Tackling Emerging Threats to Children (TETC) & School Health Hub Newsletter May 2021 Edition Welcome to the May edition of the TETC newsletter. This months newsletter explores Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month, Hate Crime, and Refugee Week. We have provided information and resources to support you in this work. The TETC team continue to be available to all schools via email and telephone to offer guidance, advice and consultations about specific concerns relating to children who are currently attending school and those who are being home educated. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. We would love to hear of any good practice or good news in your settings to share in Lets talk about: future TETC newsletters. Please email [email protected] so we can share positive stories in our future editions. • Child Sexual Exploitation • Radicalization& Extremism • Online Safety and Behavior Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month – June 2021 • Emotional Health & Wellbeing • Gangs, guns and knife crime • Female Genital Mutilation • Gender Identity • Anti-bullying • Prejudice and Hate Crime • Forced Marriage • Honour Based Abuse “Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month (GRTHM) celebrates the diverse ways in • Obesity which Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities add to the vibrancy of life in the UK and • Eating Disorders recognises the varied contributions that these communities have made to British Society historically and today. • Smoking • Alcohol Every June since 2008, people from across the UK have celebrated Gypsy, Roma and • Healthy Relationships & Sex Ed Traveller History Month. Through celebration, education and raising awareness, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month helps to tackle prejudice, challenge myths • Resilience and to amplify the voices of Gypsies, Roma and Travellers in wider society.” • Drugs and substance misuse • Sexual bullying You can find out more information about Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month 2021 here: Celebrating Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month 2021 | Friends, • Domestic violence Families and Travellers (gypsy-traveller.org) • Physical Activity • Suicide and Self harm You can find free resources to celebrate Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month here: Advice | Education | Travellers Times • Diet and nutrition Twinkl also have a variety of free, downloadable resources to help celebrate and raise • Sexting awareness of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month – including an assembly pack, comprehension worksheets, colouring sheets and papercraft activities. They are • Risk taking behavior's available here: Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month Assembly Pack (twinkl.co.uk) • Oral hygiene • Body Confidence If you’d like to learn more about Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, you can find information here: The Traveller Movement - Gypsy Roma Traveller History and Culture • Mental hygiene Katherine Marshall – Anti-Bullying and Online Safety Co-ordinator May 2021 Edition Page 2 Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Targeted Bullying In 2020, the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) consulted with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller young people to find out about their experiences of bullying in school. This work was part of a project delivered with Friends Families and Travellers, it was funded by The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. Based on the feedback from the young people, the ABA have developed a school audit and action planning tool. They also wrote a report with recommendations for schools and settings called “Bullied, Not Believed and Blamed: The Experiences of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Pupils”. The report provides recommendations to schools and settings about how to prevent and respond to this type of bullying. The report includes quotes from young people about their experiences and includes ideas of what schools can put in place to support Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils. The audit tool and action plan (along with additional resources and further information about the project) can be accessed here: Gypsy, Roma & Traveller Targeted Bullying | Anti- Bullying Alliance The report can be accessed here: GRT report - FINAL.pdf (anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk) The ABA would like to develop more resources over the next couple of years, if you’d like to help, please complete the ABA’s surveys. The survey for the audit tool can be accessed here: GRT audit tool feedback (typeform.com) The survey for the report can be accessed here: GRT school guide feedback (typeform.com) Katherine Marshall and Lorna Naylor – Anti-Bullying and Online Safety Co-ordinators, TETC Team Page 3 Tackling Emerging Threats to Children Stronger Than Hate Challenge 2021 Do your pupils have what it takes to recognise hate AND to try to stop it? The Stronger Than Hate Challenge invites students ages 13+ to use the power of storytelling – including videos, songs, social media campaigns, paintings and more – to cultivate empathy, understanding, and a community that is stronger than hate. Winning entries are eligible to connect remotely with USC Shoah Foundation staff and creative producers! Winning entries are eligible to win up to £8,500 in prizes. The Challenge, hosted by the Teaching with Testimony programme from USC Shoah Foundation and Discovery Education helps your pupils uncover the startling similarities between the atrocities of the past and the societal injustices happening in the world today through the challenge as well as access to a suite of no-cost classroom resources. The Challenge involves three steps: Step 1: Learn Start the challenge journey with the Stronger Than Hate interactive module. Students will learn about the origins of hate, plus hear how listening to and telling stories can make us all more empathetic, help us recognise our shared humanity, and create a world that is stronger than hate. (Module is self-paced and takes 15-20 minutes.) Step 2: Create After completing the module, students work individually or as a team (up to 4 members) to create their challenge submission. The submission can take multiple forms – videos, poems, songs, blogs, paintings, and artwork are all accepted – with the ultimate goal of connecting people, building empathy, and bringing community members together through the power of testimony and story. Step 3: Submit After finalising their work, students are asked to register for an account to officially submit their project for consideration. Students must obtain consent from a parent or guardian in order to create an account, which can be completed electronically with a few simple steps. Parents/ guardians will receive a username and password to share with their child to complete the submission process. Please visit 2021 Stronger Than Hate Challenge | Teaching With Testimony to find out more and enter. May 2021 Edition Page 4 Refugee Week 14-20th June 2021 th Th 14 -20 June 2021: We cannot walk alone Refugee week is all about building empathy and understanding and this year’s theme is one we are sure to be able to relate to, given the year we have all just had. Helping children to appreciate how acts of kindness and supporting one another makes the world a better place is an essential part of their education as global citizens. It’s also an opportunity to consider equity and inclusion on a much deeper level; develop children’s critical thinking skills; and create a safe space to discuss topical issues in a balanced way. Not simply the domain of the RSHE lead, work on refugees can be completed though all curriculum areas- whether it’s exploring refugee-related statistics in maths, religious persecution in RE, refugee scientists, or the portrayal of refugees in media studies-all subject areas can contribute to raising awareness of the issues and encouraging healthy debate in an age appropriate way. Many national charities provide resources for each key stage and the TETC portal pages include links to useful film clips and websites where you can access lesson plans and resource materials to support teaching and learning during the week. For some staff and schools, finding time to dedicate to this topic might seem impossible right now when there’s so much pressure to focus on catch up programmes and closing attainment gaps. Over the years working for NCC, I have been privileged to work with many children and families seeking refuge here in the UK. What I have learned and what they have taught me is that in spite of significant trauma and adversity, human beings who keep open hearts and seek to support their fellow human beings, always go on to achieve remarkable things. And more importantly, they are happy, resilient and fulfilled. Taking time out to build empathy for others is never wasted. Research shows that empathetic people enjoy healthier relationships with others and are better connected socially, which in turn improves both physical and mental wellbeing. Empathy is good for us as individuals and it’s good for our society. If this year has taught us anything it’s that we need each other and when we are in crisis, we can’t get by alone. Let’s make Refugee Week a time for us to reflect on what’s really important in life and build character, resilience and core values in our children. https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/schoolsportal/tackling-emerging-threats-to-children/equality/race/ refugees-and-asylum-seekers https://refugeeweek.org.uk/theme-of-refugee-week-2021-we-cannot-walk-alone/#:~:text=Refugee% 20Week%202021%20is%2014,in%20an%20event%20or%20activity https://www.twinkl.co.uk/event/refugee-week-2021 https://www.redcross.org.uk/get-involved/teaching-resources/refugee-week-imagine-a-kinder-world Page 5 Tackling Emerging Threats to Children Resources to support teaching about Israel and Palestine Resources to support work around the Israel-Palestine conflict The current escalation of violence and tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has resulted in increased tensions across some communities in Britain, including some of our schools. There has already been an increase in hate crimes, and there is a risk of polarisation, which if left unaddressed might lead some young people vulnerable to being drawn into violent extremism.