It is a simple idea, but a powerful opportunity. This Christmas, schools and colleges are invited to join We Are United through its first national campaign, Together at Christmas. The aim is not simply to give children and young people the chance to participate in community life. We want them to help shape it, lead it and discover their place within it. The method, as ancient as humanity itself, will be a shared meal. The idea grew from a simple question. What if, by working together across the country, we made all the quiet, everyday goodness in our schools and colleges visible at the same time? This summer, I was appointed as voluntary enrichment ambassador for civic engagement by the Department for Education and Department for Culture, Media and Sport. One part of my brief is to celebrate and amplify the extraordinary enrichment work that already takes place. The other is to ensure that, working alongside young people, every child aged 5 to 19 in every postcode is given opportunities to develop confidence, agency, leadership and a stronger belief in their future through volunteering and community participation. For every child, every chance. That phrase, working alongside young people, is crucial. The best enrichment Too often, activities are designed for young people and delivered to them. The best enrichment happens with young people. It enables them to contribute, make decisions, discover their strengths and step into leadership. It builds confidence, resilience, friendship, agency, belonging and hope. As schools minister Georgia Gould put it: “Children don’t just need less screen time, they need more of everything else.” So, with colleagues from the Together Coalition and Oasis, we established We Are United, with the goal of creating at least 1,000 festive tables of welcome in the month-long run-up to this Christmas. We hope as many as possible will be planned, led and hosted by young people through their schools and colleges. At each table, young people will decide whom to invite, help plan the gathering, welcome guests, share food and tell the story of their community. The purpose is simple: to bring together people who might not otherwise meet, across differences of age, background, culture, faith, belief and experience. A Christmas table of welcome might be a small gathering or a large celebration. It could bring together business leaders, volunteers, senior citizens, councillors, faith leaders or neighbours who children have never met before. It might take place in a classroom, school hall, the community centre or town hall. No prescribed model Schools and colleges can build on Christmas activities they already run or create something new. There is no centrally prescribed model and no complicated programme to deliver. Children and young people will decide what their table looks like, but each will be shot through with the same values of welcome, kindness and belonging. To help, We Are United will provide free resources, ideas, encouragement and practical support. If our national enrichment ambitions for each child are to succeed, we will need to develop a whole menu of affordable, adaptable and practical opportunities that work everywhere. Opportunities that develop teams, strengthen wellbeing and belonging and help every child and young person achieve their potential. Closing the participation gap will require strong partnerships between schools, colleges, youth organisations, employers, sports clubs, cultural institutions, faith communities, charities and voluntary groups. All have a part to play. Strong communities are built when institutions work together rather than in isolation. That’s why We Are United is about more than Christmas. It’s about the chance, over a meal, of strengthening the extraordinary networks already present in our towns, cities and neighbourhoods. It is about spotting the very partnerships that will increase capacity, relieve pressure and create lasting opportunities for children through volunteering, mentoring, work experience and enrichment. Bringing faiths together The We Are United national steering group now brings together major faith traditions, ASCL and other partners across education, business and civil society. Jamie Oliver is even helping by developing some recipes. All agree, this Christmas is the ideal beginning, but with other festivals and shared meals to follow, including perhaps around Eid al-Fitr, Diwali and Pesach and more. At the heart of We Are United is a simple belief: we have far more in common than that which divides us. Every school can play a part by hosting one or more tables of welcome, becoming a partner and sharing the invitation through its networks. Schools and colleges already do extraordinary work to enrich young people’s lives. Together with our communities, we can do even more. Christmas is our starting point. Connection is our purpose. Opportunity for every child and young person is our ambition. Schools Week is a media partner for the We Are United campaign.