Latest News

WHITE RIBBON WEEK OF ACTION 2019

Luke Medcalf, Boys and Young Men's Project

MONDAY - 

Today is the 25th November, the beginning of the White Ribbon Day campaign.  I’ve got a week of action planned and it all starts here...

Jenna and I met up with 10 Kingswood Academy students who took part in the Tender Project we delivered with them last month, to recreate some of their drama pieces to deliver as part of an assembly to the whole of Northcott School. 

Their presentation looked at the five different types of domestic abuse, as well as the places that you can go to get help.  They put a particular emphasis on speaking to teachers, as the students within Northcott have really strong relationships with the staff there.

After the young people had completed their presentation, I spoke to the full school about White Ribbon and asked the crowd if anybody had ever heard of it before and knew what it was. One boy, aged around 11/12, put his hand up and answered the question perfectly. I asked him how he knew that, and it turned out that he is in class with a boy I have been supporting in weekly 1-1 sessions. In a session around two weeks ago, we had made some white ribbons and he had taken one back to his class and told them about it.  I was really impressed that two weeks later the information was still fresh.

The audience totaled about 160 people including students and staff, all of which received a white ribbon to take away with them to continue spreading the White Ribbon message.

TUESDAY –

Today I went back to Northcott School for my weekly session at the school (I spend a day a week working with their students around multiple things). The boy who I had made the White Ribbons with came to see me and I told him how proud I was of him, and how he had really explained white ribbon well to his peers.  He then wrote a script explaining what White Ribbon means and read this to the Head, Miss Wilson.  She was so impressed he received a token for his work. I think he will remember the White Ribbon message for a long time because of the work we have done together.

This evening I went to Step Out (the weekly LGBTQ+ youth group we run in partnership with the Warren).  I spoke about the message of White Ribbon again within this session.  I was quite surprised that these young people, who attend a variety of secondary schools within Hull, had never heard of the White Ribbon before. I had expected that each school would have been doing something about it but it didn’t seem they were, (this is something I hope to address next year). During the conversation one of the young people spoke about how their mum had been involved previously in an abusive relationship, and how that had made them really wary of their mum’s new partner. This led us to have a conversation about the different types of abuse and some of the early warning signs. I also spoke to the group about Clare’s Law, and how this gives them right to ask the police for information regarding their partner’s history if they have concerns.

WEDNESDAY -

Today I went to Kingswood Academy to deliver an assembly to the year 9’s about White Ribbon. In this year group there were 140 young people and around 10 staff members, all of whom made the pledge. Having worked closely with Sarah Mark from Kingswood Academy for a while now, I gave her my notes for the White Ribbon Assembly.  This week she has delivered it to all of the year groups who weren’t able to attend my assembly.  This has brought the total number of people in Kingswood Academy who have heard the White Ribbon message up to around 1000 pupils and just under 100 staff members.  It’s great to hear that Kingswood Academy are also in the process of becoming a White Ribbon School, thanks to the work myself and Sarah have done with the young people.

Alice, from Got Your Back Hull, asked to come along to the assembly where she took pictures and shared clips on their Instagram stories.  Both Cornerhouse and Kingswood then shared this, helping us to digitally reach even more people.  Alice also filmed Sarah and herself interviewing me about the work I have been doing with young people which will be published on Instagram.

THURSDAY -

I was invited to be a guest speaker at the first Hull Young People’s Peer Mentoring Celebration Event to the 150 young people and 20+ staff members attending. This went really well and I was able to give each person there a white ribbon as well as spending lunch time getting signatures for the White Ribbon pledge on our new White Ribbon Chalk board.

FRIDAY -

To round up my week, today I went to Cottingham High School where I regularly work 1-1 with a young male and then a group of 3 young males, as part of my Break the Cycle project, to give them some tools to use to help them control their emotions, especially anger.  Break the Cycle is an early intervention project for males, aged between 11-16, who have either witnessed domestic abuse in the past, or are starting to display early warning signs of perpetrating behaviour to support them with their emotions and relationships before the behaviours escalate. 

SUMMERY -

This has been a brilliant week.  So far I have spoken to over 620 young people and staff about the White Ribbon message in mainstream schools, special schools and youth clubs. I have also supported Kingswood Academy to spread the White Ribbon Message to a further 1000 young people and 100 staff throughout the school.

WE PLEDGE TO NEVER COMMIT, EXCUSE OR REMAIN SILENT ABOUT MALE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN.