Gearing up and getting on
The start of a new academic year always feels more significant and energising to me than the start of the calendar year in January. Mel Robbins (life coach and podcaster) speaks about how we can tap in to the momentum of this time of year to really mobilise ourselves and create change in areas where we’re stuck. I’ve been enquiring into this in my own life – realising how I have lost touch with my sense of abundance and gratitude, being caught up by world events and problematising life. Working at Grit is a constant reminder that we play a huge role in creating our experience of life so I have been thinking about small ways I can build habits around gratitude and presence.
So how does this apply to Grit more broadly? We know the environment we work in is facing huge resource challenges, young people have a mounting mental health crisis and alongside this there have been some deeply troubling riots in communities displaying violence and racism. Resources are tighter but the need for support and connection is higher.
It is natural for us to feel upset, helpless and disheartened by this. We have spent time at Grit talking about how this has affected us (particularly the riots) the sense of not being safe – especially for black colleagues – and how our different reactions played out our own biases and privileges. These are uncomfortable but critically important conversations.
Ultimately, where we land with this is to place the focus at this time on how we raise the bar on ourselves. On our work for Black students and Students of Colour, on our work generating belonging for young people more broadly, on our own sense of community and connection as a team. Yes, times are difficult but we know we are agile, persistent and optimistic at our organisational heart. We want to use the momentum and energy of the new academic year to raise our game, and we are already seeing the early signs of this feeding some new shoots and opportunities – so watch this space, there is more Grit in more spaces on its way.
All the best
Ellie
Gearing up and getting on
As the seasons start to turn and we spot the first sign of the nights drawing in, here at Grit we’re looking forward to another busy term.
We’re delivering one-day and three-day workshops at Nottingham Trent University. We’ll be working with Black Leaders and Students of Colour at NTU, the University of Nottingham, The University of Manchester (where we're also working with staff), Solent University and the University of Exeter. Then there are the workshops for postgraduates at NTU, Sheffield Hallam University and Liverpool John Moores University as part of the EDEPI Project which aims to tackle systemic inequality experienced by postgraduate students.
It’s always such an exciting time of year: the anticipation, the expectancy, the intensity. We can’t wait to get started!
In conference
We’ve kicked off the term by talking about Grit at a couple of conferences. Our CEO, Ellie, was at The Boys' Impact National Conference alongside Ailsa Hogg, Head of Access at The University of Sheffield. They looked at the way we have used coaching to create attitudinal change with year 9 boys. The session was very lively and participants really grappled with the coaching spectrum particularly inquiring into how to remain non-directive within a directive system.
Grit Trainer and Enrolment Lead, Kim, went to the RAISE (Researching, Advancing & Inspiring Student Engagement) network conference at the University of Leicester. Co-presenting with Tania Struetzel, Head of Student Success at Solent University, Kim talked about how our workshops for Black students and Students of Colour support participants to connect in a deeper way with their identity, develop the self-belief and expectation to have a thriving and successful student experience.
Evaluation, Evaluation, Evaluation
Over the summer we’ve seen the completion of two independent evaluations of our work. The School of Education at Nottingham Trent University looked at our work with local authority teams and found that:
Grit can lead to a qualitative improvement in the work done by Local Authority social work teams and associated agencies;
Change appears to be sustained over the medium term (~18 months);
It works at two distinct levels: at the front line and within the organisation.
Dr Dionne Taylor and Professor Kehinde Andrews of Birmingham City University looked at our programmes for Black students and Students of Colour. They found:
Grit programmes can have a transformative impact on the students that take part
The student experience is overwhelmingly positive, with excellent engagement and enthusiasm from students across all universities;
Grit is at its most effective when it is part of broader institutional efforts to promote equity and diversity, complementing other programmes aimed at closing the awarding gap.
Moving the dial
As students old and new arrive on campus Tania Struetzel writes about working with Grit at Solent University in positioning support, addressing issues around undergraduate wellbeing and ensuring that students have a successful start to university.
