14^th September 2021                    

18:30-20:30 BST

What happens when 3 friends get together and say, “This has to stop”? Well apart from a lot of swearing and cussing, great things start to manifest.

Myself, Fiona Broadfoot and Gemma Aitchison are a force to be reckoned with in terms of violence against women and girls. They say you meet people for a reason and even though I hate that kind of airy fairy stuff…. I have to say….I see some truth in it with these two. The three of us come form remarkably similar backgrounds, not only in terms of class but also in terms of trauma and survival. Our conversations, when all together, always result in some idea on how we will change the world. And the event I am speaking about today is the result of such a conversation (It was Gemma’s idea so all bath bombs and chocolates should be sent to her).

And so here we have it…. our first joint venture (of many) to make change, to stop violence against women and girls, and get our voices out there in a united way.

Educare: A contextual safeguarding approach to address sexual assaults in the education setting. This is a webinar for education professionals to look at how to address the Ofsted findings of rape culture in schools, the new compulsory PSHE and how to provide trauma informed support.

We all saw the Ofsted findings. 9 out of 10 girls feel unsafe at school. We need to address this culture and create a safe learning environment. This webinar is a space for us to speak openly about what our young people are having to deal with in education settings and what the places and spaces look like for them.

You can read the Ofsted review HERE

These concerns are not new. I personally remember sexual assaults being part of school life, even though I did not view or understand it as such. It was the norm to have to avoid being “touched up” at school and knowing there were certain areas to avoid at certain times due to what could take place. It would be foolish for us to think that this is complete gone or doesn’t exist.

So, we are calling on anyone who would like to be part of this discussion, no matter your role, to help us examine the contextual safeguarding approach that is needed in ALL schools. I will be joined by the epic Gemma Aitchison from Yes Matters UK and Fiona Broadfoot from Build a Girl and in case you have never had the pure pleasure of knowing these Queens, then here is a brief overview of my partners in crime:

Gemma Aitchison – YES Matters UK.

Gemma is founder of YES Matters UK and successfully campaigned for and helped to shape the new compulsory PSHE. With the new compulsory PSHE coming in many pupils will be coming to the realisation in the classroom that what they thought was acceptable or ok to happen to them, is not. The school response to this will have massive implications for that pupil’s rehabilitation, mental health, future, and family. So, it’s important that we get it right.

Gemma will take you through her journey of the creation of YES Matters UK, to Westminster, European Parliament and to the creation of the YES Matters Commitment. An inspirational story of a working-class woman determined to change the world.

Fiona Broadfoot – Build a Girl.

Fiona Broadfoot has worked to end violence and abuse against women and girls for over 25 years using her own experience of childhood sexual abuse and child and adult sexual exploitation to inform and educate professionals and the wider community of the harsh realities.

Fiona is the founder and CEO of Build a Girl UK; the Project is firmly based on a survivor led perspective and is deeply committed to supporting and empowering victims and survivors of sexual exploitation and abuse and challenging the normalisation of sexism and misogyny that girls and young women are often faced with and constrained by.

You can get your tickets HERE.

SO, tell your friends, share this post, save the date, and come and be part of the change.