Taking a Broad Initiative
Dear Harvey,
I am writing to ask for your approval for my proposal to lead an RC project, which will be funded by Barclays Futures, in three schools in Staffordshire. Barclays Futures is a national scheme run by Barclays Bank to fund anti-bullying initiatives in schools. I put in a bid before Christmas for a project in which the peer-counselling student support work that I've led in my school and a special school in Lichfield is continued in those two schools plus in an eleventh-to-sixteenth-grade school in Stoke-on-Trent for two more years. I have just found out that Barclays will donate 8,000 pounds sterling to fund the project. Of course I am delighted.
I plan to teach RC to students in the schools and introduce them to the RC Community as I have already done to some extent at my school and the Lichfield school. In addition, I want to teach RC fundamentals to some of the teachers in each school and introduce them to their nearest RC Communities. The idea is to build up RC support groups and counselling networks in each school which will be self-perpetuating when the two-year project is over. I also plan to have the students and teachers in all three schools have joint workshops together (separating the young people and adults, and also the young people and allies). Last year Sam Herbert and Anna Moorhouse led a day workshop for the students from my school and the Lichfield school whom I and some of the other students had taught previously. Sam and Anna are coming again to do a day workshop for students in my school in July. The new project is due to start in September, so this will be a great preparation.
I have talked to John Sloboda in the Potteries Community, and he is agreeable to teach the teachers' class in the Stoke-on-Trent school.
I have also talked to Brenda Kemp, Area Reference Person of the Potteries Area, and she is happy about welcoming new RCers from the Stoke school and does not foresee any problems. I have also discussed all this with Anna Hutton and she can see no problems. We discussed the practicalities of the fees and ensuring that the right amount goes to Outreach Funds. We also discussed the fact that Barclays say that their Barclays Futures logo must go on any publicity connected with the project.
As far as the payments for the classes go, John's fees will be paid by the Barclays money, and he will give the correct percentage of that to Outreach. The same goes for me as teacher of the teachers in the other two schools. I will be teaching the school students during school time, and the Barclays money will fund a supply teacher in my own school to take my place while I do it.
Regarding the Barclays Futures logo, Anna and I see no problem about that, as they are funding the project. I would state in any publicity that the type of counselling being taught is Re-evaluation Counselling.
This is a new venture and doesn't quite fit into the usual way of teaching RC, so I am asking for your approval before I go any further with it. If you are not happy about it, I can still go ahead but not call what I'm doing RC, but peer-counselling instead. That's what I wrote on the bid. That would be fine with me, but I would much prefer to call it RC and be able to introduce the people I teach to the RC Community. It seems much more straightforward and less confusing all 'round.
Netta Cartwright
Stafford, Staffshire, England
Dear Netta,
I completely agree and approve. Congratulations on your splendid initiative! Warm greetings to all your assistants. To end the bullying in English schools will lighten many lives.
-Harvey