Jenny Wood’s Post

Today, on the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia, it's crucial to shed light on the challenges faced by LGBTI children in our communities. According to data from the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, a staggering 43% of LGBTI youth aged 15-17 in the EU report experiencing bullying at school because of their sexual identity. This isn't just about hurtful words; it's about the profound impact bullying has on their well-being and education. Just as worrying, 15% of these young individuals consider leaving school due to this relentless harassment. These statistics should serve as a wake-up call for us all. Every child deserves a safe and supportive environment to learn and grow. It's incumbent upon us to create spaces where diversity is celebrated and all children feel valued and respected. Let's stand together to combat discrimination and ensure that every child can thrive, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. #IDAHOBIT #ChildFriendlyJustice #InclusionMatters

There has been a rise of transphobia in schools and our latest blog offers practical advice for teachers and parents when it comes to tackling this new wave of discrimination ➡️ https://safeg.co/3CLjEbJ

📚 [ RECOMMENDED BOOK ] 📚 I open parenthesis in my habitual communication to congratulate Pritha Mani on the launch of her book “It's On Us!: Sexual Violence Prevention Handbook”. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Available on Amazon, the book aims to educate students, staff, teachers, school board members/directors, parents by providing factual information about sexual assault in order to: ✒️ Reduce incidences of sexual violence on and off campus; ✒️ Encourage survivors of sexual violence to report their case to a safeguarding officer; ✒️ Boost positive and respectful behaviors/relationships; ✒️ Equip students with skills to help peers who may be survivors of sexual violence; ✒️ Promote a school environment that is safe and supportive. 👉🏻 https://buff.ly/470QuDl ⚠️ The fight against domestic and sexual violence can only have a lasting effect if all the players work together and the legal instruments available are rigorously implemented ⚠️ __ #sexualhealth #sexualviolence #sexualviolenceprevention #gender #genderawarness

Every one of us have the power to influence those around us Whether it's within our families, communities, or online networks, our actions and words have a profound impact. Children are being molested sexually, adults get molested and the people who do this walk the streets free and the circle continues. It is not enough to lament over the societal ills we see around us. We should begin to take personal responsibility to do something about them. Acknowledge that influence you have, embrace the idea that your personal choices and behaviors can shape the attitudes and actions of others. How you treat the women in your life tells a lot. If you tolerate abuse, cover it or deny victims justice or blame them, how will sexual abuse end? As an adult, you chase and date teen boys or girls. You don't condemn abusive behaviors when you see them. You don't have sex education at home. How do we make progress? Our every word and deed forms a thread in the fabric of society. As we take personal responsibility first by being sane and humane and then taking proactive steps, we inspire others to follow suit. Whether we like it or not, everyone has a part to play if we want rape and other forms of sexual abuse to end. Yesterday, we joined Twinkle Stars Academy, Makurdi in their Gender Forum to talk about Sexual Abuse. It's such a beautiful thing to see how the school is making effort to educate her students. A big thank you to our facilitators for molding the students understanding of sexual abuse, some drivers, consent, boundaries, respect and empathy. #education #endchildabuse #sexualabuse #sdg16 #volunteering #peaceagada #childprotection

How should schools respond to gender-questioning pupils? New DfE guidance prioritises parents' role in significant choices about their children's lives and highlights the importance of biological sex in safeguarding safety and fairness in sports and single-sex spaces. The guidance, which is non-statutory, can be found below⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eHmA_6vw #dfe #departmentforeducation #schools #headteachers #teachers #safeguarding #safeguardingchildren

We should not tell boys that they are toxic or put them down. We often speak to schools about their challenges with boys. At Beyond Equality, we want to have open and transformative conversations that address some widespread but harmful norms of masculinities - these are having dire impacts on boys, on their peers, and on society (e.g. school attendance, achievement, bullying, exclusions, social isolation, mental health, violence, sexual harassment, and sexism in schools). The focus should be on how each boy can build a healthy identity and well being, form strong relationships with others, and find a meaningful and connected role in society. We should give boys the tools to be able to recognise when they’re being influenced into attitudes or behaviours that are harmful for them and others. This does include tackling sexism, and even doing preventative work. We need to equip the boys with the skills and awareness for the future. Including prevention of common forms of harassment and bullying that many boys experience or perpetrate. We should not be scared to challenge problems. The boys deserve to be challenged and we can do this with empathy, curiosity and fun in order to draw them into the conversations. Everyone deserves to be safe. Speak to our schools team about our workshops with staff and boys: https://lnkd.in/eRQCaFmP

Last week I called out the issue of violence, sexism, sexual harassment and misogyny as the elephant in the room in Australian society that needs to be urgently addressed. As many of you who follow me here on LinkedIn know I am a solutions-oriented person who doesn’t simply focus on the problem without trying to find ways to combat the issue. One of the ways I feel we can combat the issues we are currently facing is to teach people to be ‘upstanders’. Daniel Principe, Jessica Hickman The Upstander Leader and Jolene Ellat are all doing great work in this space. In their article on The Conversation Australia + NZ, Giselle Woodley, Sarah Vrankovich and Sharyn Burns identified 4 things our schools, teachers and education authorities can be doing now to help prevent gender-based violence. Their primary focus was on secondary settings, but as an educator and school counsellor with over 30 years’ experience I believe their third point - teaching all children to be upstanders, can start in early childhood and primary school. Of course, this needs to be framed in developmentally appropriate ways for the age of the child, and we also need to teach them how they can stand up in ways that is safe for them. I know Daniel Principe is working with the Women's Resilience Centre as well as schools around Australia as well as to raise awareness about how we can help our kids to become #upstanders. We need to do better as a society at addressing gender-based violence and I believe this would be a good place to start.