Equalities Toolkit blogs

The Identities Programme at The Northern College 2015

Lou Mycroft — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 14:27:23 +0000

Last year, as The EDIF2013-14 Diversity Programme drew to a close, we knew it wasn't over. Our thinking continued over the summer, and we were delighted to be able to continue the work into 2015. Here is what we learned from The Identities Project:

IDENTITIES FINAL REPORT

“I’m a different teacher now. I resist the labels; the pigeon-holing; the merging of ‘equality and
diversity’ into something meaningless, about ticking a box. As Audre Lorde said ‘There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle, because we do not live single-issue lives.’”

Identities Programme participant

EDIF Dissemination Days

Lorri Garnell — Mon, 08 Sep 2014 18:52:09 +0000

These Dissemination Days enabled us to showcase our project involving working with young people from the Havering College LGBT social & support group and Newham PARIS LGBT youth group. Three young people came along to these events with Margo Lindsay and I (Havering College) and Dawn Ballinger (Newham PARIS Youth Group). We displayed our project work and our young people spoke with several people from various other projects and also participated with 'views from learners' feedback at the end of each event.

Jay, one of our students, sang her original song for the audience, which she wrote about her experience as a young LGBT person. This can still be found as an attachment in one of my earlier blogs.

The young people involved have said they found the whole experience extremely positive and have gained new skills and confidence.

We will continue to:

Raise awareness of LGBT issues within Havering College, as well as the wider community
Promote Havering College as an LGBT friendly College
Develop our work with LGBT young people.

Our networking with Newham PARIS Youth Group is on-going and going from strength to strength.

I have attached photos from 2 of the Dissemination days.

Many thanks to Catina from us all! :)

Further Tutor Observers Training

Lorri Garnell — Mon, 08 Sep 2014 10:19:46 +0000

My colleague Sarah Budd and I ran another Challenging Homophobic Langauge and Behaviour Training workshop for a group of 12 Tutor Observers on 27/08/14. This was well received and all staff engaged with the training session, which was aimed at ensuring all language used in the classroom is inclusive and tutors do not assume heterosexuality within groups of students.

The session was interactive and it gave staff the opportunity to speak openly about LGBT issues.

All training materials and handouts were emailed to each staff member, as well as a Tutor Observers checklist for their use during observation sessions.

We aim to offer further training on the next Staff Development Day in October 2014

Promoting Havering College at London Pride 2014

Lorri Garnell — Fri, 05 Sep 2014 12:23:28 +0000

The Pride event was attended by 15 young people, who were a combination of both LGBT groups of young people from Havering College and Newham PARIS group.

The College students wore the t-shirts with an original printed design on each, which advertised the College student social and support group.

These t-shirts actively promoted Havering College as an LGBT friendly place to study and several people commented on the design and asked the students questions about what it represented.

One student took part in the celebration by joining the parade and some photos of the students were put on the official Pride website.

Feedback from our Learners

angelaw — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 07:21:21 +0000

Start Living (a Mindful Life): End of course feedback from learners (2014)

“Thoroughly enjoyed the course. Very informative and helpful.”

“The course taught me how to use mindfulness when my mind wanted to punish me for things that happened years ago”

“Fantastic course. I have gained confidence and have come off my medication for anxiety”

“Valuable tools I will have forever. Thank you so much.”

“Nice and friendly atmosphere”

“Thank you for so much positivity and calm. What a fab course!”

“Excellent course – thanks.”

“Made me want to change”

“Since starting mindfulness I have not been to the doctors!”

“It is so nice to be able to go out of my front door without worrying about what might happen”

“I found having teachers who have been through issues themselves made the course more meaningful.”

“An alternative way of thinking and helping to cope with thoughts and anxiety”

“After this course I am looking forward to doing more.”

“Made me feel more at peace with myself”

“Well done guys keep up the excellent work in helping others.”

“Very well presented and run as it is on a very easy to deal with level.”

“Knowing it works makes you keep at it.”

“Good to know I am not alone or unusual.”

“Opened my eyes to controlling my mind rather than it controlling me!”

“Found Mark an excellent tutor and really enjoyed sharing ideas.”

“Given me the courage to volunteer and go back into the world.”

“Now recommending mindfulness to other people with depression.”

read more

Mindfulness for Recovery - The Project Impact summary figures

angelaw — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 07:17:08 +0000

Start Living (a Mindful Life)Feedback data analysis.

This analysis relates to exit feedback questionnaires from learners attending mindfulness courses between January and July 2014.

Percentage of students who declared that they had -

Some benefit from the course 100%

Significant benefit from the course 83%

Profound benefit from the course 22%

More positive in outlook 94%

Less anxious, depressed, stressed 89%

Gained in confidence 87%

Ready to take on new challenges 84%

Family and friends noticing improvement 71%

Improved coping mechanisms 93%

The End and The Beginning

mindfulmark — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 19:40:14 +0000

Hi once again,
And so it ends - and what a wonderful journey it has been. As Angela and I sit here collating the final outcome statistics and learner comments, we genuinely feel humbled by the whole experience.

Ten months has produced so much; classes which total over a hundred learners a week, two newspaper articles featuring our story, so many wonderful new NIACE^definition friends and best of all, learners who report that their lives have been literally turned around by Mindfulness.

But we also get the feeling of a new beginning.

As a result of this project, we have now made new links and re-inforced old ones with various partners within the community. For example, links with general practitioners, NHS^definition recovery teams, York Carers, York Mind, Job Centre Plus and many, many more.

These partners now refer learners to us who need Mindfulness to help with their various mental health difficulties that cannot be met swiftly through the NHS. We are achieving equality objectives because they cannot afford private psychiatric interventions, but are genuinely being turned around through the powers of Mindfulness and also, interaction with like-minded people.

EmployAble - A working success

National Star College — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 08:27:39 +0000

EmployAble has delivered 8 paid jobs places for learners with disabilities over the past year. We have exceeded our project target of 5 paid placements and are extremely pleased with the resposes from employers to the EmployAble scheme.

Cody Gingam is one of the students to gain a plaid job at the Quality Assurance Agency in Cheltenham. She also won the college award for Work Skills this year. This articlae appeared in the Stroud News yesterday.

Belief in a Career National Careers Service

Michaela Moher — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 16:12:55 +0000

I've created a Word Cloud based on the Belief in a Career project page:

http://worditout.com/word-cloud/452425

I've found it a good way to reflect on the project: the challenges we faced and also the successes. A great experience.

Master class in lesson planning to deliver EDI within work-based learning

NTNEDI — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 13:48:43 +0000

Have just finalised our project page and uploaded all our materials, I hope they are useful to other project members

Natalie