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Making new contacts : Common Purpose

On 21 December 2007 Rohini Corfield met with Vimme Rathour, Senior Programme Director of Common Purpose, an organisation that specialises in developing holistic leaders by setting up interactive learning and networking courses for people working in the private, public and voluntary sectors. www.commonpurpose.org.uk

EMNGPS will make network members aware of the training opportunities that Common Purpose offers locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

Rohini and Vimme are also exploring other ways that the organisations can work together to help young people develop their potential as active global citizens.

New Resources for Fairtrade Schools

The Fairtrade Foundation has now launched a new national scheme for Fairtrade Schools. There is a dedicated website at www.fairtradeschools.net/schools/

Schools can register interest in the scheme via the website, and will have access to information about the scheme, resources and sources of support. The Fairtrade Foundation is encouraging schools to make their applications, and to submit evidence online.

There is an Action Guide to accompany the scheme and this can also be accessed via the Fairtrade Schools website. Paper copies of the guide can be ordered online from the resources section of the Fairtrade Foundation website or by ringing 020 7440 7676.

Leicester City of Sanctuary

On 5 November 2007, four members from the Leicestershire Locality Group attended an event to consider whether Leicester City would like to work towards becoming a City of Sanctuary, a place where refugees and asylum seekers are made to feel welcome and part of the community. This concept was developed by Sheffield - see www.cityofsanctuary.com

60 people from a diverse range of organisations attended to hear:-

Craig Barnett share the experiences of Sheffield as they became a City of Sancutary. Craig emphasized the importance of opportunities for local people to befriend Refugees and asylum seekers.

Rose Panumudipo from Refugee Action explain the Leicester Timebank Mentoring project for refugees which helps provide emotional support to build confidence.

Kerri Beech from the British Red Cross describe the work of the Refugee Orientation Project.

Delegates then shared ideas at workshops about:-

Donations/Fundraising - donation of food, gifts, clothes, corporate support, sponsored activities
Hands on Support- mentoring project, social events/groups, volunteering, informal learning
Awareness raising / Media - newsletter, leaflets, talks, school projects, training sessions, Refugee Week

Another meeting has been arranged on 3 December to take ideas forward. The City of Sanctuary concept fits well with the work of EMNGPS members in building Community Cohesion.

Visit to Holocaust Education Centre

On 30 October 2007, Jane Fletcher, PSHE and Citizenship Consultant from Lincolnshire and Rohini Corfield went to visit the Holocaust Education Centre at Laxton, Nottinghamshire ( www.holocaustcentre.net) to meet with Chantelle Lee and John Petrie from The Aegis Trust ( www.aegistrust.org)

The Aegis Trust are bringing a Rwandan Dance and drama group, the Mashirika Group, to England in the autumn of 2008 and EMNGPS can help promote the opportunity for schools to book a performance and workshops exploring what lessons have been learnt from the Rwandan genocide. This helps schools meet the requirements for the Citizenship curriculum in a powerful and memorable way.

Jane also plans to invite the Aegis Trust to contribute to Citizenship conferences across Lincolnshire.

Jane and Rohini also heard the experiences of a holocaust survivor - an emotive but motivating experience.

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Traidcraft Producer Event

On Wednesday 26 September Clare Carr and Rohini Corfield attended a producer sharing event organised by Traidcraft,the UK retailer with the widest range of Fairtrade products - see www.traidcraft.co.uk

Gabriel Kamudu, from Craft Aid in Mauritius described how advisory and financial support from Traidcraft enabled his organisation to offer training and employment to people with a range of disabilities. Staff produce sugar, tea, pressed flower cards and cotton T shirts. Through sharing individual employment case studies Gabriel was able to show how buying Fairtrade products can have a direct impact on improving the financial independence and dignity of people with disabilities. He also detailed how Craft Aid was finally able to secure a contract with Body Shop International for gloves and socks after 7 years of work to meet high production, quality and ethical standards.

Towera Jalakasi explained how her organisation, Business Consult Africa supported small producers in Malawai and Zambia. Malawi, has a population of 12 million, 55% of whom live below the poverty line with a life expectancy of 40 years.It is amongst the poorest countries in the world.

Business Consult Africa provides:-

• training for producer groups on quality
• training small businesses in Fairtrade principles and the use of premium income
• linking producers to markets
• market research

Money generated from business is re-invested in community development projects eg, to secure access to water / electricity or to buy goats. Life testimonies showed that this investment enables Malawian producers to plan ahead for their families - by saving money to send children to school, to build a house etc. More more information on how individuals, schools and youth groups can support the Fairtrade movement. Check out www.seetheflipside.co.uk

Fairtrade Schools - the Basics

Clare Carr has written a summary for schools called "Fairtrade Schools - the basics", based on information from a Fairtrade workshop held in Nottingham in September 2007.

Click on the link for the latest fairtrade newsletter http://dotm1.net/cr.asp?i=218856409&CID=286672

EMNGPS Response to DFID

EMNGPS has submitted its response to DFID's monitoring and evaluation questionnaire on enabling effective support (EES) for a global dimension in education. The responses from all EES regions will be discussed at a meeting with DFID on 9 October 2007 and then key learning/reflections shared. Download the EMNGPS response.

Leicestershire Constabulary Inter-cultural Social Evening

EMNGPS was invited to Leicestershire Constabulary's intercultural social evening on 3 September at the Police HQ. It was hosted by the Chief Constable Matt Baggott and was an opportunity to celebrate Leicster/shire's diverse communities and the harmonious relations between them. The event led to good networking with a variety of community organisations and faith-based groups. Such contacts would be helpful in supporting schools to meet their new responsibilities to help Community Cohesion.

Link Community Development In August 2007 the EMNGPS Project Manager met with Ed Barnett, Schools Officer from Link Community Development. LCD offer support in facilitating school partnerships between schools in the UK and Africa. Read more. School partnerships facilitate the aim of EMNGPS to enable young people to develop the knowledge, skills and values to be active global citizens.

EMNGPS and LCD plan to work together in the following ways: Ed Barnett has offered to attend Locality Group meetings to share information about LCD and the Global Campaign for Education ( see below) A colleague from LCD will attend the East Midlands RCE ESD conference on 20 September. Ed Barnett will participate in the EMNGPS Consultative Day on 8 November 2007 to contribute to the next 5-year EMNGPS regional strategy. EMNGPS members are invited to attend the LCD School Partnership Conference on 23 November 2007 in London.

Leicester Community Cohesion Conference

On 9 July 2007 the Runnymede Trust organised a conference in conjunction with Leicester City Council to explore how community cohesion could be affected and influenced by faith-based organisations, including schools. 25 delegates from schools, colleges, SACRE (Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education), Leicester City, community groups and inter-faith organisations gathered to discuss:

• How a school system that includes faith schools can prepare young people for living successfully in a multi-ethnic and multi-faith society
• What type of community projects for young people / schools could be created to promote cohesion, inter-faith understanding and racial equality
• How to inspire young people to be responsible for developing cohesive communities
• Identify everyday practices ( activities or events) that create community cohesion for young people
• How to engage the participation of young people from all ethnic and faith backgrounds in work to promote cohesion
• What kind of partnerships would support Community Cohesion in schools
  

Participants shared their experiences of inter-faith school linking, religious and spiritual education in schools, inter faith exchanges and dialogue networks, and projects to tackle bullying and build the skills for respecting diversity. Details of all such projects were shared with Runnymede to help build a database of tools facilitating Community Cohesion. Runnymede are conducting similar consultation exercises across England and will pull together the findings from their meetings in London, Liverpool, Leicester and Blackburn into a report which will be circulated in autumn 2007. This coincides with the new duty all schools have to promote Community Cohesion from September 2007.

For EMNGPS some interesting contacts were established at the event:

• Diversity Hub - a leadership training organisation with over 20 years experience of building Community Cohesion through work on Anti-Bullying, Tackling Racism, Empowering Minorities, Supporting Dual/ Multiple Heritage People, Celebrating Diversity, Resolving Conflict, Managing Anger and Working with Families.
• Leicester City Council Children and Young People's Services Multicultural and Religious Education Centre which loans a variety of classroom resources to schools eg, teacher books, posters, DVDs/videos, Music CD about Race equality, Diversity, English as an Additional Language, Refugees and Asylum Seekers, and RE. Journals are also available ( RE Today, British Journal of Religious Education, Race Equality Teaching, Searchlight, Runnymede bulletin) , artefact RE and Multicultural boxes can be borrowed and resources produced by Local authorities are on sale ( eg about Religions and Festivals, Histories, Collaborative Learning, and training materials).
• Professor Audrey Osler at the Centre for Citizenship and Human Rights Education, Leeds University

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Author praises GARP (Global Anti-Racist Pack)

Babette Brown, a well-known author and Early Years Persona Doll trainer, has praised the GARP produced in the East Midlands. She said it was the kind of resource all teachers should welcome with open arms as a practical tool for challenging discrimination and promoting inclusion. Babette will refer to GARP in an article she is writing for Early Years practioners.

Fairtrade Towns, Cities, Churches… and now Schools!

by Clare Carr, East Midlands Co-ordinator, Fairtrade Schools Scheme

The Fairtrade Foundation will be launching a new, national accreditation scheme for Fairtrade Schools in September 2007.  It aims to raise awareness about Fairtrade within the broader context of trade justice and the need for sustainable development in the South.  Through developing an understanding of how the North is inextricably linked to people in the South, the scheme aims to promote an understanding of some aspects of development and encourage young people to use their power as consumers and active citizens to contribute to a fairer and more sustainable world.  It has been developed by an advisory group including People and Planet, SCIAF and a number of Development Education Centres who had previously devised their own individual schemes.  Look out for the Action Guide and dedicated website to be launched in September.  For news about the scheme, you can sign up for a regular e-newsletter. 

Schools applying for the award will work towards 5 goals over roughly a year.  Each school will need to demonstrate that:

1. It has set up a Fairtrade School Steering Committee
2. It has written and adopted a whole school Fairtrade Policy
3. It is committed to selling, promoting and using Fairtrade products
4. The whole school learns about Fairtrade issues
5. It is committed to promoting and taking action for Fairtrade in school and the wider community

EMNGPS has recently made a successful bid to the Fairtrade Foundation for funding to support schools working towards Fairtrade status over the next two years.  The funding has been distributed to locality groups across the East Midlands (Derby, Leicester and Rutland, Lincoln, Northampton and Nottingham) according to the number of schools in the area.  Locality groups will be supporting schools by giving advice, sharing fair trade teaching resources and organising events.  The Northampton group is planning a Fairtrade Exhibition on 12 and 13 November 2007. This is aimed at encouraging schools to use fair trade protocols when purchasing and to support schools applying for Fairtrade status.  In Lincolnshire, schools will be offered starter packs of Fairtrade goodies to get them thinking about Fairtrade issues and encourage them to become Fairtrade Schools.

For local support for schools in relation to fair trade, please contact the following:

UNICEF Rights Respecting School Award

Charlotte Hunt, Unicef Education Officer for the East Midlands has offered to attend locality group meetings across the East Midlands to explain how this award works. It is based on the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child and focuses on pupil voice. It supports the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) agenda. Click here for more details or visit www.unicef.org.uk/rrsa and document

Coleman Primary School in Leicester has already achieved Level 1 of this award. It will be interesting to see how many other schools across the region show an interest in this. Hampshire schools have found it really useful, www3.hants.gov.uk/education/childrensrights

Impact Assessment of EMNGPS

The EMNGPS executive committee has commissioned Bob Hirst in his role as critical friend of the network to carry out an impact assessment study. This study will include face to face interviews with 10 EMNGPS members and telephone interviews with 20 members to ask them about:

• Motivation for joining EMNGPS
• Benefits - what they have gained and how their work at the policy and implementation level has been affected
• The future - what they hope to gain from EMNGPS in the future

The information gathered from this study will be used as the evidence base for our next five-year regional strategy which we will submit to DFID by February 2008. Bob will contact EMNGPS members in September 2007 to arrange interviews and will carry out face to face interviews in October, telephone interviews in November and produce the report by mid-December. For more information about this study, please contact Rohini Corfield.

EMNGPS represented on new ITE Network

EMNGPS members Raul and Lisa from MUNDI have agreed that they will represent EMNGPS at the new Initial Teacher Education and Global Citizenship and Education for Sustainable Development UK Network. The network will enable participants to share ideas, information, thinking, contacts and strategies for mainstreaming GC and ESD in all types of teacher training, across all subjects and age ranges. This is a clear way of creating more capacity in the education system for global perspectives.

Promoting Diversity

EMNGPS has made contact with Diversity Hub to explore possible joint work. Diversity Hub is a Leicester-based community organisation which offers a variety of training in all aspects of diversity including in how to tackle bullying, racism, sexism, homophobia and conflict resolution. It has just launched a new course for schools about how to promote Community Cohesion.

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Sharing Locality Group progress

EMNGPS asked all Locality Groups to complete an annual return form by 7 August 2007 summarising the work they have done in the academic year September 2006 to July 2007. This form provides the opportunity to reflect on how EMNGPS has supported the work of Locality Groups, to share information across the region and to identify what kind of support Locality Groups would like in the future. The annual returns will also provide information that can be used by EMNGPS to complete the Monitoring and Evaluation framework required by DfID. Such a system of regular monitoring and evaluation leads to greater accountability and shared learning. Find out more about progress on the local activities pages.

Peterborough school wins EMNGPS School Survey Prize money

Kings Cliffe Endowed Primary School in Peterborough won £300 prize money for their contribution to the EMNGPS School Survey. The School Survey aimed to establish a baseline about how central the global dimension is in school life. Click here to see the survey findings.

EMNGPS member's work in Nicaragua - Update July 2007

Leicester Masaya Link Group www.leicestermasayalink.org.uk is an active member of EMNGPS, and co-ordinates the Leicester/shire Locality Group. Click here to read about their progress with the distribution of solar panels.

EMNGPS connecting with more organisations

On Tuesday 24 July EMNGPS hosted a meeting for the regional ESD Schools Working Group with Sally Scantlebury, the East Midlands Co-ordinator for Year of Food and Farming. This intiative encourages schools and farms/outdoor education centres to work together in helping students learn about food, farming and the countryside. It is an opportunity for the Food and Farming industry to educate this generation of children so they can make informed choices about a healthy diet and learn about the importance of food from the field to the fork. For more information, please visit www.yearoffoodand farming.org.uk

HRH The Prince of Wales is the Patron for the year and states "One of the most alarming aspects of recent times has been the growing disconnection of young people from the land. This has many consequences, not least that too many children have no idea where their food comes from or how it is grown. The way we produce food matters, and we need to explain that the choices people make when they buy food have a direct effect on the social and environmental future of the countryside.... The Year presents a real opportunity to leave a legacy that will continue for many years to come......"

Also on Tuesday 24 July EMNGPS members met with George Ballentyne, from the Leicester Council of Faiths to explore how they could work together on projects supporting multi faith appreciation, cultural diversity, identity, community cohesion and human rights in schools. George will join the EMNGPS Leicester Locality group and share his expertise.

Schools Survey

EMNGPS wanted to establish a baseline about current plans and work in East Midlands schools relating to the global dimension. Download the report.

International Dimension Case Study

EMNGPS commissioned research to explore how an international dimension role can add value to the educational work of local authorities.....read more.

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Linking to the DFES International Strategy

The UK Association for European and International Education in Schools (UKAEIES) annual conference took place in Newark on 28 - 29 June 2007. It was attended by 20 delegates from Local Authorities across the UK, staff from the British Council and managers of regional Enabling Effective Support (EES) networks. Its aim was to understand how various school initiatives link to the DFES (now the Department for Children, Schools and Families) international strategy.

Sensory Approaches to Global Education in Nottinghamshire

MUNDI Global Education Centre has gained funding for a one-year project to work with KS4 students at Ash Lea special school in Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire. Lisa Young from MUNDI will be the Project Officer for the Sensory Approaches to Global Education project, which starts in September 2007. The project's aims are:

• To run a pilot project to enable special needs practitioners at Ash Lea Special School to prepare young people for life as global citizens through work with students and to provide INSET provision for staff to reflect and share existing and new practice. To further embed the global dimension work that occurs as a result of the link with The Lutheran Special School, Kenya, in to the curriculum and sustain that work.
• To enhance pupil voice and participatory skills through the use of a participatory methodology and therapeutic drumming workshops engaging with the Global Dimension.

For more information, contact Lisa Young on 0115 951 4482.

Sustainable Schools and the Global Dimension Training

This course, funded by the Regional Professional Development Network, was run by Lisa Young from MUNDI and Linda Barker from Global Education Derby . Other EMNGPS members, Claire Plumb and Marcela Flores Newburn also ran an exciting workshop making tortillas. Thirty teachers and advisers from the East Midlands region took part in a range of interactive activities and discussed:

• What is a Sustainable School?
• What is Global Citizenship?

Case-studies and different perspectives of Sustainable Schools were then presented by Silverhill Primary School, Derby. The Headteacher and students described their Eco School activities eg, recycling bins, growing vegetables, collecting rainwater, learning about local wildlife, green assemblies, after school eco clubs, parental and community involvement and linking up with environmental organisations.

The Environmental Education Co-ordinator from Nottingham City Council then explained how schools there could apply for a Responsible School award which brought together a number of different schemes.

Nottinghamshire's School Environmental Co-ordinator then described all the support available to schools from the Local Authority - where to seek funding for environmental education projects, how to carry out a green audit, ideas to reduce a school's carbon footprint etc

Lisa then led a session looking at how the Sustainable Schools agenda could fit with other strategic frameworks like Every Child Matters.

Claire and Marcela demonstrated how an activity based on corn (growing, milling, cooking) for the Food and Drink doorway could also be used as a learning approach incorporating the global dimension, participation and inclusion and local well-being. They generated ideas for how the other doorways could also be linked (Energy and Water, Travel and Traffic, Purchasing and Waste and Buildings and Grounds) illustrating a holistic approach to experiential learning.

Evaluations showed that both teachers and advisers had found the course interesting, informative and inspirational.

Funding for Me, My Community and My World

MUNDI Global Education Centre has received a three-year grant from the Department for International Development for a project called "Me, My Community and My World: Developing Global Learners in the Early Years".
For more information, please contact Alex Kosogorin at MUNDI, alex.kosogorin@mundi.org

Global Anti-Racist Pack (GARP) making an impact in Bedfordshire

The GARP Resource pack developed in the East Midlands region and funded by EMNGPS has been welcomed in schools in Bedfordshire as a tool for making the curriculum more inclusive and culturally sensitive.Twenty four schools in Bedfordshire attended training about GARP so that teachers could familiarise themselves with the resources and plan how GARP could support all aspects of the curriculum.Three of these schools followed up with whole school training on GARP so that all members of staff understood the GARP approach.The 24 schools have helped developed a pack for school assemblies and one about the Abolition of the Slave Trade Bicentenary has been requested by 46 other schools. The assembly packs were also sent to African Caribbean Saturday Schools and Study Support Clubs in Bedfordshire.As well as impacting student learning in a holistic way, GARP has led to professional links being formed between Nottingham and Bedfordshire's Ethnic Minority Achievement Teams - a real win -win! GARP can help schools meet their new responsibilities to promote community cohesion.Download the case study. For further information about the GARP packs contact Alex Kosogorin at the MUNDI Centre.

EMNGPS Regional Conference: Looking forward by learning from the past

On 10-11 May 2007, the East Midlands Network's first annual conference brought together key EMNGPS stakeholders from locality groups, the consultative group and the executive committee. 30 educationalists from the East Midlands region met to discuss how successful the East Midlands Network for Global Perspectives in Schools (EMNGPS) has been in supporting schools to embed a global dimension throughout their work. Delegates from local authorities, schools, universities, a teachers' union, development education centres and other NGOs shared their experiences of the network and ideas for its future development. Sessions included:

• Identifying the achievements, shortcomings and opportunities for EMNGPS
• Anticipating political, economic, social, technological and organisational changes that could affect EMNGPS in the next six years and planning how to manage these obstacles
• Clarifying what is unique about the network and agreeing objectives for its next five-year plan
• Sharing ideas about how to market and promote EMNGPS to more schools across the region
• Discussing the network’s status and future development

An essential part of the event was the informal networking and sharing of information and practical resources. As a result, members of the Lincolnshire Locality Group will visit Northamptonshire to share learning about global perspectives.

New EMNGPS project manager Rohini Corfield "found the opportunity to meet network members really useful and insightful."

There was a real buzz throughout the conference; the ideas discussed have been captured in a conference report and used to feedback to DFID about EMNGPS achievements and challenges and will help shape the 2008-2013 strategy. Click here to download members' responses to a questionnaire about the network.

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