1. Engaging Young People on FGM in the UK
Peggy Mulungo – NESTAC
Dina Baky- FORWARD

2. About the New Step for African Community (NESTAC)
NESTAC is a Refugee Community Organisation that aims to support refugees, asylum seekers and other new migrant communities, especially from African origin, across Greater Manchester.
Our focus and vision:
Educate through Cross-cultural awareness trainings
Support, Advocate and Empower clients to fulfil their potential
Research, Inform and Share learning on Cultural issues
Health and wellbeing, using trans-cultural therapeutic approaches
NESTAC started running its FGM programme initiatives in Greater Manchester since 2008.

3. About FORWARD
FORWARD is an African Diaspora led charity working to safeguard and advance the health and rights of African girls and women. We focus on FGM, child marriage and related health concerns.
Our vision is that women and girls live in dignity, are healthy and have choices and equal opportunities

4. FORWARD’s work Different Programme Areas: Africa
EU and UK – policy work
Frontline Professionals Training
Community Engagement
Young People Speak Out!

5. What is FGM?
The terms “female genital mutilation","female genital cutting“; female circumcision” and "female genital mutilation/cutting"refer to:
all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons
Adapted from World Health Organization 2008

6. Why is it important to engage young people on FGM?
What might be potential challenges to engaging young people on FGM?
General discussion for 2-3min

7. Core Principles Always YOUTH led Creative Empowering Collaborative
Engaging in discussion
FGM in Context
Break up into group and give each group one core principle and ask them to brain storm how you would practically ensure this principle was being adhered to. Then go back and go through and discuss this. 7

8. Young People Speak Out AIMS:
Engage young people from FGM practicing communities in the UK,
Build their knowledge, skills and confidence to advocate against FGM,
Provide a platform for their voices to be heard.

9. Young People Speak Out Youth Led Advocacy: Schools Programme
Participatory Research
Training and Youth Advocates
Public Awareness Events
Creative Campaigning Projects
Youth Friendly Resource Production
Schools Programme
Support and Outreach work to provide and advice for those affected by FGM.

10. Youth Led Advocacy

11. Participatory Research
Participatory Research with young people
National Youth Survey on FGM
Focus Group Discussions: Manchester, Sheffield, London and Birmingham
European PEER Research
Forced Marriage and FGM
Portugal, Netherlands and UK
Importance and linking it to the key principles.
Why this approach – the necessity of it
Ownership; authority; tailoring services 11

12. Training
Training: provides young people skills e.g. leadership skills, GBV and FGM.
Youth Groups
Specific Projects
Work with Universities
Empowered
Youth Advocates: Peer education through workshops and events.
Skill building; empowering and engaging; placing it in context; youth led; access 12

13. EMPOWERED
‘One thing I liked was the ‘bringing together’ of other females and the importance of being a female’

14. Creative Campaigning Creative Campaigning Projects Think Again
These are our Friends – National
CREATIVE
Insert lo 14

15. These Are Our Friends Video/

17. Public Awareness Events
Public Awareness campaigns and events:
National – X takes the Stand
Woman Whose Canvas – London
Karibu – Manchester
FGM Youth Conference – Birmingham
FGM is Everybody's Business – Bristol

18. Youth Advocacy Café
‘This event proved that advocacy can happen at any age and begin from anywhere in the world. It is something we can all do.’

19. Woman; whose Canvas?

21. Youth Friendly Resource Production
Information Resources for young people:
FGM FAQs,
ISS Guide
16 Ways to help end FGM
Campaigning Resources developed by young
people
These are our Friends - National
FGM Factfile: Interactive Teaching Resource
FGM Song – Manchester
FGM Play – Middlesbrough

23. Practical Considerations
Creating a safe space
Language Sensitivities and Appropriateness
Demographics: age, gender, community
Incentives
Accessibility
Supporting young people to negotiate age/power structures
Support structures in place for young women
Safeguarding and referral pathways
Support for young people 23

24. Engaging Schools on FGM

25. What needs to be put in place to enable schools engagement on FGM?
Why is it necessary to work with schools? What are we hoping to achieve?
What needs to be put in place to enable schools engagement on FGM?
What might be some of the concerns/challenges with engaging schools on FGM?

26. FORWARD’s Schools Programme - Aims
Equip teachers with the knowledge to better respond to FGM in their schools
Support schools to create an ‘open environment’, one that is safe and one in which girls and young people know they can receive support around FGM
Raise pupils awareness of FGM.

27. FORWARD’s Schools Programme
Staff Training on FGM
Student Awareness Sessions
Youth Friendly Resources
Out-reach or Drop in Sessions
One-to-one Support
Advice and Guidance
Parents’ Session
Supporting pupils to take further action

28. Schools work in Manchester
FGM Awareness Training delivered to school staff across Greater Manchester.
Provision of advice, guidance and support to school staff when dealing with a case of FGM
Students’ awareness sessions (secondary schools) starting in January 2015.

29. FGM Schools resource pack
The FGM Schools Resource Pack aims to facilitate effective school wide engagement on FGM. It includes:
FGM Lesson Plan: with materials and teaching aids
FGM Support Resources for young people
FGM Resources for Teachers:
FGM information
Support and safeguarding
FGM Resources for Schools

30. That’s how you do it! – Examples of good practice
Whole school approach
Mandatory training of ALL staff
Safeguarding procedures and point of contact
Engaging young people in the campaign
Setting context – does this make sense to the young people
Emphasising importance – why do young people need to know
Working in partnership
Knowing what support is out there
Teachers not being trained on FGM – so not able to respond to safeguarding or support concerns
Teachers not in the room
Lack of consideration of the appropriateness of the session
Targeting specific pupils to attend
No awareness of safeguarding procedures on FGM
No knowledge of local support services
Silo approach to FGM
FGM work in isolation
Insufficient time allocated
Inappropriate setting 30

31. Learning and Challenges
lessons need to be more interactive and activity focused
Language and imagery: stigma and safety
Need to get staff on board and prepared:
Several of the sessions led to disclosures
Schools need to create an enabling environment
Awareness should also include focus on support services
Where is the YOUTH – need for youth friendly resources and services
Need to support schools to engage on the issue and build their capacity
Split to two slides 31

32. Student Feedback
“If I had a friend with this problem with the things that I learnt today I would help my friend with the doctor or police”
“One thing someone could do is make sure that there is somewhere for victims of FGM to go and talk about it e.g. youth club or a specific centre”
“One thing I can do is to be aware it happens in the UK and to write to David Cameron to ask him to do some work on it. I would ask him to get more involved with the FORWARD organisation.”

33. Staff Feedback
“I spoke yesterday with my class about the sessions – and the AMOUNT of information between them that they came up with is excellent – I was so proud and impressed with them and that is all down to what you taught them. They even taught me some things I wasn’t aware of. Despite my initial reservations, I would definitely have you back in our school”

34. Successes Confidence building Skills development
“All of our confidence has grown so much since doing this, we feel like we
now know what we are talking about, so we feel comfortable and confident
talking about it.”
“We were able to motivate each other, as soon as I saw Naima do her poem I
was like, yeah I can do that! I didn’t feel alone, I had the whole group with me.”
Skills development
“I learnt something new everyday”

35. Changing attitudes “They said I was disgracing
Somalis for talking about stuff like this.”
“Some people didn’t know about it
and some had been through it and
so I thought it was good that those
girls were comfortable enough to
talk to me.”
“At first they were laughing but now they actually want to have conversations and get more informed.
So it feels good to be able to talk about it.”

36. effective they are to deliver messages.’
Young people influencing their community
“I really enjoyed the event, we feel like that was the best part, the way the people were happy and overwhelmed and looked like they actually learnt something”
‘I learnt tonight how important young people are as Ambassadors and how
effective they are to deliver messages.’
Member of the audience

37. NESTAC: Tel: / Web:
FORWARD: Tel: Web:
THANK YOU ! 37