Back to School Archives

CAFOD in your classrooms

August 23, 2023

Looking for that perfect activity to motivate children and young people? Do you know there’s a huge range of professionally-researched and thoughtfully-put together material available from our CAFOD Education team?

Whether you are teaching, fundraising, campaigning or praying; with primary, secondary or beyond; whether you need a colourful, dynamic, thought-provoking or contemplative activity or resource, CAFOD can help you inspire students on their faith journey.

Transform lives this Harvest

September 30, 2020

With children and young people now back at school and settling into a new normal, Julia Corcoran – Leadership Development Coordinator at CAFOD – discusses our third national assembly on 8 October, and how small actions can transform the lives of millions of people this Harvest.

Back to school: Thinking about the world we want

September 4, 2020

Many children, young people and schools rose to the challenge and saw this summer as a chance to take action, to fundraise and turn this summer into a hopeful one for many around the world, writes Julia Corcoran, Leadership Development Coordinator at CAFOD. But this challenge isn’t done now that September has arrived, and with our second national assembly happening this month we want you to get involved.

Learning in lockdown

September 2, 2020

As children and young people prepare to go back to school, Sinead Callaghan, CAFOD’s Young Leadership Coordinator, and Susan Kambalu, CAFOD’s Secondary Inset Coordinator, take a moment to reflect on what the coronavirus pandemic has taught us about education and what we can look forward to this year.

Back to school? Yes please!

August 27, 2020

Over the years she has worked at CAFOD, Harriet Paterson has written everything from our factsheets to our prayer tweets. Here she gives us a mum’s eye view of lockdown and distance learning with a Year 6 boy.

Back to school: Our work with children and young people

September 6, 2019

Monica Conmee works in our Education team. With many children and young people going back to school this week, she explains why education is such an important part of CAFOD’s work.

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Putting faith into action in schools

September 3, 2019

Susan Kambalu is Secondary Inset Coordinator at CAFOD. Here she shares how her experience of working with young people has helped her develop new courses as part of the Connecting Classrooms Through Global Learning programme, supported by the British Council.

Young people lead the way on tackling the climate emergency

August 29, 2019

School students worldwide have been raising their voices to demand that the climate emergency is addressed with urgency. As Swedish schoolgirl campaigner Greta Thunberg famously said: “I want you to act as if our house is on fire. Because it is.”

At CAFOD, we are privileged to encounter children and young people acting on this issue both in poor communities overseas and in England and Wales.

Back to school: A parent’s reflection

September 5, 2017

This week Claire Bolt is helping her daughter prepare to start school. In this blog she talks about her hopes for the year ahead.

Claire is a parent preparing to go back to school — Claire with her family.

My eldest daughter is starting school in September. Honestly, despite the‘time flies’ warnings you get from elderly aunts, I can’t quite believe it. As the start date draws nearer, I’m remembering Kathleen’s baby stage with glee (sleepless nights, what sleepless nights?), watching with pride as she runs around the park, or grins down at me when she makes it to the top of the climbing frame. She’s only little so what am I doing buying pinafores and black shoes and hair bands to match her uniform?

Getting ready to go back to school? Check out our top tips for teachers

And then comes the panic. How on earth will we get out of the house on time every morning when just getting dressed or having breakfast can take the best part of an hour? What if she doesn’t like her teacher? Will she make friends? Deep breath. Reception, here we come.

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Back to school: Volunteering with CAFOD

August 28, 2017

Kezia is from Brentwood and has just finished a year volunteering with CAFOD as part of the Young Leadership programme, and has written about her experience to inspire others to get involved this year.

Young leader Kezia — Kezia taking part in the Power to be campaign.

My year with CAFOD would not have started without my faith. My faith drove me to apply for CAFOD’s young leadership programme and to develop my passion for helping others. I had heard about CAFOD through my school but not in much depth, so when I applied for the programme, I didn’t know what to expect. Looking back, what I loved about the programme is the hands-on attitude. In my spare time, I do a lot of dance and that has made me want to get in and get involved. The young leadership programme is all about getting involved and raising awareness of CAFOD’s campaigns, so this programme was perfect for me. I was lucky enough to experience this for a whole year.

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