In December, Penny Robbins sent out her Region PA Update from UKPAC and this was circulated to Medway and Maidstone members. It mentioned the Modern Day Slavery Group and specifically about ‘Brave’ a children’s book telling a story of Friendship and Freedom that endeavours to keep children everywhere safe from exploitation. It asked us to spread the word….
A member suggested us approaching Byron Primary School in Gillingham, who we work in partnership with, to see if they would like copies of the book. There was strong support from the membership to pursue this proposal.
At the end of term, Lillian Gould approached the Headteacher, Jon Carthy and he said it would be a great book for them to have and he would like 3 copies. Byron have recently had their library refurbished and are focusing on becoming a reading school.
An order was placed by the club with the Brave Bear Trust and the books arrived within 4 days.
Brave is easy to read and full of the most attractive illustrations that immediately captures the imagination and attention of all who read it. Brave is very sensitively written, includes worksheets and will prove an invaluable resource for parents, carers, education staff and community leaders wanting to help children explore this pressing issue in an enlightening and extremely enjoyable way.
The ‘Brave’ storyline is fictional, however, it reflects some of the realities of those who are currently suffering as victims of exploitation. The story is inspired by the true story of a little girl who was rescued from exploitation with her teddy bear and a coffee roasting business that exists to empower survivors of exploitation.
By purchasing ‘Brave’ for Byron School staff to read with children age 8 – 10 years, we are enabling teachers to equip these children to know how to keep themselves and others safe from exploitation.
The books will be presented to Jon Carthy on 22 February by Lillian and she will be accompanied by Jane Barnes.