Beath HS tackling gender-based violence through education

The Mentors in Violence Prevention programme gives youngsters “the tools” to deal with the attitudes that underpin violence against women and girls.

Senior students deliver lessons to younger pupils. (Image: David Wardle)

Senior students at Beath will deliver lessons to younger schoolmates on a range of topics including sexting, coercive control, sexual harassment and homophobic language.

Kara Di Placito-Wyse, MVP lead and biology teacher at Beath High School, told the Times: “It’s an education programme through Education Scotland and it works on a kind of bystander approach.

The pupils work together to highlight the issues around gender-based violence. (Image: David Wardle)

“We’re not trying to teach people not to do something or teach victims how to deal with anything. It’s more if they witness something, if they have knowledge of something, it’s giving the pupils the tools to deal with that, if they’re made aware of any gender-based violence situations.

“How it works is we’ve got a team of senior pupils and they go into our junior classes and they deliver the lessons.

Some of the MVP pupils even spoke at a Reclaim the Night march. (Image: David Wardle)

“So it’s not a teacher-led programme, which is really good, because I think looking up to one of the senior pupils is just much more impactful.

"It’s not just like a teacher teaching them stuff, and they’ll switch off, and they’re like 'oh here she goes again', like rabbiting on about gender-based violence.”

As part of the programme, students not only gain confidence in public speaking and delivering lessons, they also complete a leadership qualification with the SQA, which they can put on their CVs and university applications.

Kara added: “Throughout the year, you notice a massive difference between the lessons.

“At the start of the year, when they’re going into classes, they’re nervous and they’re not sure how to facilitate a discussion, they’re not sure what questions to ask.

Kara has been MVP lead at Beath HS for three years. (Image: David Wardle)

“Then, as their confidence grows, the more they do it, you really notice a big difference.”

Some of the pupils even took part in Dunfermline’s Reclaim the Night march back in December.

Whilst there, they delivered a talk to a packed room about the work they are doing through the MVP programme.

“The people who were on stage for Reclaim the Night, some of them, before the MVP programme, would not have been able to do that, they would not have been able to go up on the stage and share information, they would have just been terrified.

The programme has helped boost student's confidence. (Image: David Wardle)

“That’s really, really rewarding. It’s definitely a part of my job that I love. They were incredible, I was so proud of them. I’m proud of them all the time.” Kara said.

Kara has been MVP lead at Beath for three years and she says it is “rewarding” to see the changes pupils can make.

She added: “I’ve been teaching for 11 years and getting involved in this programme has just reinvigorated my teaching.

“It’s given me a bit of a boost and a passion that I never really knew I had. I just think it’s so rewarding in the sense that we’re doing something impactful against gender-based violence, and we’re working towards change.”