Contradictions and complexities
There is something about autumn that feels particularly challenging this year. Perhaps it’s the late summer (and therefore the suddenness of the temperature change); perhaps it’s the way the rainy, cold outlook seems to reflect some of the sadness we are seeing across the world right now. Conversely (as you can see below) this is an extremely busy and exciting time for us at Grit and for students across the country as they embark on a new journey.
So how do we hold that contradiction? How do we recognise our sadness and anger at the things we feel should be different, and yet also take joy from the things we are doing in the present that connect us to each other and fulfil us?
Having been at Grit for over 20 years now, I have learnt that our course-room is a place that encourages this contradictory and complex view of life – it is a place where we can experience extreme boundaries and yet also great freedom, vulnerability and also strength, our limitations and our power. As humans, we actually seem to continually live in these contradictions, yet at certain times – like now - they are more prominent.
I recently listened to Brene Brown and Chris Germer talking about these contradictions. Specifically about the role of anger in the social justice movement, how to be impatient for change, angry about the world, yet also nurture your own wellbeing and do the things that matter right now.
This resonates for us at Grit, we are hearing students tell us about the discrimination they experience, about how they feel their voice is not heard and we see this injustice echoed in the wider world. Yet we also see the generosity of the human spirit, how adults and young people alike will allow themselves to be vulnerable so that they can breakthrough their limitations and ‘create a ripple of change’ (see Amanda below).
So, wherever you are at with the autumn, with the rain, with the clocks changing, or with the excitement and the possibilities of a new school year – we welcome your contradictions and we remind you to look out for yourselves along the way.
Ellie
Welcome weeks and freshers fairs
It’s been the start of term and the Grit team have been busy criss-crossing the country, enrolling students onto our autumn schedule of workshops.
There’s a fresh excitement and energy in the air – never more so than when we’re talking to students about Grit.
We’ve been catching up with past participants at the University of Nottingham, shooting the breeze at the University of Exeter and chewing the fat at Bath Spa University.
And, of course, we’ve given the fab Grit hoodies a good airing!
Ripples
“It's not something that you just forget about. It’s changed the way I do things”
Amanda is a senior leader in the Children and Families Service at Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council. Along with the rest of the senior team, she took part in a Grit programme.
Here she talks about the impact of Grit, how “you're more productive as a team and that ripples, and that ripple effect goes onto your wider colleagues.”
Facts, figures and autumn storms
Twice a year since 2021 we’ve been going back to students between six and nine months after they did a Grit programme.
We had responses from across 20+ of the universities where have been working. This is what the responses told us. And, as we battle train strikes, autumn storms and interminable roadworks on our travels up and down the country, this is what keeps us going…
A year or so on, and 86% of students who had been considering leaving their course were still at university. As one student said “I was seriously thinking about leaving. Grit reminded me of why I signed up for university in the first place. It’s kept me disciplined and focused.”
83% told us that Grit still impacts their sense of belonging and 81% of students who did a one-day workshop said that involvement in university life changed as a result – they made new friends, joined societies, took up volunteering. A student described how, “after the Grit programme I feel much more confident in social situations. I feel so much more involved at university, so much more connected. I feel like I belong.”
Three words to describe Grit
We also asked students to describe Grit in three words. This is what they said.
