Bristol Rovers Community Trust BTEC Students Take Part in Violence Against Women and Girls Workshops

Bristol Rovers Community Trust has delivered two workshops with its BTEC students exploring Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), giving young people an opportunity to share their views and help shape future approaches to tackling the issue.

IMAGE: 15.09.26 - BRCT Violence Against Women and Girls Workshops

The sessions, delivered last Wednesday, formed part of a collaborative piece of work supported and funded by Wesport, exploring the views of young people and the role that sport and physical activity can play in reducing violence against women and girls.

Giving young people a voice -

Rather than simply completing a questionnaire, the workshops used a conversational approach to encourage open discussion and allow young people to explore the issues in greater depth. The sessions covered a range of themes, including male allyship and role models, trusted relationships, safety, girls' freedom, experiences within sport and how young people can be involved in shaping solutions.

The project guidance provided to the Trust explains that the purpose is to understand young people's views on VAWG, while giving organisations flexibility in how they collect and present those views. The guidance also encourages creative approaches, including video, podcasts, artwork and discussion groups.

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A New Style of Learning -

A key part of the workshops was creating space for young people to consider their own experiences and perspectives. Students were encouraged to discuss what makes a positive or negative role model, who they trust when they have problems or concerns, what men and boys can do to help women and girls feel safer, and how young people themselves can contribute to preventing violence against women and girls.

The sessions also explored safety in everyday life and within sport, including whether young people have ever felt uncomfortable or unsafe while taking part in or watching sport, and what could make sporting environments safer and more welcoming.

For Bristol Rovers Community Trust, the conversations provide an opportunity not only to listen to young people, but to use their experiences and ideas as part of the ongoing development of work around safeguarding, inclusion and safer sporting environments.

Adam Tutton, Bristol Rovers Community Trust:

“It was really important for us to give our young people the opportunity to have an honest conversation about Violence Against Women and Girls. These sessions weren't about simply asking questions and collecting answers; they were about listening to what young people think, understanding their experiences and giving them a genuine opportunity to contribute to the conversation about how we can create safer environments for everyone.”

For Bristol Rovers Community Trust, the workshops represent another opportunity to use the power of sport and education to open up important conversations and encourage young people to think about the role they can play in creating safer, more respectful environments.

The conversations don't end with the workshops. They are part of an ongoing commitment to listening to young people, capturing their experiences and using their voices to help inform future work around violence against women and girls.

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