On Friday, we had the privilege of total independence for the first time and visited Benenden School for a day of workshops. As we ventured out into the peaceful and serene environment of the countryside, we were met with a sense of joy to be part of such a thrilling programme with so many accomplished speakers and students, which would lead to our perspectives being broadened on the importance of active listening in order to have valuable discussions, and to truly be able to disagree well.

In one of the workshops hosted by UCL, we were introduced to the term ‘echo chamber’. This term encapsulates how opinions in one social circle associate with one another. When learning this, it made us think about if our FHS community would be considered an echo chamber, and whether our opinions and views are all too similar to one another? We agreed that it is important that we ensure that our spectrum of views are broadened everyday. We then explored different angles of debating to develop our social and political skills, and also discussed the difference between empathy and sympathy, which was fascinating.

Throughout the day, we had a plethora of captivating lectures from different speakers. One of whom was Mishal Hussain, a newsreader and journalist for the BBC. She spoke to us about ‘light not heat’ and how we can ‘disagree well’ in our conversations, and to hear from her directly was truly inspiring.

Overall, we had a wonderful day at Benenden School and have come away enriched with knowledge.

Allegra B, Claudia C, Arizona G and Claudia W, Lower Sixth