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The Free & Equal Ambassador Programme
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- Do you want to tackle discrimination in your school?
- Do you want to get your students speaking up about racism, misogyny and LGBTQ+phobia?
- Are you looking for a fresh way to change your school culture on these issues?
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Building a truly inclusive, equitable school culture is a task for everyone, not just staff. The Free & Equal Ambassador Programme is an ideal vehicle by which to equip and enable your students to innovate, lead and effect change in your school community – over the long term.
Participation in this programme is certified for students and staff and thereby offers excellent work experience & training for students as well as brilliant CPD for staff involved.
How does it work?
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- Choose from DO IT YOURSELF or DONE FOR YOU versions (see below)
- Decide on a September, January or April start
- Receive your starter pack
- Recruit 15 to 30 students and two staff to begin
- Access your training and support
- Get going: equip your students to use their voice!
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We are launching the FREE & EQUAL AMBASSADOR PROGRAMME to help schools mobilise the often silent majority of students who, through their inactivity, often end up enabling the norms of bullying and discrimination to continue. This is about harnessing the power of peer leadership to change culture.
These year-long programmes launch in September, January and April each year. The DONE FOR YOU programmes have a maximum sign up of 20 schools per term. The earliest registrations of interest will therefore have priority each term.
You’ll also have priority access to the FREE & EQUAL? Conference when Free & Equal Ambassadors from all around the country gather in person and online to be inspired and motivated to stand up for the human rights of all.
WATCH THE VIDEO to find out all about it….
DO IT YOURSELF
Sign up, get started but sort the training & campaigning yourself.
£19.00 per month (or £228 annually)
- Starter pack including…
- Online ‘Getting Started’ Staff Briefing
- Ambassador Job Descriptions
- Ideas & Guidance Pack
- Free & Equal Pin Badges
- Access to online forum and resource-sharing portal
- Monthly updates and ideas
- Priority access to FREE & EQUAL? Conference
- Pick & Mix half-termly online training (for an additional fee)
Prices based on 15 students + 2 staff. Additional student or staff £5 per person (annually)
DONE FOR YOU
We train and support your staff and students for you!
£89 per month (or £1068 annually)
- Starter pack including…
- Online ‘Getting Started’ Staff Briefing – LIVE call with Q&A
- Ambassador Job Descriptions
- Ideas & Guidance pack
- Free & Equal Pin Badges
- Access to online forum and resource -sharing portal
- Monthly updates & ideas
PLUS….
- FULL DAY bespoke initial IN-PERSON training for students & staff
- 6 x half-termly ONLINE training & support for students & staff (evenings or recorded)
- FREE & EQUAL? T shirts / Tote bags (1 per person)
- Email & phone support for staff
- 10% discount on FREE & EQUAL? Conference tickets
- 10% discount on all BEYOND THIS workshops and training
- Certification for students and staff upon completion.
Prices based on 15 students + 2 staff. Additional student or staff £15 per person (annually)
The Free & Equal Ambassador Programme dovetails with the Unicef Rights Respecting School Award and will help schools on their Rights Respecting Journey to fulfil Strands B & C of the Award, specifically contributing to standards 3, 4, 6, 8 & 9.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why do I need a ‘starter pack’? The aim of the starter pack is to take the headache and admin out of the process. By having job descriptions and an outline plan already in place it means you can hit the ground running. It also means you don’t waste time and energy investing in students who aren’t really committed to being a Free & Equal Ambassador.
What does the initial training day involve? The full day training included in the ‘Done For You’ package ensures that the programme kicks off with a bang and also with an Action Plan. Part of the day will train your students and staff on Unconscious Bias and the issues that underlie different forms of discrimination like Misogyny, LGBTQ+phobia and Racism. This Awareness Training is essential if your Ambassadors are going to have a real impact. The second half of the day will involve Campaign Training, the forming of an Action Plan and the organisation of Sub Teams so that everyone leaves knowing what’s happening next!
Do we really need two staff members? Yes. We’ve found that, given the pressures of the school year, sharing responsibility leads to much more sustained outcomes and greater impact for everyone. It also means that if one staff member moves on to another school, the initiative doesn’t just die!
How much of my time is this going to take up? If you choose to DO IT YOURSELF then it entirely depends on how much you drive it. The DONE FOR YOU version is designed to take the pressure off staff. Your role will be to get things started, participate in the training with your students, facilitate the process by creating spaces and times for them to meet and checking over their proposals and actions as they go. But THEY will be driving this NOT YOU. We envisage that, after the initial set up, you should expect to give one lunchtime or after school slot per week between you to keep momentum. This is also why there needs to be two staff members involved so it won’t all fall on one person.
Couldn’t I just appoint Free & Equal Ambassadors myself without registering and paying? Free & Equal Ambassadors is a registered trademark but, of course, you could appoint similar Ambassadors and run the whole initiative yourself. We’ve tried to keep the DIY version as cheap as possible so that as many schools as possible can engage whilst still being able to be part of a national movement of Free & Equal Ambassadors, accessing resources, inspiration & training and taking some of the headache out of the process.
When will the ONLINE training meet ups take place? These will be scheduled for early evening (usually 6.30-8pm) so that as many staff and students can take part without having to worry about timetabling issues. But all the meet ups will be recorded so that registered schools can access and utilise the training in your own time.
Why do only DONE FOR YOU schools gain certification? We think that the time, initiative and training involved in being a Free & Equal Ambassador is a significant thing that should be celebrated and acknowledged. Students will rightly want to refer to it in their CVs and Personal Statements. However, for DIY schools we’ve no way of knowing how much a student engaged with the programme. In order that the certification holds value we can only issue certificates to students we know have fulfilled the role to a minimum standard – including engaging with the training. Of course, as a DIY school you can arrange for your own certificates if you wish.
As a DIY school, how much will it cost to engage with the online training/meetups? You can join these training meets for £99 per session. This will provide you with a maximum of 30 online places at each meet up.
What will the ONLINE Training Meetups cover? You will received a full schedule upon registration. These will cover both practical elements like How to Run a Successful School Campaign and Successful Leadership as well as covering big issues like How to be Anti-Racist; How to Engage Male Students in Championing Women’s Rights; Successfully Challenging a Binary View of Humanity and Overcoming Stereotypes.
We already have Student Ambassadors or Anti-Bullying Ambassadors, why do I want to have Free & Equal Ambassadors too? The focus of Free & Equal Ambassadors will be specifically on addressing discrimination in all its forms. We’re not trying to replace other initiatives. This scheme provides a way for any student who cares about justice and inequality to proactively address issues that undermine the value and equality of every human being. It can sit comfortably alongside other initiatives you may have but it provides enough breadth and freedom to address issues that are important to your students and school context.
Do the T shirts come in different sizes? Yes they come in S, M and L. The Tote Bags are one size. When you register you will be able to select how many of each you want.