Being Your Best Self

Jude Tisdall was appointed SSF Ambassador in 2020, and here she explains why she is passionate about engaging in the work of The Steve Sinnott Foundation.

I was recently invited to be an ambassador for the work of the Steve Sinnott Foundation (SSF). My initial introduction to the work of the Foundation was through my friend and neighbour Ann Beatty, who is its CEO.

One cold Sunday I offered to help Ann at a stall that was giving information on one of the current SSF projects, Positive Periods. Girls and young women can miss up to 50 days a year from school because they do not have any sanitary protection. There are many situations and conditions that exclude young women from education but until I became involved with the SSF this particular one had never crossed my mind. The amount of people that showed interest not only in that project, but other work of the Foundation, was exciting and heartening.

I then went along - again to help with a stall - to the International Solidarity Conference held March 2020 in central London. I met many people involved with enabling access to education worldwide. At the workshop given by Ann about the work of SSF I was excited by the support and enthusiasm from the audience. Lots of things were discussed, including practical ways of making education and learning accessible. One idea was to send bicycles to The Gambia and in the wonderful serendipitous way of the world, there was someone in the audience whose brother had an import business for bicycles and a repair shop in The Gambia! Within a very short time there was a conversation about the the cost of a bicycle ( 85) and how we could roll out something across schools in the UK to sponsor a bike. There was a discussion about the number of bikes that could be provided and even discussion about an apprentice scheme where people could be trained to repair bikes , which in turn could create jobs. The immediate ideas and brainstorming about just this one thing that would enable physical access to a learning centre was amazing and inspiring.

My own background is as an educator and facilitator across a wide range of arts related programmes. I was deputy principal at one of the UK’s leading drama schools for many years. My role included pastoral responsibility for students and staff. I contributed to the teaching programme on MA courses and developed degree courses at BA and MA level. Although semiretired now, I act as a mentor for new graduates, helping to bridge the gap between education and employment. I run workshops around confidence and presentation skills. I am also an Alexander Technique tutor and I believe passionately in the power of education and learning, that is education in the very broadest sense. There are so many ways to learn and develop once the conditions are supportive and sustainable. So if I was to tease out what I meant by that I would say that to have access to learning in an atmosphere of support and understanding where there is no fear; no fear of it not being available tomorrow, no fear of not getting it right; to be in an atmosphere that is creative and structured and where there is an understanding that we all learn in different ways. To be rooted in your own place and space; in your own culture and in that environment to have the opportunity to develop the skills that allow you to be your best self.

I am excited to be part of the SSF family and look forward to being able to support their ongoing projects and help them develop new ones. Each project sharing the same purpose, this being to make education available to all and thereby empower young people around the world, especially young women and girls, to be their brilliant and best selves.

From Engage issue 20.

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JUDE TISDALL • December 15, 2021

An Education Revolution

By Ann Beatty • April 6, 2025

This week while out and about in Hertfordshire and we visited the British Schools Museum. We discovered the first school opened by Joseph Lancaster, was known as the ‘Poor Childs Friend”, was in 1810. It was his lifelong mission that all children regardless of their circumstances, should benefit from an education. Apparently, Joseph heard a small girl say, “Oh that I could read!” and this inspired him to create a simple education system that eventually would benefit children across the world. Joseph was the tenth son of a poor man himself from South London. His aim was to offer free education for everyone. However, it would be 93 years before the U.K. government finally made education free for all. There are still many countries today where education is still not free to access and it is certainly not compulsory for primary and secondary age pupils. Joseph’s mission really resonates with that of the Foundation, to support access to education for all. We enjoyed our visit and appreciated the tour given by two of the Museum’s volunteers, Angela and Clare. They described some of the challenges faced in the early years of formal education and shared some of the rules that teachers and students had to abide by with us.

Sparks Bristol

By Ann Beatty • April 4, 2025

Sparks Bristol is a collaborative community project initially envisioned by The Global Goals Centre, (GGC) more of which below. A few years ago, GGC took over an empty Marks and Spencer store and that’s how Sparks was born. Sparks is a department store with a difference, co-created by Global Goals Centre and Artspace Lifespace. On the ground floor is a huge range of shops, installations, events and more. Upstairs is a hub for local artists, it offers affordable studios as well as rehearsal and performance space. The Global Goals Centre is a Bristol-based educational charity inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals. (SDGs). GGC believe the SDG’s or Global Goals as they are sometimes known, can be reached, with imaginative solutions and widespread education and engagement. They work with partners to promote creative solutions and deliver ground breaking projects that work towards these ambitious goals. The Steve Sinnott Foundation supported the Global Goals Centre with seed funding when it first started over 5 years ago. This month we went to visit them to see how they are getting on and we were taken aback by the volume of work they have achieved since they started. It is amazing to see how though working together with other local community groups it has grown into the vibrant centre it is today. All of the creative projects they host are linked to the SDGs. They cover topics that tackle poverty, education, climate change, fashion recycling and upcycling, to name a few.

Spring is Here! Looking Ahead!

By Ann Beatty • March 28, 2025

Spring is definitely here, daffodils, blossom and crocuses are all basking in the bright sunshine. There is still a chill in the air in the shade but it's happening and all the seeds that were sown over the last few months are coming to fruition. At the Foundation, we have been planning the year ahead and our Positive Periods and Prevention of Gender Based Violence programmes got underway this weekend in Haiti and Ghana. These projects will have a long-lasting effect on the lives of the women and girls who take part: tackling the root causes of gender-based violence and enabling girls to attend school every day when they have their period, to feel safe at school and know how to take action when they are faced with violence. These are the first of many projects planned for the year ahead as we continue to work towards Education for All children everywhere.