Month: May 2019

Yesterday (8th May) The Seeds of Change was privileged to be featured on BBC Look East’s evening news bulletin, broadcasted to homes across the western counties within this region.

The piece centralised around Leah’s story, one of our past learners, who came to The Seeds of Change following multiple expulsions from mainstream schooling and a difficult home life which ultimately lead to an arrest. Working with the horses and The Seeds of Change coaches changed her life. She suddenly found somewhere where she could be calm, herself and learn at a pace and through methods which helped rather than hindered her development. She is now tackling her issues head on and has achieved things she never thought possible; qualifications and a dream job in a yard.

Leah said: “We’re not problem children, we’re just children with a problem. We’re just misunderstood and that is the thing with The Seeds of Change, they understood me and helped me to overcome my problems. They helped me to realise that not everyone is against you.”

The Seeds of Change works with local authorities’ referral units and offers an alternative setting for young people to learn, develop and try to cope with and overcome their underlying issues, feelings or conditions. The feature went on to discuss how local authorities are trying to support and encourage mainstream schools to find alternative education routes for children who have not thrived in traditional settings or are on the verge of exclusion.

Lorraine Moir, from Luton Borough Council said: “Excluding children from school is a last resort. Heads have to make a very difficult decision that affects the future of that child, and they don’t like doing it. But, for some young people, there’s no option, and that is where my team comes in to support them. The Local Authority does not want young people to be out of a traditional setting for the rest of their school life, but for some it just not the right place for them to flourish.”

The Seeds of Change has been operating for 14 years and has worked with over 3000 young people over that time, many of whom have experienced challenges at home, school and in their community which have often left them vulnerable or with debilitating mental and emotional conditions and little education. Rachael Frossell, one of our directors, reflected on how things have changed over the years: “In the past we would have seen mainly young people dealing with severe bullying or domestic abuse, for instance, but now we are working with young people actively involved in and subjected to gangs, knife crime and county lines issues.” Our recent County Lines event in Bedfordshire highlighted the dangers of County Lines and Child Exploitation that young people today are subjected to.

To find out more about the work we do with young people read Our Stories or get in touch.
You can also view our feature in the evening news bulletin here from 16mins 46 secs.

Thank you to everybody who participated in the piece.

Last month, The Seeds of Change hosted a hugely successful event highlighting the dangers of County Lines and Child Exploitation. The event, held at Wootton Lower School, was organised in partnership with Bedfordshire Police, CYPFirst and YouTurn Futures and was supported by charities Unseen and Link to Change. Over 100 local parents, carers and professionals attended the information evening which aimed to educate the audience about the risks of child criminal exploitation; the prevalence of this issue in our communities and online, the grooming process and its impact, and how we can help and protect young people most at risk.

As well as providing an opportunity for local people to find out more about the serious and disturbing issues affecting young people now across Bedfordshire and beyond, the event also aimed to raise money for a local charity, Link to Change. Link to Change offers support to young people aged 12-26 across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough who have been victims of exploitation. Ticket and refreshment sales amassed a fantastic total donation pot of £650 for the charity to help further their projects.

The cheque was presented to Link to Change’s CEO, Hayley Brown and Project Manager, Kelly Panaghiston this week by Rachael Frossell, Director of The Seeds of Change.

Thank you to everyone who helped to organise and support such a worthwhile event.

The Seeds of Change is proud to have recently been granted membership to four important organisations which support and promote outdoor learning and countryside activities for children, young people and adults of all abilities: The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom, the Forest School Association, Social Farms and Gardens and Leaf.

The Council for Leaning Outside the Classroom is a registered charity existing to champion learning outside the classroom (LOtC). They believe that every child should be given the opportunity to experience life and lessons beyond the classroom walls as a regular part of growing up. They also aim to:

– Influence and challenge learning outside the classroom policy and practice

– Raise the profile of learning outside the classroom and promote the benefits

– Provide support for education and LOtC professionals, aiming for good quality learning outside the classroom that meets the needs of young people.

The Forest School Association is the professional body and UK wide voice for Forest School, promoting best practice, cohesion and ‘quality Forest School for all’. It also aims to promote the wide ranging educational experiences in the natural world that are on offer to children, young people and adults across the UK.

Social Farms & Gardens supports thousands of grass roots projects across the UK that have helped millions of people to use farming and gardening as a way to transform lives and connect with others, putting pride back into communities and improving health and well-being.

They work with community farms and gardens, school farms, wildlife and roof gardens, community orchards, community-run allotments and community supported agriculture schemes.

Leaf (Linking Environment and Farming) works to inspire and enable sustainable farming that is prosperous, enriches the environment and engages local communities. They also organise national events such as Open Farm Sunday, which encourages families to find out more about farming.

The four organisations’ values and missions are aligned with the work that we do at The Seeds of Change and our passion about the benefits of working in an outdoor educational environment.

The majority of our work takes place outside, in the fresh air, surrounded by nature and the open countryside, and we see how it affects our learners in such a positive way: mental and physical stimulation, improved wellbeing and focus, a sense of calm and safety, and renewed enthusiasm for learning.

We believe passionately that young people, in particular, should have regular exposure to opportunities that allow them to learn through the natural world around them and we look forward to supporting these four organisations in their work.

In June we begin an exciting, new adventure which will continue to build on these ideas and take us further into the world of outdoor learning. Wild for Life is a new business stream which we are piloting this Summer term in schools in Bedfordshire and will focus on delivering nature-led learning experiences to children, families, schools, communities and businesses, within the grounds of schools and other outdoor environments. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to discover more and to follow our progress.