Projects of Lancashire Forum of Faiths

Schools Volunteer Link Project

Since August 2007 the Lancashire Forum of Faiths has been working in partnership with the Lancashire SACRE (Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education) to develop a group of volunteers of various faith backgrounds to visit schools.


The aim of the visits is to enhance the RE lessons and to provide "real-life" examples of individuals practising a particular faith. Helen Harrison (Officer for the SACRE) has provided training for the volunteers in order to provide them with some basic information on methods of adding value to the RE lesson. This training also includes some information about the RE curriculum.


All volunteers are CRB cleared.


The volunteers have visited many schools across the whole of Lancashire including both rural and urban areas of the sub-region and primary and secondary schools. The visits have involved providing information about a particular faith and what it means to that volunteer (i.e. "a day in the life of?."), question and answer sessions, and bringing religious artefacts to the classroom environment. This informal method of interaction with the children and students has provided an alternative and useful way of learning about religion. Students and teachers alike are able to ask questions about a religion to someone who is actually practising that faith. Religious artefacts are interesting for all ages and "bring alive" the faith.


The Forum currently has over a bank of 27 volunteers from across the faiths including Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Jainism, Baha’i, and Judaism. The volunteers are also recruited from across the whole of Lancashire from Blackpool to Burnley to Preston! Feedback from the schools and students, to date, has been excellent with all those involved benefiting from this informal method of learning.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer then please contact the Forum. Training can be provided and you will need CRB clearance which the Forum of Faiths will organise. Your travel expenses will be covered but every effort will be made to match volunteers with schools in close proximity to their local area.

If you are a teacher and you are interested in inviting a volunteer to your school or to find out more information then please also contact the Forum. Each school will contribute a small cost towards the travel expenses and admin costs of organising the visit.

For further information please contact Leah on 01772 268127 or 07894595072.  Email: lfof@communitygateway.co.uk
 

Independent Faith Schools Survey

The Lancashire Forum of Faiths was commissioned in April 2009 to undertake a piece of research for the Lancashire Constabulary and its partners.


The aim of the project is be to draw up a comprehensive listing of the Independent (non state-funded) schools in Pan Lancashire and to investigate the needs of the Faith Schools in the Independent Schools sector with regards to the Preventing Violent Extremism agenda


The information will be fed back to the PVE Contest Board, which will enable it to develop appropriate measures of how to assist independents schools and work appropriately with schools.


This project meets the following objectives of the Prevent Strategy:


  • Objective 1. Undermine extremist ideology - through the survey the police can establish relationships with schools and specific staff and develop measures that will assist the schools to create a lesson plan to counter extremist ideology.
  • Objective 3. Support individuals who are vulnerable to recruitment by extremists; - by raising the awareness of this agenda amongst teachers and providing information about the PVE work, teachers will ultimately have the knowledge of support mechanisms if they suspected any such activity within their particular school environment
  • Objective 4. Increase the resilience of communities - by building the capacity of schools to identify extremist ideas and vulnerable individuals, and to support existing structure of the Prevent agenda.
  • Objective 7. Improve Strategic communications ? by having a database of independent and faith schools the Police will be able to communicate effectively with the appropriate staff to ensure that any updates, progress or information can be passed on about the Prevent agenda. This project is being managed and delivered by Shahida Iqbal (Independent Consultant) with a team of volunteers. To find out further information please contact her on 07812 674 804 or email shabs_akram@yahoo.co.uk.

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