A competition in England is open to entries from 14-16 year olds

http://www.911educationprogramme.co.uk/

All students have to do is tell us how they think 9/11 changed the world. We want them to use their imagination by sending us an original, creative and thoughtful piece of work.

Students can send us either:

a short film (under 75mb)
a 1200 word (approx.) essay

Judging panel

Professor Chris Husbands (CHAIR) - Director Institute of Education
Lord Puttnam - Film Producer, Education Advocate, Environmentalist, Politician
Charles Saumarez Smith CBE - Secretary and Chief Executive Royal Academy of Arts
John Simpson CBE - BBC World Affairs Editor
Cliff Chanin - Director of Education and Public Programmes, The National September 11 Memorial and Museum
Sally Coates - Principal, Burlington Danes Academy
Dr Yvonne Burne OBE - 9 11 London Project Trustee and Ex Headteacher of City of London School for Girls
Peter Rosengard - Life Insurance Salesman (Founder and Chairman of 9 11 London Project)
Mark Napier - Independent Consultant in Finance and Development. UK 9/11 Family Member
Simon Schama CBE - Professor of Art History and History, Columbia University NYC, Broadcaster, Author
Patrick Earnshaw - Head Teacher, Carr Hill School, Kirkham, Lancashire
Lee A Ielpi - President, September 11th Families' Association: Tribute WTC Visitor Center

The following article is in today's Evening Standard

Who can forget the visceral shock we felt on September 11, 2001 as the world witnessed suicidal terrorists aiming planes at the Twin Towers? Yet next year, for the first time, the 11-year-olds going to secondary school will not have been alive on 9/11.

Just as we must always remember the Holocaust, so this ultimate act of terror must form part of our common memory, even for a generation who did not witness the horror live on television.

The tragedy is that such events are too easily forgotten in our fast-changing world. So the 9/11 Educational Programme’s national schools competition challenges secondary-school children to reflect on the vital question: How did 9/11 change the world?

Though I am far too old to enter the competition, my answer would be 9/11 didn’t change the world enough. The purpose of remembrance is to ensure history doesn’t repeat itself. Yet it is too easy to imagine such acts of terror being repeated. Bombings in Madrid, London, Pakistan, Iraq and Israel expose the truth that the threat of Islamist terror remains.

Western security services have reportedly foiled many plots, and the vast majority of Muslims reject the evil distortions of Islam which led to the attacks. Yet there remain too many radicalised young people willing to contemplate the ultimate act of evil — to take as many lives as they can.

Four days after the attacks, I led a service of remembrance at St Paul’s. After the service, together with the Queen, I greeted thousands of Americans outside for whom the attacks had a raw and tragic quality. What is often forgotten is the traumatic nature of the attacks on American society.

In the immediate aftermath, the fully justified attempts to uproot al Qaeda from Afghanistan, and a less legitimate military adventurism in Iraq, divided a world which should have been united in a determination to defeat Islamist terror. The protracted struggles in Iraq and Afghanistan have reflected badly on allied strategy and created the spectre of a “clash of civilisations”.

While there were hopes that more Muslims would embrace widespread reform and greater openness, there are signs that some Muslim communities have closed in on themselves.

Yet I am not completely pessimistic. One of the great developments post- 9/11 was a renewed dialogue between Christian and Muslim leaders. Initiatives such as Building Bridges, which I and Tony Blair initiated after the attacks, still bear fruit today.

There are also signs, such as missions in Libya, that Western governments have learned from the missteps in Iraq and Afghanistan. Smarter ways must continue to be found to support moderate voices in Muslim-majority countries.

And we must remember, which is the purpose of the 9/11 educational programme: it and initiatives like its essay competition should be welcomed eagerly by all.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/world/why-we-must-remember-911-always-7753414.html