Cover Your Tracks

Bolton Solidarity Community Association (BSCA)

Bolton Solidarity Community Association (BSCA) is a self-help voluntary organisation that has been set up to tackle and reduce the problems facing the new emerging communities in Bolton. BSCA conducted a mask painting exercise with 15 girls aged between 16 - 20. The workshop focuses on the girls’ attitudes to FGM. The challenge was to express their feelings and inner emotions about FGM through art. The girls painted on plain white masks the emotions they feel regarding FGM. It wasn’t easy for some of the girls to let their emotions out due to the fact that it is a difficult subject. To see some of the pictures from the project click here.

FORWARD

FORWARD (Foundation for Women’s Health Research and Development) is an African diaspora women’s charity campaign and support charity that is committed to gender equality and safeguarding the rights of African girls and women. They are a leading charity on FGM and have specific youth and schools programme. FORWARD has developed several projects and resources for young people including youth-friendly information about FGM, videos to raise awareness of the practice and schools resource pack that includes lessons for primaries and secondary schools.

Integrate Bristol

Integrate Bristol is a charity that works towards equality and integration. Integrate Bristol campaigns against all forms of violence and abuse against women and girls and promotes gender equality. They have been a leading charity on FGM and in particular amplifying young people’s voices in the FGM campaign. Integrate Bristol has also developed several resources on FGM that can be used with young people and in particular in schools. These include lesson plans for both primary and secondary school as well as videos that can be used in various settings.

Islington FGM lesson plan

Islington Healthy Schools Team have developed a comprehensive sex and relationships resource pack (SRE Covered) which contains activities and resources geared at KS3 and 4. In this resource pack Islington have developed a specific FGM lesson plan which aimed at Year 7 students. The lesson plan is comprehensive and provides all the information and resources needed to deliver a lesson on FGM. This lesson plan has been delivered in schools across Islington. The lesson plan has also been quality assured by the PSHE Association.

Oxford against Cutting

Oxford against Cutting is a rights based group working to help prevent FGM in Oxfordshire. The group works to raise awareness, share information and develops projects to empower young people to champion anti-FGM initiative. Young people in Oxford Secondary Schools developed an arts competition and developed a booklet about FGM as well as running workshops in their schools. ‘Let’s Talk about FGM’ is booklet which features art work and youth friendly information about FGM was developed by young people from Cheney School and Cherwell School who participated in a project designed by Oxford Against Cutting. To see a copy of the booklet please click here.

Petals

Petals is a web app for young people to help them understand FGM and also to enable them to get help and support if they need it. The web app includes information about FGM, includes a quiz and also supports young people to take action on FGM. The web app is developed by Coventry University with support from young people at Sidney Stringer Academy.

Raised Voices – Arc Theatre

Raised Voices is Arc Theatre’s three-year female leadership and peer mentoring project for young women aged 11 years and older. The group raises awareness on a number of issues that affect young women today. This includes FGM; Raised Voices collaborated with Leyla Hussein, an anti-FGM campaigner and activist, to develop two short films on FGM. The young women involved with the Raised Voices have continued their work on FGM and have provided peer support, written blogs for the Huffington Post and are delivering FGM awareness drama sessions for secondary school students.

Unstitch – Raising Awareness of FGM

Unstitch is a short animation raising awareness of FGM. This animation we developed by Anam Ali and Deeqa Ahmed with support from Fixers. The animation which discusses FGM specifically examines the reasons why communities and people still hold on to the practice. The film is aimed at school age children with the hope that it will begin to start conversations about FGM. The animation was supported by Leyla Hussein and Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid

Violence vs Values

Violence vs Values (VVV) is an organisations that has grown out of what was known as the Kids Taskforce. The organisation develops and delivers programmes in both primary and secondary schools to help children recognize and assess the risks they face. VVV developed a video about FGM called ‘Cut – some wounds never heal’ which is a film developed with secondary students to help raise awareness of FGM among secondary school students. The film has an accompanying teaching pack and is intended to be used in PSHE lessons in secondary school.

Youth for Change

Youth For Change is a global youth-led coalition of youth activists working in partnership with organisations and governments to create positive change for girls, boys, young women and young men. Youth For Change was launched in 2014 and has teams based in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, UK and Tanzania.