We believe it is important for our pastoral curriculum to prepare pupils to be good citizens, both in the way they live their lives and the positive contribution they make to society. As an all boys’ school in particular, it is important to educate our young men about the prevalence of violence against women and girls in Northern Ireland and to encourage them to develop positive attitudes and relationships. With those aims in mind, we invited White Ribbon NI to deliver their ‘Listen, Learn and Lead’ programme through a series of three workshops for Year 10 boys in March and April.

The first of these sessions took place last week, coinciding with International Women's Day. During the workshop, students learned about gender-based violence in Northern Ireland and the statistics behind it. They also explored why victims may not come forward and addressed common myths surrounding abuse, discussing how these misconceptions often arise from cultural behaviors and societal norms. The boys also learned how young people can be empowered to take action when they witness harm being perpetrated, showing how even small actions can make a significant difference in promoting positive change.

Delivered by the CEO of White Ribbon NI, Tahnee McCorry, the boys enjoyed a thought provoking session. Tahnee was impressed with their levels of engagement and participation, and commended the boys on their maturity and ideas.

White Ribbon is the UK’s leading charity engaging men and boys to prevent violence against women and girls. Led by Mrs J Bailie our Coordinator of Learning for Life and Work, we believe this is a crucial conversation for our pupils and look forward to supporting them in this important learning experience.  

Further information about the work of White Ribbon can be found here: https://www.whiteribbon.org.uk and https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cre7jljq774o  

See the gallery below for more photos of the workshop.