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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.
JUDE TISDALL • Dec 15, 2021
We both love London and walking, and this year, in honor of The Steve Sinnott Foundation's 15th Anniversary we have decided to embark on this journey. We planned to complete the 10KM walk along the river Thames, passing by many iconic London attractions on the way. We wanted to raise funds, and awareness, to ensure that every child worldwide, can have the opportunity to go to school, as well as adults too. It was an amazing experience and we enjoyed each other's company on luckily a very sunny day! “Since working for the Foundation I have witnessed firsthand the impact it has in supporting young people develop essential life skills by working to ensure provision of quality education for all children worldwide. The ripple effect of this education is truly remarkable as students go on to empower and educate others.” - Nicolet “I’ve been friends with Nicolet since we were kids, and I appreciate her and support her in any way that I can! She does amazing work for the Steve Sinnott Foundation and I want to be able to support her in this as well. A sponsored walk would not only be something we can accomplish together, but the fact that our efforts could go some way to making a difference for children around the world made it very worthwhile.” - Becky
H'arts in Mind is an inclusive mental health Arts charity run by people with lived experience. They support people with mental health or physical challenges who have an interest in Art. The Steve Sinnott Foundation (SSF) is an international education charity also based in Hertfordshire. The foundation is working with teachers and educators to deliver projects that progress the achievement if Sustainable Development Goal 4 - ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life long learning opportunities. Kim Rasit CEO and founder of H'arts in Mind met up with Ann Beatty CEO SSF to see how two small local charities might support each other. They decided they would work together to develop a space in the art gallery for future artists or others to exhibit in the space. SSF would be the first exhibition to test out the space. The exhibition took place August 21st to 25th and we are really pleased to report it was a great success. SSF provided workshops on Storytelling, Jewellery Making and Vision Board and Well-being as well as exhibiting their work on Positive Periods and Preventing Gender Based Violence.
The Foundation has been working in partnership with UNESCO since 2015 and Ann Beatty our CEO is the UNESCO ASPnet Co-ordinator in the UK. There are 145 schools in the programme and Coventry City is currently supporting all schools in the city with the opportunity of accreditation. In January, Warwick University and Coventry City Council hosted an event at the House of Commons to celebrate UNESCO ASPnet schools’ contribution to the UK. Saarah Rahman who helped organise the event, is currently studying at the University of Warwick in her final year, reading politics and international studies. Saarah shares her thoughts on ASPnet and her personal journey in education. I believe that being a part of UNESCO ASPNET and the Hidden Heroes project will help to lift hundreds of schoolchildren out of educational deprivation. This is an issue that I have personally grown up with my entire life. Educational deprivation is a very personal topic for me, as someone who originates from Tower Hamlets and as a British Bangladeshi Muslim, I am already socially and economically hindered. I went to your average underperforming state school, where I was never able to take part in programmes which helped to improve my confidence and critical thinking skills, as well as deepen my awareness of the world around me. I was always stuck in a bubble at school, believing that students like me would never be able to leave Tower Hamlets; that my whole life would only start and end here, in this small pocket of London. From not having a laptop until I was seventeen and being on Free School Meals when I was younger, I have faced the brunt of deprivation in education. It was when I got into The University of Warwick that I realised the deprivation gap between me and my classmates was much greater than it seemed. My classmates had opportunities to take part in initiatives such as Model UN at school, Pupil Parliament, and so many other extracurriculars that they had at their disposal, because of the type of funding their school during sixth form and secondary had received. Meanwhile, I had to scout for my extracurricular opportunities during school, alongside the challenge that they had to be free. The disparity gap is prominent in who runs for execs or higher student positions, and the common denominator between these types of students is they had leadership positions and extracurriculars handed to them during their time in compulsory education. They were given the confidence at an early age to apply for these roles inside and outside of the University, which will ultimately lead to them being in a better position to take up opportunities. This is why I am a massive advocate for initiatives such as UNESCO ASPnet, because giving young people the confidence to explore social issues alongside critical thinking skills, will boost their confidence in academic and nonacademic settings. Working-class, underprivileged students are always in competition with students who have been given the resources to enrich their education throughout their lives, which shows in their confidence in applying for and receiving opportunities throughout their time inside and outside of higher education. Hopefully, with initiatives such as Hidden Heroes and UNESCO, we finally give underprivileged students the stepping stones they need to get out of their comfort zone and take up opportunities. To find out more about UNESCO ASPnet in the U.K. and how your school can join, visit https://www.stevesinnottfoundation.org.uk/unesco-aspnet
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