EAST Lancashire students are taking part in a cultural exchange project organised by a national charity.

The ‘Me:We’ project will see 60 students from Hollins Technology College in Accrington and Jamiatul Ilm Wal Huda in Blackburn take part in a series of classroom-based discussions on shared values.

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It will also see the students, who will be joined by Preston Muslim Girls High School, take part in visits to local homeless shelters and take part in litter picking drives and collaborate in joint artwork.

The scheme is the brainchild of 1st Ethical Charitable Trust which aims to inspire Muslims in Britain to become more confident, active and ethical ambassadors of their faith.

The exchange project aims for students from mainstream and Muslim faith schools to explore shared values and demonstrate them through community-based social action.

It will culminate with a ceremony in Accrington where the students will showcase their artwork and share their experiences of the initiative.

Waqaus Ali, managing director of 1st Ethical, said: “We intend to provide a platform for safe and open discussion between students from diverse communities in order to strengthen shared values in the UK.

“We believe that through interaction, dialogue and social responsibility campaigns, we can break down social and cultural barriers and inspire champions who works for the benefit of their local community.”

Yesterday, students from Preston took part in activities with Hollins Technology College students and today will see the Accrington students interact with pupils from Jamiatul Ilm Wal Huda in Blackburn.

The Accrington students will travel to Preston on Tuesday to take part in a litter-picking drive in Deepdale and will complete the same activity with the Blackburn students in the town the following day.

Blackburn with Darwen Councillor Salim Mulla said: “It’s a very valuable project and I hope that more are going to be held in the region in the future.”