Bryanston and Bold Voices are preparing for a “pioneering” programme to address societal issues that contribute to gender inequality and gender-based violence.
Bryanston School has confirmed plans to extend its established Relationships and Sex Education courses for pupils by introducing a major programme that aims to set a new standard in gender equality education and to address broader societal issues in connection with gender-based violence.
The Dorset school is now working with the highly respected ‘Bold Voices’ social enterprise to confirm the finer details of the initiative in advance of a formal launch at the start of the next academic year. Significantly, the far-reaching programme will engage and empower not only pupils and staff at the School, but also parents, neighbouring schools and the local and wider community.
To ensure that current pupils who are about to leave for university or to start their careers also benefit from this new drive, the School invited Natasha Eeles, the Founder of Bold Voices, to give a special presentation and meet with current A2 pupils. She highlighted the importance of openly discussing such challenging topics and taking personal responsibility for addressing the prevalence of an unhealthy cultural and behavioural imbalance in today’s society that directly and indirectly normalises sexual violence and gender inequality.
Natasha told KeeP 106: “My recent visit to Bryanston provided a great opportunity to explore and discuss the topic of gender-based violence with current sixth formers,” says Eeles. “We discussed the idea that sexual harassment and sexual violence targets people based on their gender and that an important step in changing this behaviour is to tackle the culture upon which it is built. It was reassuring to see the pupils listening so intently and very encouraging to see them absorb the information and various viewpoints on such difficult and sensitive topics.
“To be able to raise such issues in the safety of a school environment is enormously powerful and positive. We are all really excited about the far-reaching and truly pioneering programme that will be launched in September and I can’t wait to get started.”
Bold Voices is an independent campaigning and educational enterprise that was founded on the belief that all young people have the right to receive an education free from gender inequality and gender-based violence. The organisation provides a range of workshops, talks and lectures for schools that have been developed specifically to challenge the attitudes, actions and cultures that fuel gender inequality and sexual violence. It also develops tailored activities and sessions for schools and is now working with Bryanston School in Dorset.
