14 years I've been living not existed. Sorry. My best days start counting from the day of landing in the UK. I feel safe. I said. This is it. And later on. The police find me. I don't know where. And they took me to the police station and they took me to there. I think now it's called a transfer scheme. They took me to put me in the system like a refugee system. I lived in foster care for seven years with my foster carer. My super, super, super hero. And they foster in me how to be human. And they taught me that everything. What is I have now and who I am going to be. My foster carer, we couldn't communicate it. She came really wisely, said, can you please start telling me story how you came. And she gave me a pencil and a paper. And then I start drawing. Instead of writing. My first drawing was the boat, our boat and the small boat. They came in to risk us. It was that and she was like, wow, I saw that in the TV. She was saying, he came this way. And that's our first conversation with my foster mum. And since then she started buying me a canvas. Precious. All these stores, all the stores fill up. And I say to myself, I'm. I'm gonna be sure I make her proud to finish university and get graduated in art. And which is, I'm in my third year to graduate this year. So I love them and I see the love they gave me. And they are my parents and I call them mum and dad. The word refugee mean to me. It feels like illegal. It feels like. Not human.

It feels like separation. I do feel discrimination when people call me illegal refugee, come illegal asylum. I mean, when people called. You here and we can't find council house and they thinking we are taking their houses. That is when I feel really discrimination and it just doesn't make sense. It doesn't make me anything but me. Trying to help, trying to work, trying to do my best I can with supporting my family, with supporting others next to me. I wish and hope I can help people. I've been doing two years supplying teacher, helping the next generations to support in school, and I'm also working as a youth ambassador at KRAN. I joined KRAN to help young people, which I love to help people. When I am around people and we raise awareness of the young people, we go to school, talk about us, our journey, talk about our experience and expectation. I'm not leaving people who stop leaving their countries. Or maybe a war is going to stop forever, so people will live and I will support. And that is my hope. That's my wish to support, to be a human, to have empathy, to work hard until the day I die.

Refugee Stories: Grmalem

Video length - 09.52

Published date - Jun 2024

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Downloadable resources

Sixteen-year-old Olha’s life in Ukraine is shattered by war, forcing her to flee to Poland with her younger brother. As she navigates the fear and uncertainty of being a refugee, she is touched by the kindness of strangers. Despite the chaos, Olha clings to her dreams of returning home and helping to rebuild her country, finding solace in her favorite book and music.

Transcript

Refugee Stories: Olha

Olha: My name is Olha and I'm 16 years old, I'm from Ukraine. Now I'm living in Ivano Frankvisk City with my mum, dad and younger brother and my dog. I started learning taekwondo at first class of the school. Um, because I think it's it's great to to do sports and you can improve yourself. It gives me positive, only positive emotions. I can go to the competition and win some rewards. And it's it's great feeling. Before the war, I want to compete and get a black belt. But now I can't do this and I'm just staying at at one level. After the beginning of the war. I hear very loud noises and I. I realised that my parents are not at home. Uh, only me and my younger brother and my dog. Uh, my mum calls me and tell you should take your, uh, warm things and your, uh, items of clothes and your brother and you and documents. And you should go to the basement. And then they said to me that I should went to the Poland with my brother, with my grandparents. When I come to Poland, I met, uh, a lot of refugee who was living just at the bus station or train station. And when I understand that, I'm a refugee, too. I was so scared. It means just, um, other people in other countries. This word is so symbolic to me. When you are a refugee, you move to another country. And you don't know anything about that, about, uh, people, about nature or culture and etc and you don't know where you should go, where you should leave, what you should to eat. But, um, when I moved to Poland, there are a lot of people, very kind people who just help us. When it starts, everybody thinks that not long it will be maybe two weeks, maybe one month. I hope that it would stop so, so quickly, but I know it. It wouldn't. The main reason why they start war. They want to take our part of Ukraine just to expand their territory. When the war starts, leave Ukraine and went to Poland. But now I'm here in Ukraine and I don't want to leave it anymore. So I hope I would live here.

I would work here and build my future here in Ukraine. I have words to describe this feeling. When you can't do your normal routine, your normal things that you do before. Now me and my friends and my parents and my younger brother. We can't just, just walk. Just be happy like it was before the war. Because we can we can sit at the restaurant and we can hear that alert. Before War we was so cheerful, but now I can't. I can see people happy. I can see people love laughing. And I think it's just war because our people, they think only about war. How to stop it? I feel so scary. Especially when it's at night when you're sleeping and you just sleep normally and you, you hear this alert, this loud noises, and you can't continue your sleep, your dream, but you just should to go to the basement and sleep there. It feels so, so scary when I hear the alerts I take also my book, my favorite book. And also I take my headphones, headphones, music and books helps me to reduce my stress level. My school is located at city center and that too many schools opposite next to my school. And it's terrifying to study at city center because attacks can be also at our city. We just go to the basement and that's all our backpacks, our jackets, our all our things. We are leaving them at our classes. Of course, I see my future in the Ukraine because I want to rebuild our country and I hope that, um, the future of Ukraine will be so good and fantastic and we will be the most kind country. And I hope that Ukraine will stop the war and we get back our territory. And all of it, uh, would stop. Of course, I love to cry. It's my country, my loved country. I don't want to leave my my Ukraine.

Refugee Stories: Olha

Video length - 06.53

Published date - Jun 2024

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Downloadable resources

21-year old Obaida recounts his journey from war-torn Syria to finding safety and a new life in the UK. Forced to flee at a young age, he navigates the challenges of being a refugee in Jordan before finally resettling in the UK.There, he discovers a peaceful and welcoming society. Now a youth ambassador, Obaida advocates for fellow refugees, challenging stereotypes. and fostering hope.This film captures the resilience of the human spirit and the power of compassion.

This film was produced with the help of Kent Refugee Action Network (KRAN).

Transcript

Refugee Stories: Obaida

Obaida Hi.

Shazia Hi. Are you okay?

Obaida Yeah.

Shazia How are you feeling about this interview?

Obaida Um. Confident.

Obaida My name is Obaida. I'm 21 years old. I'm originally from Syria.

KRAN And we ask questions. Have you. Do you know a friend as a refugee? Have you met a refugee? Most of them. They haven't. No.

Obaida I think the media has a huge impact on the people here in the UK. It doesn't actually show. Like, why are these people leaving their country in the first place? Why they are risking their life, like on the boat and like crossing the Sahara desert, like, you know, the Mediterranean Sea. Why? Like they're doing this at the first place. All they show like this many of refugees have arrived. I now work with KRAM as a youth ambassador to raise young people's voice, especially young refugees and asylum seekers. When I arrived in the UK, I was 15 years old. I had like two different childhoods, one in Syria and one in the country I fled to, which is Jordan. I was six and a half, seven years old when the war started in Syria. I saw, like, you know, my neighbor holding a gun and start shooting, and people. First I thought like, that was just like a joke because I had a gun before, but it was like a plastic toy. So I thought that was like a similar thing. I remember like, I was upstairs with my brother and my brother is quite tall, so he was standing in front of the wall looking outside and like, no, there was a bullet. Like it was that that near piercing his head. It was just above his head. And I was like really shocked. And he was really shocked, but he didn't want to show it to me. And after that, and we never went off like on the roof again. My parents didn't allow us to go near the windows as well. Just like to stay safe. And yeah, that that's the most horrific thing I would say happened. My family is Muslim and we lived in a neighborhood where most of them are atheist. They were against us. My dad, he lived in the neighborhood for 20 years.

He knew everyone of them like they were friends. But once the war started, they just, like now changed completely. And they said like, no, because we know you for like 20 years. We give you a chance to leave first thing in the morning. My dad said we need to leave. So we called the bus. A small van. Yeah, we just left everything behind and moved on. And we went straight to Jordan. And we started our life from zero again. In many countries, Syrians boys like no one girls do work. And at early ages, when I was in Jordan, I used to work when I was 12, 13 years old to support my family. Studying it was pointless for me because I knew there was no future for me. And in Jordan, I used to work in a supermarket where I just tidied up things and like, you know, sell goods and things. And the funny part was, whenever someone like police comes looking for Syrians, I'll just like, pretend I'm a customer or take something and buy it and go out. It was fun lifestyle, but dangerous because anytime I was age of getting arrested and like, you know, I have to pay a bill, I'm pretty sure my family couldn't have afford that. I stayed in Jordan for seven years. My family were registered in the UNHCR. They called us, said like your family name is on the settlement scheme. Would you like to go to America? And we were thinking, yes, of course, like any place where we have a future at least. After one year, Donald Trump happened, he said like, no, no more refugees anymore in America. So we had to cancel that, not us. Like the UNHCR. We didn't have emails, nor letters and letters would take lots of time. So we were just always looking at our one phone. Probably seven months. They called us again and they said, there's a resettlement scheme happening right now. We put your family name on it. So we chose the UK. My parents weren't happy because of the culture difference. They were thinking about UK is like, you know, it's completely different to Jordan and Syria. Even though like, you know that life is expensive and difficult here, but they still have the culture, the like, you know, the religion. But they understood for us, the children like this is our future. When I was in Jordan, I used to watch hours of movies and especially Harry Potter. And so when I, when I heard the UK and England, I was like thinking, oh like, you know, flying brooms and like, you know, magic wands and that's, that's different life like, you know, there and I'll be a part of it. Uh, but unfortunately, when I arrived to the UK, um, none of that was true.

My first impression is like how peaceful the country is. And everyone here is equal. How everyone has here, here has an opportunity to continue the future, to have a better life, a decent life, I would say. That's what every refugee dream of. When. When I arrived, I was thinking probably because my race, my color, which is like completely different to white people, I would find it difficult. If I remember correctly, my first day was going to KRAN, where I studied some English there and elderly man stopped us and said like, where are you from? We were like, we are from Syria. I was really thinking like, you know, something bad will happen. But he said, oh, welcome, and you are here now. You are safe. And I really felt welcomed that day. How can I support this country? Support. Like, you know, the people living in this country. When I was in Jordan, all I thought about is like, you know, having a decent life and never thought of having a luxurious life, having, like, you know, a phone all I wanted, just like, you know, wake up in the morning, have a normal, like, breakfast, go to school, study something I like. When I arrived in the UK, I found all of that when I was in Jordan, I didn't plan anything for my future. But until I arrived to the UK, where I was secured and safe, I start thinking about my future, which is it took me a while to understand how important it is and carrying on with my life. For me, the word refugee means a lot. When I was in Jordan, I was called a refugee. It really annoys me. It's the conception of people have made about refugees. Like refugees are bad. Refugees are like, no, they are taking your job. You know you're the country. But Refugees are just like normal people are looking for shelter for like decent life who couldn't live in their country and they just moved away. And I think this has been in all human nature, like people are just moving around like, you know, for better, better life. If you see someone from a refugee background or if you notice he's he's struggling or she is struggling, just go give him this small motivation like, you know, this small push from you because you don't know what they've been through. But that small smile from your mind, like know, made their day. Who knows? Probably you are the reason. Like they achieve their full potential. So yeah, it's been it's been like in, in the past for me. The UK is my home country now. And to be honest, the home for me is like family and people around me. I would hope when they see things are better in Syria. But now, yeah, I would never go back because I know it will never be the same as before. And here I have found my life and have found my future.