REACH OUT – to all young people

With the new session brings the good news of continued funding from Education Scotland for Creative Conversations. This year we are also working with Fife and Borders Councils in addition to Midlothian and East Lothian.

Your invitation to the first Creative Conversation of 2018/19 is attached. Many of you will remember Jaz Ampaw Farr and Amjad Ali from last October. We are delighted to welcome Amjad back to Edinburgh, this time with Allana Gay. Together they will engage us in a conversation, titled Reach Out, where the focus will be on diversity and inclusion, particularly of BAME children, young people and their families. Please share this invitation with your colleagues and partners as we are updating our mailing lists and may have missed inadvertently missed some people.

As ever David Cameron will facilitate the conversation:

–          On Wednesday 24^th October

–          At the Edinburgh Conference and Training Centre, St Mary’s Street, Edinburgh (close to Waverley Station)

–          From 4 – 4.30 with registration, coffee and meeting colleagues

–          5.30 – around 6.30/6.45 in creative conversation with Amjad and Allana

–          And continuing the conversation till around 7.30 with refreshments

Looking forward to seeing you there

Linda

Reach Out

We all wrestle with the challenge of making sure that we reach every pupil and that though our work we ensure every child and young person can achieve and succeed and be fulfilled. We also know that there can be all sorts of barriers to engagement – the young person’s background and experiences, their attitudes, interests, and increasingly, culture and ethnicity. For all those reasons we are delighted to have our first Creative Conversation of the session with Amjad Ali and Allana Gay.

Amjad was involved in a powerful and moving Creative Conversation on ACEs last session with Jaz Ampaw Farr – and he held his own!!! Not many people could manage that….. So we are delighted that Amjad is returning, bringing a wealth of experience as a teacher, school leader, fantastic speaker and as an outstanding supporter of staff development through his website https://www.trythisteaching.com  

With Amjad for this Conversation is Allana Gay, the Interim Headteacher in a North London primary school. Her 15 years in education have focused on turning around schools in challenging circumstances, especially those in deprived areas. She has extensive experience in both primary and secondary schools and shares this with colleagues throughout education. 

Both Allana and Amjad are closely involved with the BAMEed: Black, Asian Minority Ethnic Educators and support diversity and equity across education. Their experience and insights will be of interest to anyone working with children and young people in or out of school.

Linda Lees | Lifelong Learning Strategic Manager (Creativity, Health and Wellbeing) | Schools and Lifelong Learning | Communities and Families | The City of Edinburgh Council, Waverley Court, Business Centre 1/2, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh EH8 8BG | Tel 0131 469 3956 | Mobile 07917 825007 | mailto:linda.lees@edinburgh.gov.uk | www.edinburgh.gov.uk

‘Supported by the Creative Learning Network Fund, a partnership between Creative Scotland and Education Scotland under Scotland’s Creative Learning Plan’.

The latest Creative Conversation’s Creative Catalysts are Jaz Ampaw-Farr and Amjad Ali. The focus of this Creative Conversation is on you and the things you can do to help change lives. Jaz will tell her profoundly moving story about her early life and the people who made a difference. Amjad will contribute with practical ideas from his experience as a teacher, school leader and from his work in prisons.

The details are:

• Friday 27^th October
• Edinburgh Training and Conference Venue on St. Marys’ Street
• buffet lunch from 1.30
• Creative Conversation starts at 2.30
• refreshments, nibbles and continue the conversation from 3.45/4pm on

Creative Conversation prog and info – Jaz and Amjad

Creative Conversation Invitation – Jaz and Amjad

This is another rare opportunity to talk to 2 people who are not often in Scotland and who have great insights and moving stories to tell. It could not be a more current Creative Conversation in terms of how we need to work together to change outcomes for all young people.

Andy Jeffries, Acting Head of Children’s Services will give the welcome and David Cameron will facilitate the conversation.

Please to RSVP no later than 2pm on the 26^th October. You can bring a colleague and we look forward to another Creative Conversation and your participation in it.

linda.lees@edinburgh.gov.uk