1. Student Voice Involving students to bring
about positive change in secondary schools and colleges
Chris Dye
Education Officer

2. Why is involving young people important?
Peer to peer approach is most effective
Young people are best placed to inform anti-homophobic bullying work
Builds trust with young people
Shows commitment
Young people develop new skills and knowledge
Improves students’ self-confidence

3. Stonewall Youth Volunteering Programme
150 young people
Residential – 3 & 6 month review – Youth Awards
Youth Leader
Who they reached with their campaigns….
7,000 school and college students
2,200 young people in other settings
1,650 university students
29 MPs and councillors
620 teachers and other school staff
80 school governors
65 head teachers

4. Education for All Campaign Guide
Student Survey
Workshops/Assemblies
Teacher training
Celebrate a national event
Set up a student group

5. What students need to support their campaigns
Staff champion
Support from leadership
Suitable campaign type
Right audience & timing
Targets
Targets
Helping to get permission
Accessing resources
Dealing with discrimination
Resources the school has
YP skills and confidence levels
School/college environment
Senior staff invested
Built into timetable
Embedded in curriculum
YP involved in work
Their own year group or another?
Will staff be receptive?
Who is already interested?
Realistic
Specific
Deadlines
Success is clear

6. What Stonewall Youth Volunteers have done
‘Senior management asked me if I could provide more training for teachers in this area…since the first workshops I have had teachers come up and tell me how they confronted homophobia in their class…this is something I am proud of.’
‘My contact was incredibly enthusiastic and encouraging and has given me the school’s Equality Policy to look over.’
‘I amended the entire citizenship curriculum and made a PowerPoint presentation that teachers are now using in class.’
‘I have successfully started a lunchtime club for LGB students and it is running every Wednesday during lunchtime.’

7. Engaging young people in schools and colleges
Updating policies
Creating student-friendly versions of policies
Raising awareness with students
Developing and delivering training for staff
Marking events like Anti-Bullying Week
Creating a gay-friendly environment e.g. by displaying posters; suggesting books to be stocked in the library
Attitude surveys

8. The posters can be used to engage
young people
Make sure young people have access to the Stonewall website for young people

10. Student Voice Involving students to bring
about positive change in secondary schools and colleges
Nell Beecham
Stonewall Youth Volunteer

11. Student Voice Involving students to bring
about positive change in secondary schools and colleges
Andrew Plaistowe
Head of Year 7
Highgate School
Toby Sharpe
Former pupil
Highgate School

13. What am I going to talk to you about?
Under Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 schools were scared of doing assemblies like this
Section 28 was repealed by the government in November 2003, but there is still much controversy about discussing gay issues in schools.
What am I going to talk to you about?
A local authority "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship".
Section 28, The Local Government, Act 1988

14. HIGHGATE SCHOOL
LGBT
SOCIETY

19. ,

20. Y7 PSHE Do you think And Tango Makes Three should be banned?
Why do you think some people say that it should be?

21. When do we learn to be prejudiced?

22. Middle school assembly
Here’s a question ­shortly coming to an examination ­paper near you. What have mathematics, geography or science to do with homosexuality?
Nothing at all, you say?
Zero marks for you, then.
For, mad as this may seem, schoolchildren are to be bombarded with homosexual references in maths, geography and ­science lessons as part of a Government-backed drive to promote the gay agenda.
Alas, this gay curriculum is no laughing matter. Absurd as it sounds, this is but the latest attempt to brainwash children with propaganda under the ­camouflage of ­education. It is an abuse of childhood.
And it’s all part of the ruthless campaign by the gay rights lobby to destroy the very ­concept of normal sexual behaviour.
24 January 2011

23. What next?

24. Discussion How do you already involve young people in your work?
What do you need to do to engage young people in your work to prevent and tackle homophobic bullying and celebrate difference?
What are the challenges and how can these be overcome?

25. www.youngstonewall.org.uk education@stonewall.org.uk 08000 50 20 20