Young voices - some not allowed

[arethereanyleftatall]

My 15yo DD was invited by her school to go to a 'young voices' event. An event for children to share and discuss their views on a wide range of topics.
She was one of 8 from her school, many other schools attended with same numbers. Hundreds of pupils. She said there were many children their with pride pins etc on display.
She is gender critical and believes sex matters.
Basically her views were not allowed. She was shouted over by other pupils in the discussions and organisers did nothing.
They all had to write on a post it who their inspiration was, and pin in to a board. She put JKR. The board was being manned by the organisers. When she came back to the board her post it has been removed and placed on a 'hate' board alongside terrorist organisations etc.
She absolutely hated the day, said it wasn't 'young voices' at all, but 'young voices as long as you agree with us.'
She is petrified of being expelled/suspended/told off because of her views.

Any advice please on what to do?

I would consider making a disclosure to PREVENT. They are radicalising children!

That would be a great idea. Maybe more of us should be doing things like this!

OP your dd is awesome. I thank her and girls like her on behalf of my younger dd only just starting this journey

@arethereanyleftatall - it's the weekend, just wondered how your DDs week has ended.

I hope she's okay x

Hope your dd is OK @arethereanyleftatall She sounds like an absolute warrior. You must be very proud of her.

Much better thank you @worrieddragon and @ThreeEggOmlette
She stayed home on Thursday, I left a pointed message on the absence line as to why, we had a good long walk and chat.
I'm penning an email to the school, plagiarising bits and bobs from this thread, and will work on that this weekend. I will probably pop it on this thread for you wise and wonderful ladies to cast your eyes over please at some point this weekend. And only send it with her consent.
Thank you x

I'm glad she's feeling better. Hope you both have a lovely, restful weekend.

Lovely to hear, OP. Well done to you and your daughter.

Glad she is feeling better

Good to know she's feeling a bit better.

Glad she's feeling better. Brave girl.

I am pleased your very awesome daughter has taken some time out and is feeling better. Xx

That's good, OP.

Good luck with the email. That sort of thing can take a lot of time. It's insane that it has come to this.

I'm penning an email to the school
You may have been distracted and missed the Government's news item this week but it is, of course, very current. It may give you extra back-up and give the school pause for thought.
Extremism Scroll down for the old and new definitions. I think that they both apply!

Oooh I did, thank you!

I do love the thought of reporting a government-backed scheme to Prevent! Not sure I'd do it in reality but it does make me

Good luck with your letter to the school. I'd focus on the session's allowing participants to shout someone down and the "hate" board, and with your dd's fears about being bullied or disciplined in school for having legitimate GC views, rather GC issues as such.

I'd focus on ... your dd's fears about being bullied or disciplined in school
Absolutely. Out-trump them in the "most vulnerable" stakes. Your DD isn't garnering sympathy over theoretical hatred and intolerance; she has actually experienced it.

Zara Mohammed, the head of the Muslim Council of Britain, told BBC Newsnight the definition would lead to the "unfair targeting of Muslim communities".

I think that this is nonsense - the only communities/ organisations that will be affected are those promoting extremist views and violent behaviour - and that this would apply to all of those groups of any faith or of none.

Agree with Amaryllis upthread. Focus on the lack of political impartiality and the extreme measures used to intimidate and coerce your DD. If it was pupil led, then the organisers are not fit to manage groups of young people. If it was organiser led then that calls into question serious issues about political bias, adult bullying and intimidation.
None of it good.

Very glad to hear that she's doing better OP - it sounds like you have a really great relationship, and that she knows you have her back. That will make a huge difference to how she's able to process this, I'm sure. Horrible that she's been treated this way, and actually very corrosive and harmful for the other children, to see this kind of behaviour normalised.

So proud of her! She has the kind of courage few of us have, and I stand in awe of her.

And it is very very hard and she deserves all the support we can muster.

Hi OP nad her DD - hope you have a good weekend.

And I'm sure you will put together an email that will make the school stop and think.

For me, it is such a betrayal by adults of you DD. First of getting her involved in the event and then failing to implement the intention. And worse still not challenging the other pupils. They have totally failed in their role of having care and protection of your DD whilst at school, and worse have abused their position to try and indoctrinate a young person being bullied. As we get older we probably all learn not to be too trusting of those who say we can trust them. But this certainly shouldn't have be a life lession for your DD at this stage in her education. Shame on all of them. The school needs to recognise its failure.

And of course that what happened is probably illegal based on recent court cases that being GC is a valid belief.

If it wasn't so serious for your DD it would be great to expose them for being total muppets.

(With apologies to the Muppets who would never behave that meanly.)

The British youth council is to close

https://www.byc.org.uk/news/2024/british-youth-council-to-close-following-seven-decades-of-youth-voice

It’s because it is a self selecting group. My same age Dd spoke up in their lesson on this and said girls should retain their same sex spaces. ALL the other girls agreed as did the teacher. So in “gen pop “ of school believe me the majority would agree with your Dd.

Oh. what. a. shame.

How's DD doing, OP? Have the school looked after her?