Stand Up! in Action: Education, Training & Growth

September has been marked by continued educational outreach and significant professional development for the Stand Up! team. The team started the academic year with visits to 2 schools, engaging students through targeted workshops and assemblies focused on anti-discrimination and anti-bullying initiatives.

At Friern Barnet School, the team delivered comprehensive anti-discrimination and anti-bullying workshops to students across years 7-11, delivering a total of 20 sessions to approximately 600 students. Additionally, we conducted an anti-bullying assembly for 120 year 8 girls at Watford Grammar School for Girls, addressing issues of racial bullying, particularly relevant to this demographic.

The team participated in important training opportunities this month. The Community Security Trust (CST) provided specialised antisemitism training to Stand Up! and the education team. This session offered a valuable opportunity to delve deeper into current research and explore practical tools for combating anti-Jewish racism. Nathan facilitated an in-depth Q&A style session that examined contemporary antisemitism in Britain, strengthening our understanding of the challenges facing British Jewish communities today.

To ensure consistency and quality across our delivery, the team held internal training for new

starters and sessional staff. This session allowed team members to refamiliarize themselves with workshop content and practice classroom facilitation techniques, maintaining our high standards of educational engagement.

Building on our commitment to interfaith work, the team attended two key interfaith dialogue training sessions this month. Stuart Diamond led the first session on "Interfaith Collaborations & Difficult Conversations," followed by "Current State of Interfaith / Interfaith Week 2025," delivered by representatives from the Faith and Belief Forum and United Religions Initiative UK. These training opportunities provided the team with valuable tools for effective interfaith engagement and navigating challenging conversations across faith communities.

This month also saw an important addition to our team with the appointment of Charlotte Agran as Project Manager. Charlotte's extensive background in education and interfaith projects makes her well-positioned to oversee Stand Up! operations and guide the team's continued growth. Welcome to the team, Charlotte!