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Hundreds of QE boys got to grips with the complexities of competing priorities around the world as they battled to solve the climate crisis at the School’s mock COP26 Summit.

All boys from Years 7–10 took part, with each form group representing a country, producing a short video and putting forward a delegate in the debates. These delegates fought their corner passionately, challenging each other’s records – although perhaps not always with the delicate diplomacy expected at a global summit!

Afterwards, mock summit organiser and Extra-Curricular Enrichment Tutor Stephanie Tomlinson, who is leading the School’s Eco-Network, reflected on the success of the afternoon event, which was held in the Shearly Hall. “The boys really embraced putting themselves in the shoes of their given nation, teasing out the tensions between economic development and sustainability, and nations’ relative contributions toward present and historic warming.

“Delegates effectively made the case for working together, heeding pleas from the likes of the Marshall Islands for concerted action before they were submerged by sea level rises.

“Overall, facts and figures were commanded well and it was great to see boys from Year 7 holding their own against those in Year 10.”

The afternoon was hosted by School Captain Siddhant Kansal and the two Senior Vice-Captains, Sultan Khokhar and Paul Ofordu, all of Year 13.

Several other sixth-formers took part in a panel that directed discussion, challenging the delegates and making suggestions to facilitate debate. The panel members were: Vice-Captains Aadarsh Khimasia and Mark Markov, of Year 13, and Eco-Ambassadors Theo Mama-Kahn and Amogh Bhartia, of Year 12.

The videos produced by each form group about the position of their given nation were judged as part of a House competition. Harrisons’ House won this competition, with its films collectively adjudged to be the best overall. Pictured, top, is a scene from the Year 7 Broughton video: the form were representing Australia.

Nations had been put into thematic groups  – focusing on areas such as cities, forest, or oceans – and urged to discuss, to negotiate and to attempt to come to a joint decision. Each nation then had the opportunity to speak, with many focussing, on the one hand, on their own context – including their level of economic development and current pollution levels – and, on the other, making the case that their own climate targets (such as net zero carbon dates) were, in fact, ambitious.

Crispin Bonham-Carter, Assistant Head (Pupil Involvement) said: “The aim was for the debate to look firstly at how countries were delivering on their previous climate objectives and then to examine what further actions they could take, both in terms of mitigation and adaptation.

“I was pleased to see that the discussion did, in fact, cover a range of issues and themes, from deforestation and protecting forests, to the use, or abandonment, of coal.

“And just as we saw in the actual summit in Glasgow, there was a significant amount of wrangling between nations with respect to aid and financial support: smaller, low income, and less polluting countries repeatedly threw down the challenge to the larger, wealthier nations to provide financial support, arguing that they were not going far enough with this, nor with actions to limit and reverse carbon emissions.

“Countries like China then argued that they were still developing, having only seen rapid growth over the last 40 or so years, compared with Britain, where the Industrial Revolution took off more than two centuries ago. Other nations remarked that it was good to see the Chinese delegate in attendance(!), but were critical of the country’s record.

“China’s delegate did, though, make a powerful argument that a significant proportion of China’s emissions were producing and exporting products being bought by those in other parts of the world (including the West), who were, in effect, therefore outsourcing their emissions.

“There were examples of co-operation, with, for example, the UK working with Brazil to support the reversal of deforestation in the Amazon and an offer from Saudi Arabia to Canada to provide lower oil prices in exchange for support with renewable energy.”

In his concluding remarks, panel member Amogh Bhartia, who is a member of the London Schools Eco-Network, said the mock COP26 had shown boys the challenges of reaching international consensus. Events such as the Glasgow summit and the protests of climate activists could sometimes feel distant in terms of boys’ daily lives, he acknowledged. But such an impression was false, he said, and he urged pupils to take grassroots action, such as campaigning in school, organising a clothes swap, writing a magazine article or penning a letter to their local MP.

“If you can do that, and collaborate with others, then we will see change in our community – a change that will inspire others…Be the first and others will follow. Be the first, and inspire the change that our planet desperately needs.”

QE COP 26 delegate Toma Gelsinov spoke out about the increasing role that schools are playing in combatting climate change when he appeared as part of a UK Government-backed youth discussion panel in Glasgow.

Toma and his fellow Year 12 pupil, Rahul Doshi, were both invited to take part in the summit to represent the UK Schools Sustainability Network (UKSSN), with Toma heading off to Scotland, while Rahul was part of a home-based remote team.

“I feel national school campaigns on climate change awareness can be a big factor in the younger generation learning about what impacts they have on the climate and how they can help mitigate and stop climate change,” Toma told other members of the five-strong panel and the assembled audience in Glasgow.

“Ever since I was young, I have realised how privileged we are in the UK: with the vast amount of resources we have available, if we cannot tackle climate change, who can?”

The panel was supported by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Culture, Media & Sport.

Now reunited at the School, Toma and Rahul, together with QE’s third Eco Ambassador, Amogh Bhartia, also of Year 12, are looking forward to tomorrow afternoon’s Mock COP26 summit for Years 7-10.

In the panel discussion in Glasgow, during which UK Chief Scout Bear Grylls gave a keynote address, Toma highlighted the work done by UKSSN, including: media appearances and journalism; involvement in local and national politics, and rewilding and gardening projects. All are aimed at combating global warming and the accompanying crisis in biodiversity.

“In my School, we are working to set up an allotment where students can take part in organic composting and gardening,” Toma said. Such initiatives allow pupils to see at first-hand what impact they can have in terms of mitigating climate change, he added.

Twenty students from the network were in Glasgow, with a further 35 participating remotely, including Rahul. He attended online sessions learning about how to communicate effectively with young people about issues like climate finance and climate anxiety.

After his panel meeting, Toma met Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi and took the opportunity to discuss informally UKSSN’s work and the challenges faced. Toma said afterwards that the Secretary of State was quite knowledgeable and could relate to young people well – going so far as to describe him as a “a cool guy”.

Toma and his colleagues went along to various events at the summit, including a discussion where Mr Zahawi was speaking about the work being done in the education sector to support sustainability.

Reflecting on his experience after returning to School, Toma said that being at COP 26 with delegates and leaders from around the world was “surreal”, but noted that there were “lots of different people with the same ambitions”.  Asked about the prevailing mood, Toma said: “People were secretly optimistic, outwardly expecting the worst, but hoping for the best.”

He added: “Together as a team we collaborated and were involved in different events to learn about different perspectives. Lots of the UK team members lived in rural areas and had quite different opinions from those of us from urban areas, based on their lived experiences. The power is in acting collectively: if we act alone it will have less impact. The world will benefit if we come together, sharing good ideas and putting them into practice.”

For his part, Rahul also reported that there was extensive collaboration with other network members – through MS Teams break-outs, for example ­– with a focus on sharing ideas. “I learned that it is important to collaborate with those with different perspectives and work together. I gained an insight into other people and other schools and what they are doing… understanding different contexts.

“Young people are the future – it is important that they are involved to hold leaders to account for the promises they make. I hope that what we are doing now doesn’t get forgotten – we are pushing for long-term change.”

Two of QE’s Sixth Form climate change champions have been invited to take part in next month’s crucial COP26 global summit in Glasgow.

Their invitation to join the London Schools Eco Network (LSEN) delegation follows successful campaigning by the three QE Year 12 eco-ambassadors at an inter-schools conference.

And that event so inspired the trio that they are also helping to organise their own mock summit at QE next month to give the School’s pupils an opportunity to make their voices heard just as world leaders are gathering in Scotland.

The Eco Ambassadors – Toma Gelsinov, Rahul Doshi and Amogh Bhartia – were each tasked with representing another country at the mock COP26 summit hosted by St Paul’s Girls’ School in Hammersmith, which involved QE and 12 other schools.

Technology teacher and and Extra-curricular Enrichment Tutor Stephanie Tomlinson, who leads QE’s Green Council alongside the three sixth-formers, said: “Our Eco Ambassadors were fantastic; they spoke in front of around 50 young people across the LSEN representing their various country delegations on the intricacies of climate change by proposing an ambitious global action plan.

“I was stunned by their powerful and clear performance.”

Teams comprising pupils from different schools acted as country representatives. Rahul and his team represented Saudi Arabia, whilst Toma and Amogh spoke for India. Schools taking part included South Hampstead High School, City of London School for Boys, Harrow School, North London Collegiate School and London Academy for Excellence.

The agenda included opening statements from the country delegations, a debate to encourage more global ambition and, finally, agreement of collaborations for more action.

The evening placed a heavy emphasis on cooperation, collaboration and, most of all, negotiation – all underpinned by an understanding of the urgency of the issues involved.

“Even after meeting the targets agreed to in the Paris Agreement, the average rise in temperature will still be above the target. COP26 in Glasgow is, therefore, a vital world conference,” said Miss Tomlinson.

The inter-schools conference concluded with votes on two questions, as follows:

1. Is sufficient progress being made on all country emission targets. Delegates voted no unanimously.
2. Is your country willing to do more even beyond your current targets? This elicited a more mixed response.

QE’s own sustainability ambitions received a fillip last year with the establishment of the QE Eco Network, from which two student ambassadors, Christan Emmanuel and Aadarsh Khimasia, joined the LSEN. Their three successors this year, Toma, Rahul and Amogh, were selected from Year 12 through an application process.

The Green Council, newly formed in 2021, involves representatives from forms in Years 7-10 whose ambition it is to raise awareness and create an action plan for QE to become more sustainable and eco-friendly. Members from Years 7 & 8 are known as Eco Warriors, while those from Years 9 & 10 are Eco Representatives.

“Pupils were selected through an application process by their form tutor – we were thrilled with the sheer quantity of responses. This highlighted how much our pupils care,” added Miss Tomlinson.

“I am thrilled with the response to the Eco Network and establishment of the Green Council. As we look towards the rest of the 2020s, it is ever more important to take action. Our pupils are the driving force for that change.”

While Toma takes up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go to the Glasgow summit (with Rahul participating within the home-based team), the Green Council is preparing for QE’s mock summit, which will involve Years 7-10.

A Year 7 competition combining photography and oratory proved that public speaking has the power to move people as little else can.

Pupils from the year group ‘bubble’ gathered in the Main School Hall for the final of the contest in which QE’s newest pupils gave speeches describing their submitted photos that were by turns comic and reflective, informative and sad.

Head of Year 7 Tom Harrison said: “This year’s final was a showpiece of some of the finest public speakers Year 7 has to offer. The quality on show was outstanding and I found myself both laughing and close to tears at different speeches.”

He congratulated the overall winner, Zane Shah: “I am extremely proud of Zane, the other finalists and all the boys who put efforts into writing and delivering a speech this year.”

Although the images, which were projected on to a screen, were important to the event, it was, in fact, primarily a test of boys’ abilities as public speakers. They had to speak for up to three minutes about a chosen photo – not necessarily one they had taken themselves – and were judged on the content, style and delivery of their speech. The presentations were judged by the Headmaster, Neil Enright.

Mr Harrison got the proceedings under way with an introductory talk about the power of public speaking in which he mentioned that even the most powerful political leaders in the world can be exposed to ridicule if they show bad communication skills.

The six finalists, one from each Year 7 form, were then introduced by Mr Harrison.

Mathuran Arunan, from Harrisons’ House, spoke about a  summer holiday photo from Torquay, recalling how he had spotted an elaborate sand sculpture and recounting funny moments, including thinking he might not survive a ride on a particularly frightening water slide:  “What an embarrassing way to die!” He also spoke of how he enjoyed the Devon scenery and the time spent with his family, concluding: “Simple pleasures are often the best.”

Leicester’s Nishchal Thatte also had happy memories of time with his family – in his case, from a trip to Box Hill, where he, too, he enjoyed the scenic vistas: “The best part is, it’s free,” he said, adding that he “would love to cycle there one day”.

For Underne’s Orko Ghosh, it was a family holiday in Wales which generated “memories that we will treasure”.

There were very different emotions in Veer Gali Sanjeev’s speech. The Stapylton finalist took third place after displaying a photo of plastic pollution in a bush and asking: “What are we doing to our planet?”, adding that he felt anger and sadness at “the selfishness of the human race”.

Runner-up, for Broughton, was Shreyas Iyengar. He showed a holiday snap at the white cliffs of Dover. Walking to the top had been an achievement, he said, before adding “but the real take-away was spending time with my family”.

Zane’s winning speech was accompanied by a picture of the sunflower he had grown.

He spoke about growing it – a challenge set by his sister – and how it became a “therapy companion” to help him deal with the huge volume of homework he was receiving in his new School! Then it died, and he was crestfallen, feeling that by leaving it outside during a storm, he had failed to to help it thrive.

Then, however, he had an epiphany, as he realised that “the plant had been helping me” and that, with this horticultural assistance, “I had outgrown my worries” – worries which revolved around starting a new school and making friends there.

Mr Harrison said: “In the end, Zane was triumphant for Pearce House with a speech which talked about how the time he spent caring for a sunflower acted as a helping hand with, and a metaphor for, his first few weeks and months at QE.”

Merits from the annual competition were awarded to all six finalists, and there were also House points – 2 for sixth place, 4 for fifth, 7 for fourth, 10 for third, 14 for second and 20 points for the winner.

“This competition gives every boy the chance to have their voice heard. We firmly believe that our students need not only to develop a range of knowledge and talents within the classroom, but also the communication skills necessary to argue a point and to convey their opinion. It is also a fantastic opportunity for us to get to know a little bit more about our newest group of Elizabethans!” Mr Harrison concluded.

Twenty-four boys from Year 10 had the opportunity to learn how to compose a speech from scratch and then deliver it with confidence in front of classmates in a day-long workshop at the School.

The boys learned about the importance of the three corners of the Communication Triangle – delivery, content and structure – in making a successful speech. They gained insights into overcoming nerves and tips on how to listen and give constructive feedback to each other.

The event, run by Jack Petchey’s ‘Speak Out’ Challenge!, was led by author, coach and speaker Hari Kalymnios. Four participants from each of the six forms in Year 10 were nominated for the workshop by their form teachers.

Extra-curricular Enrichment Tutor Oliver O’Gorman, who organised the day, said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for a select group of Year 10 boys to develop their confidence speaking in front of their peers, as well as learning some top tips for public speaking.”

Jack Petchey’s ‘Speak Out’ Challenge! is supported by the Jack Petchey Foundation, which is named after entrepreneur and philanthropist Sir Jack Petchey and was established with a brief to inspire and motivate young people across London and Essex. The challenge involves an annual public-speaking competition with a number of rounds culminating – in normal non-Covid years – in a Grand Final held in London’s West End at which participants speak in front of an audience of around 1,000,  including MPs, mayors and other leaders.

The workshop, which was held in QE’s Conference Centre, included an opportunity for each boy to deliver a speech to the group on any subject of their choice.

One of the boys involved, Abdullah Khalid, said: “I really enjoyed participating. I learnt how to control my breathing whilst doing a speech, which I found really useful. I hope we can do something similar again!”

Those reaching the final held on the day as part of an assembly were Victor Shyptur, speaking on Winston Churchill, Ethan Nauth (the US election), Aman Padala (Leaving things to the last minute) and Moniejan Pagareethan (Laziness). Topics selected during the day covered areas including mental health, politics, sleep, video games and social media.

The workshop leader, Mr Kalymnios, has a degree in Physics and has worked in sectors from Law to financial services, and for employers from Accenture to Sainsbury’s. He also spent three years travelling the world.

He became fascinated with what it took to become a high-performance leader and has studied experts from a wide-ranging set of industries, as well as looking at topics from nutrition, practical psychology and personal development, to science, spirituality and business.

While Covid-19 has raged around the world this term, members of QE’s Model United Nations Club have been examining the very different approaches to the pandemic taken around the globe. 

The 24 boys involved were each allocated a country, from Australia to Iceland and from the USA to North Korea. Each member, from Years 8 to 10, was given a brief to research his nation’s response to the crisis and look at the treatment for the virus and the global distribution of a vaccine in the future. 

They met regularly using Zoom to discuss the huge issues and challenges facing the global community. 

Academic Enrichment Tutor Gillian Deakin said: “It has been great to see the boys adopting their different countries and examining their responses to Covid–19. Every week they have contributed fascinating insights into how different countries have responded. 

“With countries as diverse as Japan, Iran, France, Kenya and the USA, the participants have had to get to grips with their often very different respective policies and perspectives.” 

The club is an academic simulation of the United Nations itself, where pupils take the roles of delegates from different countries and investigate possible solutions to global issues. 

The boys have also been learning how to write policy statements and resolutions in preparation for an MUN event at Magdalen College School, Oxford, in February next year.  

“They have gained real insight and understanding of the function of the different organisations within the UN in addition to an appreciation of the possibilities and challenges of the global development and distribution of a treatment or vaccination for Covid–19,” added Miss Deakin. 

“The boys are all looking forward to returning to the School and preparing for next year’s mini–MUN conference.” 

 The participants are listed below, each with his allocated country: 

Danny Adey (Year 10) – Japan; Eesa Ahmed (Year 9) – Saudi Arabia; Tejas Bansal (Year 8) – Germany; Dhruv Chadha (Year 9) – South Korea; Karan Chauhan (Year 8) China; Tharun Dhamodharan (Year 9) – India; Rahul Doshi (Year 10) – Russia; Kovid Gothi (Year 8) – France; Pranav Haller (Year 8) – USA; Seyed Jalili (Year 8) – Iran; Shaurya Madan (Year 8) – New Zealand; Dhruv Syam (Year 10) – Sweden; Rahul Kesavan (Year 10) – Sri Lanka; Saim Khan (Year 8) – Pakistan; Zaki Mustafa (Year 8) – UK; Jai Patel (Year 10) – South Africa; Vignesh Rajiv (Year 9) – Switzerland; Chanakya Seetharam (Year 8) Canada; Anban Senthilprabu (Year 9) – North Korea; Abhiraj Singh (Year 10) – Iceland; Sai Sivakumar (Year 9) – Australia; Mukund Soni (Year 10) – Italy, Anirudh Terdal (Year 8) – Kenya; Antony Yassa (Year 10) – Egypt.