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BBC News
17-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
BBC award winning chickpea project promotes British values
"Imagine you are a chickpea," says the speaker. A hall full of children at John Henry Newman primary school in Oxford are eagerly listening. "Would you rather be in a soup, a salad, or a Noah's pudding?"This is not a cookery lesson, but a scheme which teaches children about the values of equality, diversity and inclusion. The initiative, called Life of a Chickpea, is now planning to expand after it won a BBC Make a Difference award. It was devised by Mahmut Gunaydin, who leads the Oxford branch of The Dialogue Society, a charity which promotes social cohesion. He was awarded the BBC Radio Oxford Community Award for his work. Nominations are currently open for the 2025 BBC Make a Difference Awards. Stacked up to the side of the hall are piles of Noah's puddings. The pudding is a mixture of 10 different ingredients - as well as chickpeas, it includes pomegranates, apples, apricots and barley. The Life of a Chickpea programme uses the pudding as a metaphor for society. "The pudding shows we can be different but come together without losing our shape, our taste, our identity," explains Mahmut. Life of a Chickpea also tries to reinforce British Values, which have been a core part of the school curriculum since 2014. Eleven-year-old Jesse is among the pupils listening."It told us that the Noah's pudding expresses all five British values, because although all the ingredients are different, they bring the best out in each other."Siddiqa, 10, recounts the story of where the pudding came from."On Noah's ark, they all got very hungry after surviving the flood, and they just got every food that they had and they put it together to make the Noah's pudding."Mahmut explains that the story is known in a number of religions. "It's in The Quran, Bible and Torah," he says. The session is led by volunteers from The Dialogue Society, but children also get to hear from faith leaders, on this occasion from the Christian, Hindu, Muslim and Sikh communities."It was great for the children to see leaders from all different types of faiths," teacher Klarisa Dani says."I think children often view them as separate religions and actually they do all come together and share a similar belief."Mahmut won the BBC Make a Difference Award in September. "After that recognition, our Life of a Chickpea project had more impact in the region," he says."We've had more schools wanting to be involved in the project in Oxford, and we are planning to expand throughout Oxfordshire."Session over, and Jesse, Siddiqa and their classmates are taking home with them valuable lessons - and the best bit, their Noah's puddings. The Make a Difference Awards recognise people, across eight different categories, who are making a difference where they BBC Local Radio station will host awards in is a chance to say thank you to people who make life better for can be made via the BBC Make a Difference website where you can also see full terms and the privacy close on the 31st March 2025 at 17:00. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
BBC Make a Difference: Diversity project to expand after win
A man who won a BBC Make a Difference award for his work promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in schools now hopes to roll the programme Gunaydin won the community award for his voluntary work with the Dialogue Society which aims to advance social Life of a Chickpea project follows a chickpea's journey as a metaphor for British values of democracy, individual liberty and mutual respect, and he hopes he can now take it to schools in other towns in the county. Meanwhile, Sue Holden, who won the great neighbour award, has urged people to make a nomination for the 2025 awards as it can "affect a whole community". Nominations close on 31 March. Mr Gunaydin was selected as the winner by the actor Jeremy Irons, which he said was an "unexpected but brilliant" moment."It made me want to do more at a local level to promote these three key concepts of equality, diversity and inclusion," he said. "I think it's the best way to overcome division in our society."Lof of a Chickpea follows a chickpea's journey as a metaphor for understanding societal models, British values,He said winning the BBC award for Oxfordshire had raised the profile of the project, resulting in more inquiries from schools wanting to run the programme. Mrs Holden won her award her community work Barton for 53 years. After retiring as the local newsagent in 2006, she took on a role at Barton Community Association community said: "I get a real buzz out of making a difference to people's lives."Mrs Holden helps organise activities and events, including free youth clubs, exercise classes, subsidised coach trips and a community larder. She said the award recognised the contribution of the whole team which worked "to breathe oxygen into the building, and make it come alive".Participation in exercise classes at the centre has "gone through the roof" since news of the award win was posted on the community association's newsletter and website, she Holden urged people to make a nomination for the 2025 awards if they knew someone deserving. "Please go ahead and do it because your nomination will make a difference to not just one person's life but it can affect a whole community. "Don't hesitate, you'll make somebody very happy." How to nominate The Make a Difference Awards recognise and celebrate people, across eight different categories, who are going above and beyond to make a difference where they BBC Local Radio station will host an awards ceremony in awards are a chance to say "thank you" and show recognition and appreciation for people who love to make life better for can be made via the BBC Make a Difference website where you can also see full terms and the privacy notice. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
