To mark the 10 year anniversary of the London 7/7 terrorist attacks, HuffPost UK is running Beyond The Bombings, a special series of interviews, blogs, in-depth features and exclusive research reflecting on how Britain has changed since.
Miriam Hyman was my little sister and only sibling. The Miriam Hyman Memorial Trust was established 2008 in response to Miriam's death in the Tavistock Square explosion on 7 July 2005. In 2008 her memorial: the Miriam Hyman Children's Eye Care Centre in Odisha, one of India's most deprived states. The MHMT continues to support the MHCECC on a project-by-project basis to expand its services in every subspeciality. Now 10,000 Outpatients appointments and 1,000 surgeries per year irrespective of the family's ability to pay, and Outreach Programme expanding to serve school children, maternity wards, urban slums and remote areas.
Miriam's legacy: "Miriam's Vision: A Response to the 2005 London Bombings". After a seven-year development, the MHMT launched miriamsvision.org on 1 July 2015. Educators of (approximately) 11 to 14-year-olds, potentially in any English-speaking learning environment globally, access free, curriculum-based, high-quality, unique sets of lesson plans, accompanying materials and guidance notes, written by teachers for teachers in association with the University College London Institute of Education. Teachers, you have everything you need to directly deliver "Miriam's Vision" in YOUR classroom right there on miriamsvision.org. Call to action: Visit the website, use "Miriam's Vision" in your classroom. If you like it, spread the word and please feed back to us so that we can improve our product and monitor impact.
"Miriam's Vision" has three strands:
-History, Citizenship and PSHE relate directly to the events of 7/7, Miriam's Story and our response to losing her on 7/7. The personal, communal, national and global consequences of violence are avoidable. If you want to make a change in your community or society, or to make your viewpoint heard, a viable constructive alternative to the violence that perpetuates the system is participation in democratic process. Democracy will never be perfect but if you PARTICIPATE you can improve it, and influence outcomes. Nobody has a life without adversity. You can't control what happens to you but you CAN take control of how you respond to it. Resilience. Transferrable life skills in critical thinking and rational action.
-Geography, Art and Dance relate to the locality of Odisha (location of the MHCECC), comparing engaging aspects of its culture to that of one's own, making the point that culture is local response to universal needs for shelter, nourishment, spirituality - and the safety of our loved ones. The way we meet these needs depend on the resources available to us locally so there is nothing to fear from each other. My neighbour's child is as precious as my own. Unite.
-Business and Enterprise: An opportunity for participants to improve their self-esteem and sense of belonging and purpose through a group altruistic activity, putting on a fundraising event, in this instance for the benefit of the Outreach Programme at the MHCECC. We can't advocate that people DON'T behave in negative ways without providing an alternative suggestion. We all have the potential to replace hatred and division with compassion and altruism, and make a positive difference to someone's LIFE.
The MHMT brings "Miriam's Vision" to you free of charge. Call to action: Visit miriamsvision.org and donate to help the MHMT make it sustainable.
Miriam Hyman Memorial Trust bottom lines:
-Replace narratives of division, hatred and anger with narratives of empathy, compassion, resilience, mutual support.
-Reduce the chances of others experiencing the losses and indignities that we have experienced.
-Miriam sowed seeds of altruism and universalism in her lifetime. Work with us to nurture those
seeds, together with so many organisations and individuals globally, towards Miriam's Vision of a
safer, more inclusive society.
-Most importantly: Visit miriamsvision.org
Thank you :)
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