Tottenham Hotspur Foundation held a No Room For Racism art session at its Easter holiday camp near to their Stadium to share a clear message with young people in the local community that discrimination has no place in football or society.
Local youngsters joined former Spurs defender Ledley King and the Foundation’s Belvin Lewis, who was crowned as the Club’s No Room For Racism Icon earlier this season, for the activity at Duke’s Aldridge Academy.
It was also supported by former Foundation coach-turned-artist, Emmely Elgersma, and took place while the Premier League is showcasing the most recent updates on its No Room For Racism Action Plan.
Inspiring and educational
King says the make-up of the local community around Spurs, in north London, showed the value of the workshop and other work the Foundation does to tackle discrimination.
"I think you only have to look at the area we’re in, with it being so diverse, to understand why it’s important we use our platform as a football club to educate young people around the topic of racism," said King, who made 268 Premier League appearances for Spurs.
"It’s important we’re here to help young people so that they have an understanding, particularly around how to deal with racism.
"The No Room for Racism campaign has grown a lot over the years and the Premier League, being watched all over the world, has a particularly powerful voice to help educate people around the topic."
Isabella, a 10-year-old participant, said she was "inspired" after hearing King speak.
"I asked Ledley if racism had ever stopped him from achieving his goals," said Isabella. "He explained how what he’d experienced only made him stronger and more determined, and that was inspiring."
Lewis, a physical activity instructor with the Foundation, added: "No Room For Racism is close to my heart, particularly having grown up in this area. You can make a difference through education and I think Tottenham Hotspur, through the Foundation, lead on that in this community.
"The drawings done today have been amazing, but speaking to the kids whilst they were doing them, the great thing is they were able to tell you about the inspiration for them. They’re telling you we should get along and it doesn’t matter where you’re from, what colour your skin is – that’s what it’s all about."