Student Engagement Workshops 24
Please find below details on all the workshops running at the conference.
You will need to pick which workshops you wish to attend as part of your booking so please make a note of your choices from this selection.
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How International Volunteering Has The Power To Change Lives in the UK and Abroad
At a time when the world is more connected than ever, somehow it feels more fragmented, more inward-looking, and less tolerant. It can be difficult to find ways to encourage students to look further afield, to engage in the world around them, and to become a global citizen. It can be even harder to get opportunities like this off the ground.
A well-organised international volunteering programme, however, which puts students’ personal development at the heart of the experience, can change all this. Students can utilise their skills to make a positive impact, learn about a new culture and way of life, and return with a sense of purpose, while a legacy is left at the community project.
African Adventures specialises in life-changing volunteer trips in Ghana, Kenya and Zanzibar for school and college groups in the UK. From the moment you book, to the moment you return, we organise the experience from start to finish, meaning our volunteers can focus on making the biggest difference at their partner school.
Come along and find out how you can make an impact at your organisation.
Dan Mew, Founder of African Adventures will lead this session.
This session will run at 12noon
Sport for Development: The College & Community
Recognising the role sport can and does play in the development people, communities and the environment. We will be showcasing the efforts with Planet Earth Games and AoC's commitment to sustainable delivery, whilst exploring the opportunities and possibilities to use sport and physical activity to influence the greater good beyond our college and sector walls.
Sarah Nickless, Partnerships and Programmes Development Officer for the Association of Colleges Sport and Chris Broadbent, Founder & Chief Executive, will host this session.
This session will run at 12noon
Democratic Education in FE: Developing political literacy and engagement
Only 47% of 18–25-year-olds voted in the 2019 general election (compared with 75% of 65 yrs+), while only 15% of young people agree with the statement “I trust politicians.” With a general election expected in 2024, this session considers the ways in which colleges can support young people to engage with the political process, starting with practical advice and guidance but also considering longer term approaches to improving political literacy.
Dean Hardman, Director of Sport and Student Experience at AoC and Harriet Andrews,Director - Democracy Classroom, will lead this session.
This session will run at 12noon
Changing opinion of staff on Student Engagement and Enrichment
Over the past 4 year Bournemouth and Poole College have been changing the way our staff think about Student Engagement and the importance of a SU, Student Executive team as well as a good enrichment programme for all students. We will deliver and engaging and interactive workshop about how we have positively helped staff to see the benefits of a Students Union and Student Enrichment In order to help deliver a positive experience for our students and make staff ambassadors for Student Engagement. We will do this through case studies, videos and showing interactive ways to engage staff and students.
Brian Stewart, Student Engagement Coordinator & Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead at The Bournemouth & Poole College will lead this session.
This session will run at 11am and 3pm
Find out more about Bournemouth & Poole's Students' Union here.
The journey of the Student Engagement Team
Amplifying Student Voice - This interactive workshop will explore innovative ways to involve students in the decision-making process, encourage active participation, and foster a culture of inclusion and collaboration.
Nicola Ellis, Assistant Principal Student Engagement & Support for the College will host this session.
This session will run at 11am
Using key performance indicators to drive up cross college student engagement
CCG will share how they have used a variety of different KPIS to work with curriculum teams and wider college teams to drive up student engagement in both Enrichment and Student Voice. They will share what has worked and what hasn't as well as how they have developed so that now all areas of the college are accountable.
Nick Mercado, Group Head of Student Services at Chichester College Group will lead this session.
This session will run at 2pm
Promoting safeguarding and wellbeing through participation and student voice
The workshop will explore youth participation and student voice through the lens of work to promote safeguarding and wellbeing, including proactive and responsive aspects of our roles in the Student Experience and Safeguarding and Wellbeing Teams.
We will share our experiences of doing this within the college community and also through our partnerships in the local area. We will think about how Social GRACES and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma impact on work in this space. We will reflect on the value of bringing together staff with different skill sets and professional experiences and how embracing diversity can impact positively on this work with our learners. We will highlight the importance of authenticity when working with learners and on connecting with them to effect real change and participate in real decisions.
Shakira Martin, leader of our student experience teams including enrichment and student voice (and former President of the National Union of Students) and Ben Ensom, leader of our work on safeguarding and wellbeing (and a Social Worker and Teacher and former Youth Participation Worker) will host this session.
This session will run at 2pm
Empowering futures with skills for success through the Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE)
We know demands are rising across education, employment, and community for a generation that notices, cares, and delivers. That’s why investing in young people’s social and cultural awareness, emotional intelligence, initiative, critical thinking, teamwork and mental resilience, is more important than ever.
Delivering DofE can help you achieve that! In this workshop we will explore opportunities for DofE to support delivery of high-quality enrichment that empowers young people with skills for success and enhances employability.
The DofE is an eligible activity to incorporate into a 16-19 study programme as a non-qualification based, employment, enrichment and pastoral (EEP) activity. We’ll also look at support available to Further Education Colleges that don’t currently offer the DofE to launch their own programmes, so that more young people than ever can benefit from the DofE.
Claire Shea-Simonds, Programme Manager – Post 16 for the DofE will host this session.
This session will run at 11am
Own Your Space - A Public Speaking Masterclass
We know that public speaking and presenting can be nerve-wracking, but don't worry, we've got your back. We will give you the tools and techniques you need to communicate with confidence and clarity. Your personal ability to convey a message with passion and authority will be a game-changing tool in getting both staff and students to buy into your initiatives.
During this workshop, you'll learn how to captivate your audience (whether that be students, colleagues or parents), use body language effectively, and create powerful, engaging presentations.
Calvin Akotuah, Brand Director, and Oba Akinwale, Commercial Director at Loud Speaker will host this session.
This session will run at 2pm
Help your students register to vote
This workshop is a chance to find out more about the best ways to encourage students to register to vote, drawing in particular on lessons from higher education providers and exploring how those can work for FE institutions and colleges.
Bess Mayhew, Director, and Lydia Richmond, Associate Director, of Purpose Union will host this session.
This session will run at 12noon
Developing an engaging Personal, Social and Employability Skills curriculum
In this session you will discover:
* A number of examples of high-quality PSE curriculum models
* Funding and data rules to consider
* Examples of how to track, manage and record PSE learning (this will include a short demo of the Navigate platform)
* Inputs from colleges with Outstanding PSE provision
Chris Rowe, Managing Director, and Fern Maxwell, Director of Customer Support of Navigate will host this session.
This session will run at 11am and 3pm
Find out more about Navigate our Conference Sponsor
Personal development - building an impactful life curriculum that everyone can understand
Launch into an insightful and interactive session exploring whole-college personal development and how to build an impactful life curriculum that everyone in a college eco-system can understand and buy into.
With input from Unloc’s co-founders who are young leaders themselves, alongside leaders and ex-leaders of FE Colleges, this session will explore how to establish a life curriculum that has parity with your academic curriculum, how to deliver experiences for the diverse range of learners you serve and how to build brand, identity and language around your offer that everyone understands.
You’ll leave the session with tangible tools to achieve cross-college buy-in for a life curriculum, examples of best practice that provide inspiration and insight, and techniques from colleges that have built a brand, identity and language around their offer.
Hayden Taylor, Managing Director, and Tom Lloyd, Partnership Manager of Unloc will host this session.
This session runs at 3pm
Changemakers - creating a student voice ecosystem for learners to lead and be heard
Dive into an inspiring and interactive session exploring whole-college student voice approaches enabling learners to lead, be heard and drive change.
With input from Unloc’s co-founders who are young leaders themselves, this session will explore frameworks for an impactful student voice strategy, building student voice structures alongside young people and creating opportunities for young people to be changemakers.
You’ll leave the session with tangible tools for evaluating and building cross-college student voice, tangible examples of best practice that provide inspiration and insight and techniques for impactful co-production.
Hayden Taylor, Managing Director, and Tom Lloyd, Partnership Manager of Unloc will host this session.
This session runs at 2pm
Free sessions from the UK Parliament Outreach team
The UK Parliament Outreach team will be outlining the free sessions we offer to young people across the UK, which explains the work and role of Parliament and how you can get your voice heard. We'll demonstrate some of the activities we run and talk about some of the past successful work we've done with FE colleges, as well as taking your questions
Alasdair Mackenzie and Rebecca Kilby Smith, Education and Engagement Outreach Managers, will host this session.
This session will run at 3pm
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