Club member Pauline Shields gives us an update on the work of the Domestic Abuse sub group and our Healthy Relationships Initiative.
As part of our Club’s Healthy Relationships initiative we have traditionally given advice to women and girls on how to keep safe, how to recognise controlling and abusive behaviour and when a relationship isn’t working for them, but not before to young men and boys who may have witnessed abusive behaviour while growing up and might consider it to be normal to treat women this way.
So, in order to reach these groups and expand our partnership work and networking, we have collaborated with Lichfield City Football Club and Academy and Vysions Youth Service Rugeley.
We are fortunate as a club to have a senior police officer as a member. She has the training, background and knowledge to work with this age group in this subject area.
We have held a series of Healthy Relationships Workshop events with the boys and young men of Lichfield City FC Academy. They have been highly interactive and open, and after the session, the boys put together 150 Buddy Bags destined for children entering a refuge as a result of domestic abuse, bringing the session “full circle” in terms of their understanding of the implications of abusive relationships.Darren Middleton Director of Lichfield City Football Academy said:
The talks were excellent. Jenny engaged current affairs, safe and secure practices for young people all of them learnt from it and enjoyed the experience. The learners could relate to social domestic issues and supporting children in a positive way was something they wanted to do. It is the third time we have enjoyed the experience to support and help young children and to work with SI Lichfield and District Soroptimists.
We have also held a workshop for both girls and boys in collaboration with Vysions Youth Service in Rugeley.Sue Merriman from Vysions Youth Service, Rugeley describes the event:
The workshop for teenage girls and boys, covered all areas of relationships on how a good relationship should be and how a relationship can go so very wrong. Covering what is illegal for children under 18 years old surprised many of our young people, for example when sharing pictures of a child can have you put on the sex offenders register. A great big thank you to Lichfield and District Soroptimists and we look forward to working with them again soon.
As a club we look forward to expanding this initiative in the future.
Pauline Shields
SI Lichfield & District