No let up - new Stonewall initiative in schools.

[Leafstamp]

Drawing this to people's attention: www.stonewall.org.uk/school-champions/stonewall-school-champion-awards

Where is SW getting all it's funding and drive from? And more importantly, how can the GC movement make their voices heard?

I'm feeling a bit deflated - it seems like fighting a losing battle. I will and we must keep going though.

[Xanthangum]

Don't worry, it's just a scam to keep schools busy (like they haven't got enough to worry about right now) and get everyone to apply all over again...

^Already hold a Stonewall School & College Champion Award?
You may have already achieved a Stonewall School & College Champion Award in the past under our old Awards framework. The Award you currently hold from us still reflects great work and we know you worked hard to achieve it. It’s okay to keep displaying your Award certificate and logo if you want to, but you should be aware that all of our old Stonewall School & College Champion Awards will expire in September 2022. Our new Awards come with an updated logo and certificate to show that they’re our most up to date Awards.^

Woo-hoo!

[Impatiens]

This scheme has been going for a while hasn't it?

I agree SW are relentless in their targeting, I'm looking forward to them going the same way as Mermaids.

[Ereshkigalangcleg]

Wow, that's really some gravy train.

[Xanthangum]

Parallels with scientology keep presenting themselves

[Leafstamp]

@Xanthangum

Parallels with scientology keep presenting themselves

God, if wasn't so true, it'd be funny.

Although at least Scientology kind of died a death (didn't it?!)

I think on the thread about "when will it end..." a wise poster said nothing is more uncool than doing what the previous generation did, so with a bit of luck I will live to see the day when all this nonsense is not so "cool".

[WeRoarSometimes]

It's worth looking at where funding comes from on this list

www.stonewall.org.uk/get-involved/get-involved-fundraise-us/grant-funding

The bit I find very worrying is that there are big statutory bodies and trusts with very deep pockets providing the funding. Being awash with funding might help to explain why the lobbying efforts are so widespread and have embedded policy in our public bodies such as local government.

[zanahoria]

It is like The Roman Catholoc Church selling indulgences

Although at least they did not expire.

[buckerrucker]

Funded by Scottish NHS and Scottish government - when you think how much money the NHS will have to shell out to pay for all that medical treatment.

[persistentwoman]

Hopefully the behaviour of Stonewall as evidenced in the preliminary hearing in Allison Bailey's case will make organisations think twice before handing over such unprecedented levels of influence to a lobby group who allegedly feels free to call for the disciplining of members of staff for wrongthink.

[2fallsagain]

Can I draw your attention to our letter here for any parents who want to challenge their schools regarding stonewall involvement.

Using stonewall goes against government guidelines about working with lobby groups.

safeschoolsallianceuk.net/resources-2/letter-templates/

[NiceGerbil]

Do the schools have to pay?

[WeRoarSometimes]

Really helpful link for the letter, thank you.

I'm getting myself worked up about the funding again.
Public funds means money spent for the betterment of society.
So we are paying lobbyists to lobby our public bodies to change their policies for the betterment of the lobbying organisation.
You honestly could not make it up.
It's scary and insidious.

[gardenbird48]

@Xanthangum

Don't worry, it's just a scam to keep schools busy (like they haven't got enough to worry about right now) and get everyone to apply all over again...

^Already hold a Stonewall School & College Champion Award?
You may have already achieved a Stonewall School & College Champion Award in the past under our old Awards framework. The Award you currently hold from us still reflects great work and we know you worked hard to achieve it. It’s okay to keep displaying your Award certificate and logo if you want to, but you should be aware that all of our old Stonewall School & College Champion Awards will expire in September 2022. Our new Awards come with an updated logo and certificate to show that they’re our most up to date Awards.^

Woo-hoo!

it reminds me of the old washing powder adverts -

'Fed up with your old, boring powder?' 'Try new improved Daz!! It'll transform your washday'

6 months later 'Fed up with your boring new improved Daz' - 'Try our super new super improved Daz, the last one we sold you was a bit rubbish but this one's great - honest guv'

and so on. It would be interesting to see if there was any evidence that all this investment in Stonewall championships was actually improving life for any LGB people.

It is certainly increasing the numbers of T (while at the same time claiming record levels of transphobia/hate crime) but some figures to show that LGB bullying was down at least would be helpful.

The schools have rather a lot on their plates at the moment with Covid/exams etc so I'd rather they were focusing on that.

[persistentwoman]

Any school investing all this money in Stonewall training needs to have clear data about bullying , achievement and emotional health / wellbeing that demonstrate that this initiative is the priority over all the other needs in the school. If the school has previously invested time & money in these expensive programmes then what's the impact on learning, bullying etc and why does it need to be repeated? Has the school given the same time and attention to other vulnerable groups / issues? If not, why not?

[Deliriumoftheendless]

Can we have new books for the library please instead of ones that are falling apart? And some glue sticks and a few pencil sharpeners and maybe a few more weighted blankets, oh and those bits of the school that are falling off, can we have them fixed please cheers, kisses etc.

[WeRoarSometimes]

I know our local school pays £660 to be a Stonewall Champion. I did a spot of checking with the governor's notes on how memberships etc are funded. Schools get some free learning within this sub but are then advised to buy more training places so that all staff members get access to the same learning about supporting LGBT students with mental health. That probably runs into hundreds of pounds. We were being asked to donate art materials, exercise books, loo roll and sanitiser last term. It does raise a serious question as to whether this membership is worth it for schools when they have to consider all students' emotional health at school, not just those with lobbyists behind them.