In 2020 we published two books of students’ writings and illustrations, ‘The World and Me’ and ‘Our Global Family: Lexis Stories’
Our Shared Writing programme works with young writers and illustrators to encourage their engagement with books and words. Our two 2020 books, completed during the COVID pandemic, showcase the work of 150 young people from across the city. ‘The World and Me’ includes poems by Year 8 pupils from Bemrose, St Benedict’s and Murray Park secondary schools and stories by writing competition entrants from Derby College and the University of Derby. ‘Our Global Family’ is the fifth book of stories written by Derby College Lexis students - 16 – 18-year-old new arrivals in the UK, many of them refugees, who are learning English for the first time. The students write about the journeys from their home countries and their new lives in Derby.
To celebrate the students’ achievements, we held a ‘virtual’ celebration in July 2020 with readings by students and commentary from their teachers, together with a look at some of the wonderful illustrations from the books. You can watch the full event below.