A number of educational opportunities are available that will support delivery of school values and support young people to navigate, an often challenging world.
“No significant learning will take place without a significant relationship”
All sessions for schools provide a focus on building the healthy norm that exists amongst young people. Building healthy relationships are key for successful learning.
Topics include:
- Bullying behaviour
- Teen Dating Abuse
- Sexting
- Alcohol & Consent
- Inappropriate Language
- Tackling knife crime.
The following titles are offered.
1. Building Your Brand – This input will focus on both school and individual values. Pupils will look at their own personal responsibility in supporting these values as well as their own, personal values. Session works well with all school years and can be used as part of prefect/sports leadership/CCF training.
2. Leading to Prevent – This session designed for older school pupils will look at the issues of sexual consent. The session will develop awareness on the issue of consent and expose pupils to a realistic scenario which will provide them with options to support friends. This session will support young people as they prepare to leave school. This session supports wider university prevention work on this subject.
3. Screaming to prevent – This session looks at issues of bullying and sexting in schools and provides pupils with safe ways that they can both support friends and role model respectful behaviours that communicate to others that bullying and other unhealthy behaviours are unacceptable.
4. Be that friend, be that hero – We often define our heroes as extraordinary individuals or people with super-powers. The reality is that we know if we create the right situation ‘good people do good things’. This session will explore friendships and discuss what makes a healthy relationship. The session will look at ways to overcome the ‘bystander effect’ and support pupils to be the friends and classmates they truly want to be.
5. Escaping the ‘box’ – This interactive session explores the messages young boys and girls are receiving which communicates expectations and notions of both masculinity and femininity. The session presents an opportunity for young people to become critical of the media that is currently so available to them.
The discussion will look at the links between the gender stereotypes and wider social issues that impact negatively on both boys and girls. Importantly the session will demonstrate that the majority don’t want to conform to these expectations.
Session touches on the impact of pornography and works well with all year groups.
6. Being a parent in a digital age – This session will explore the role of parents and carers to support young people in an often, confusing world. The internet is as much of a place as the local park. Parents need the awareness and skills to be both critical and supportive.
This session will explore the online world their young people are growing up in and provide them with knowledge and skills to support both their child and the school.
Bespoke training – Cultivating Minds are also able to work with teachers and other school staff developing their knowledge and skills around the issues detailed above. It is the case that a teacher’s day is spent dealing with these issues. How they act and empower young people will contribute to further success in the school setting.
Example Session – Alcohol & Consent
This powerful and interactive session provides an excellent opportunity to place pupils in a realistic scenario which requires them to think about their actions in supporting and/or challenging a friend. The session aims to raise awareness around the issue of sexual consent and supports prevention work nationally to prevent sexual violence.
Learning Outcomes – By the end of the session participants will be able to
- Define the term consent in relation to rape and sexual assault
- Discuss occasions when consent is deemed not to be present.
- Identify a range of safe options that can be taken to support and/or challenge friends/peers in situations involving alcohol.
- Discuss the extent of sexual violence in Scotland.
Graham Goulden Cultivating Minds UK 