<div dir="ltr">Hi Jamie!<br><br><div>Please take my words with a grain of salt as I have never been in a situation like yours and I am a newcomer to this realm overall. </div><div><br></div><div>However, I had a clear, strong second reaction when reading your post. My thought was that you can support an environment and intention that encourages the students to give themselves the permission to value their thoughts and opinions and to recognize that they do have the ability to effect change. </div>
<div><br></div><div>You can then forget about who didn't come and what can't happen, and instead focus on who did come and what they can do together.</div><div><br></div><div>Of course I can't say for sure, but this type of ownership and independent action may be just what is needed to get others to take a pause and take the students seriously. </div>
<div><br></div><div>oh, and have fun!!!</div><div><br></div><div>Best wishes and please let us know how it goes!</div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Oct 14, 2013 at 6:05 AM, Jamie Colston <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:jamiecolston@googlemail.com" target="_blank">jamiecolston@googlemail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div>Dear OS List,</div><div> </div><div>The open space I have planned with students, staff and governors tomorrow is almost here. What has happened in the last few days is that I have noticed a few things that I did not before. </div>
<div>The school have committed budget for me to come and work with the students to empower them to make a difference in the school - However this is not being backed up by their support in time. Only one of the staff is committed to coming to the open space and lots of people dropping by if they have the time. This is mirrored somewhat by the student population as a whole who have responded to the invite by the leaders of the student council to come to the open space. We have about 7 signed up self responsibly out of a school of 1000. We have however got 6 governors committed to joining us at the event. </div>
<div> </div><div>What I know about the school is that they have quite severe communications issues. They have a new head teacher who has taken on this project and who I met and gave his blessing (supposedly) to the work. Students have felt disempowered, not listened to and unaware of how to make changes in the school because they have no real access to the staff in the school who in the past have not attended the meetings they are needed at. There is a genuine time issue and extreme pressure as with all schools.</div>
<div> </div><div>The students are really keen to make a difference and there is a genuine desire to help them do that. But it feels like no one here is taking responsibility for making it happen.</div><div> </div><div>Any thoughts welcome.</div>
<div>Many thanks</div><div> </div><div>Jamie </div><div> </div><div><br clear="all"><br><br> </div><div dir="ltr"><b><b><font face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:12pt">Jamie Colston</span></font></b></b>
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