I thought I ought to make the effort to update you all on what I’ve been up to (whilst, of course, I should be doing my college work…anything to get out of it!)

My weekend was as busy as ever.
It saw my first official University visit, and I pray my last.
A journey up the dreaded M1 saw myself in Luton exploring the Bedfordshire Uni Campus, which was fantastic… although the rest of the surroundings left a lot to be desired. I am looking into becoming qualified in Youth & Community Studies, whilst living at home, and working in a Youth Work setting. And it’s all looking rather promising…my interview is on Wednesday, which I’m incredibly excited about! I shall keep you posted.

Then came the evening of Saturday the 19th of April…a date that had been marked out in my diary for months.
I had been invited to a very special occasion at, what I consider to be, my second family home, in Oxhey, by my second Mum, Di, whose son I have been friends with for more years then I care to remember.
The occasion was, of course, the Passover Seder, which tells the story of those who had been enslaved in Egypt, and celebrates the Exodus of the Children of Israel.
The Seder is often described as a “ritual feast,” and I’d say that what I experienced on Saturday evening wasn’t far off of that description.
As myself, my fellow Youth Advocate Tom, the Mayor, Dorothy Thornhill, Cllr Sharpe & the Robert’s family, plus Henry, a good family friend, gathered around the table to read the Haggadah- consisting of the story of the Exodus, prayers & songs- we tucked into an interesting combination of Horseradish, Matza, egg in salt water, and wine, some of which were presented on the famous Seder Plate.
The evening also allowed for general chit chat- minus Politics, which was forbidden, but was all too tempting for Tom- and I felt a time for reflection.

I find it amazing to think that Jews all over the World sat down to tell the story of people who were alive thousands of years ago- quite a humbling thought to me, who has never been religious, and remains agnostic.
But what I found all the more humbling was that I had been invited into a Jewish home, despite not being even slightly religious, to share such an enlightening & uplifting experience.
A thoroughly enjoyable evening, and one which has since led to many questions formulating in my all too complex mind.
What Saturday made me consider, above all, was the nature of our local community, and society as a whole.
I love being able to look around me and see different cultures- different languages being spoken, different food being prepared & eaten, different ideas of fashion- all things which I don’t feel are celebrated anywhere near enough. And I genuinely believe that were there to be more community engagement & activities/events then people would be given the opportunity to develop a greater, and more in depth understanding of those with whom they are living side by side.
It would teach greater tolerance towards others- something which is still sadly lacking in today’s supposedly multi-cultural Britain (as highlighted by the report on the One Show this evening, on the racially motivated attacks still taking place in the area of South East London, where the Stephen Lawrence murder took place.)
Despite this generation growing up in a far more diverse society than the one my Grandparents grew up in, there is still a lot of unnecessary hatred towards others from different backgrounds- something which I think could easily be changed if young people were to share a similar experience to the one me & Tom had on Saturday evening.

Just a little food for thought.