Lemn Sissay tweets how letters from social work students "touched his soul"

BAFTA-nominated, award-winning writer and broadcaster, Lemn Sissay OBE, met with Sussex social work students after being touched by their letters to him after reading his memoir as part of their course.

A remote meeting instigated by Sissay and attended by 14 Year 2 social work students on 29 January gave students the rare and invaluable opportunity to interact directly with the person whose powerful story they had deeply connected with as part of their course.

During the rich two-way discussion, Sissay encouraged the students to “stay agile, open, and vulnerable in safe spaces”, and emphasised the importance of taking care of themselves in order to present themselves in the best way for children and families. He challenged them to see their role first and foremost as activists working on behalf of children and young people who deserve to have people advocating for them. He also talked about social work as “the litmus test” for how well we are doing as a society, with societies increased challenges being reflected in the increased demands on social work. Sissay reflected on the importance of family and what it is to be a young person with no family, and also the ease in which society often problematises young people in care as an easy alternative to addressing the wider issues of family and society.

Following the meeting, student James Crabb said:

“It was an amazing experience to meet Lemn. Reading his memoir should be a must for all professional social work courses. It’s certainly provided a great deal of food for thought and reflection. What an absolute pleasure to meet such a humble, kind, and inspiring person.”

Student Hannah Barnes added:

“I found the experience of reading through Lemn's story very therapeutic and relatable. There are some very powerful moments in what is a tragic story, including: "I am a victim of damaged adults". I am so grateful for being able to follow Lemn’s journey and then getting to speak with him in person. I asked Lemn how I should speak with children around their life stories and he gently recommended that I start by asking: "What do you have from when you were 5?". That’s how I will begin my work in placement.”

As part of the ‘Social Work with Children, Young People and Families’ module, second-year Social Work BA students read Lemn Sissay’s memoir, My Name is Why. Originally published in 2019, the book – about Sissay’s challenging childhood experiences within the British care system – became a Number One Sunday Times Bestseller and an Indie Book Awards Non-fiction Winner.

Module co-leads, Dr Jeri L. Damman and Professor Kristi Langhoff, introduced a book club format to the module which involved students reading and discussing Sissay’s memoir during the autumn semester. At the end of the module, students wrote to Mr Sissay to share with him the impact his book had - on their learning and also personally. Sissay subsequently reached out to the module co-leads after receiving the letters to express his gratitude and offering to meet the students to answer any questions they had about his story directly. 

Staff and students within the School of Education and Social Work at the University of Sussex hope to enlist support from the University and wider community to organise a Christmas Dinner, an initiative led by Sissay and The Gold from the Stone Foundation to ensure no young adult care leavers are alone on Christmas Day.

Dr Damman said:

“Lemn has contributed significantly to education and social work communities by sharing his story as a tool for learning and action. His “Christmas Dinner” initiative provides an ideal opportunity for us to show our appreciation and to help him make a difference.”