Suzanne Marshall of College Development Network reflects on the journey so far in Glasgow Kelvin College.

An ethos of building and working alongside their community has driven Glasgow Kelvin College to take action on a number of issues.  In 2015, the College committed itself to help tackle the problem of gender-based violence. They were supported by Glasgow North East Health Improvement Team to develop a range of resources.

Their main objectives were to

  • Deliver effective approaches to engage the support of men
  • Tailor resources for a range of audiences
  • Train students and staff to deliver the core learning and messages

They faced a number of challenges 

  • The stigma surrounding gender-based violence
  • The difficulty of adapting resources appropriately for specific audiences
  • LGBTI+ and males raised issues around equality and requested that resources be adapted to include violence against males and also within same sex relationships

What have they achieved so far?

  • Empowering learners at the college and in the wider community
  • Receiving White Ribbon status in May 2017, after 500 pledge milestone
  • Raising male awareness on the issue of gender-based violence
  • Delivering numerous public and college engagement events and workshops
  • Receiving support from MSPs and local councillors to broaden the reach of the campaign to the local community and local businesses.

Glasgow Kelvin College, first college in Scotland to be awarded White Ribbon status.

Plans for the future

  • To continue to engage with the national White Ribbon campaign
  • To continue to engage with the Equally Safe in Colleges and Universities Project as a pilot college to adapt the Equally Safe Toolkit for the college sector
  • To further engage with College departments to create new online and digital media resources
  • To continue to increase engagement with local business and organisations.

 

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