Local charity trains school staff across West Sussex to cultivate safe learning spaces for all pupils
Issues of misogyny, so-called ‘toxic masculinity’ and gender-based violence are prevalent in secondary schools across the UK.
As part of our work at Lifecentre, we have been commissioned by the Community Safety & Wellbeing Team at West Sussex County Council to design training for anyone working with secondary school aged pupils to raise their awareness and confidence in dealing with these regular occurrences.
Our training, which has been paid for by funds received from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, has been specifically designed to highlight issues that are currently being seen in schools across the county, including:
- sexual harassment
- hatred/prejudice against female teachers and students
- gender stereotyping
- rape culture
- issues around consent.
Our aim is to equip staff with the skills to effectively respond to incidents of misogyny, including references to social media influencers.
We also aim to provide staff with practical tools they can take back into the classroom to empower young people, including pre-bunking strategies (which help young people identify manipulation techniques online influencers may be using) and active bystander training.
To ensure the course is relevant, it has been designed by a team of trauma-informed specialists and experienced teachers, working in consultation with the County Council’s Countering Extremism Team.
The training, which was rolled out to secondary school staff, community wardens and Sussex Police officers during the Spring term, was very well received and, due to its popularity, we are excited to announce that two new Summer term dates are now live and open to book for both secondary and primary schools in West Sussex for free.
Feedback from our participants
“This was a really useful day and there are definitely things I will be incorporating into my practice going forward.”
“Really good presentation, interesting. Made me think about how I respond to young people and their actions.”
“I feel that this training was very useful to our role and interesting getting an insight into what challenges young people are facing.”
“This course has been well worth my time and will inform future curriculum changes.”
“Succinctly illustrated the issues young people are facing.”
“A fantastic course lots of useful information – I ran an inset for our staff yesterday (pre-planned) and was able to use the resources shared.”
“Everyone should have this training.”
Booking
To book onto a course or find out more information, please see the Cultivating Safe Learning Spaces collection on Eventbrite.
If you’re interested in training multiple staff members or even your whole staff, we can deliver this training for free in-person or online to just your staff. To book or find out more, email training@lifecentre.uk.com.
About Lifecentre
Lifecentre is a charity; a small team of qualified therapists who provide support and trauma-informed therapy for people who have had an unwanted sexual experience. They help their clients unlock the past, survive the present and reclaim their futures.
To find out more visit the Lifecentre website.