Mary Hobbs: Protecting the innocence of our children

If we are to reach real peace in this world .. we shall have to begin with children; and if they will grow up in their natural innocence . . . we won’t have to pass fruitless idle resolutions, but we shall go from love to love and peace to peace, until . . . all the corners of the world are covered with that peace and love for which consciously or unconsciously the whole world is hungering. — Mahatma Gandhi

Imagine you are a 13-year-old girl, about to start high school. You may look forward to it with a sense of positive anticipation for what the future holds, combined with a little trepidation – because you’re back to being one of the “new kids”. You’ll probably be keen to find good friends, and hope to have good teachers. High school is an exciting step and most of us remember a sea of children at a bigger school we will be attending for the next five years, so those first few weeks loom large — especially as they cement foundations for the majority of the teenage years.