DEVELOPING PRACTICE
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Safe BAE at Braes High School

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Safe BAE at Braes High School

CONTEXT / BACKGROUND

This was established by a senior pupil at Braes High School in session 2021 - 2022.  There is no organisation like Safe BAE in Scotland – Braes High is the first school to implement it.  It was for this reason that the young person chose to get involved.  

This project was initiated, organised, led and run by the young person.  A teacher acted as a support facilitator.  

Safe BAE stands for Safe Before Anyone Else.  Safe BAE is an American non-profit organisation that is student-led and was set up by sexual assault survivors in 2015. The founders were young teenagers – one of them was 14 when she was sexually assaulted.  Their aim is to educate high school students and raise awareness of sexual violence. 

They promote culture change by giving young people the tools to become activists and shift school culture.  They also raise awareness of other topics, most of which are already taught in PSE:  healthy relationships, consent, rape, sexual harassment and sexual rights.   

Audrie & Daisy is a Netflix documentary that shares the stories and the aftermaths of Audrie Pott and Daisy Coleman – Daisy was the young woman who founded this organisation.   

Aims: 

  • raise awareness of sexual violence 
  • have conversations surrounding connected topics, thus promoting a culture change 

 

The UNCRC articles met within these aims are:  

  • Article 16: The right to privacy  
  • Article 19: The right to be protected from abuse 
  • Article 34: Nobody should touch me in ways that make me feel uncomfortable 
  • Article 36: The right to be kept safe from things that could harm my development 
  • Article 37: The right not to be punished in a cruel or hurtful way  
  • Article 39: The right to get help if I have been hurt, neglected or badly treated 

Aims: 

  • Upskill young people to become Safe BAE Ambassadors 

 

The UNCRC articles met within this aim is: 

  • Article 12: The right to have an opinion and for it to be taken seriously 
  • Article 28: The right to an education 
  • Article 29: the right to an education that develops my talents and abilities 

 

WHAT WE DID

Safe BAE at Braes High School was initiated, organised, led and run by the young person.  A teacher acted as a support facilitator.  With the support of a teacher, she created a programme for senior pupils to upskill them as Safe BAE Ambassadors.

Before moving forward with the Safe BAE programme, the young person presented the idea to both SMT and Pupil Council.  Her vision was to emulate the training programme that is embedded within high schools across the USA as they have proven to be successful, as well as linking it in with the Scottish curriculum.

Her ideas were:

Student Ambassadors that will talk in PSE classes
Raising awareness on the school website and Twitter
Changing PSE lessons
Staff Ambassadors that pupils can talk to

The first two were accepted and agreed upon as stage 1; the second 2 will be stage 2.

The student ambassador training was conducted over three sessions: two on the definitions and information and one on creating Survivor Love Letters to show solidarity and empathy with those who had experience sexual assault and rape. These were sent to support groups.  Pupils were also informed of where there was support available, both in and out of the school.

A Twitter page was created for Safe BAE which is followed by many within the school and by supporter organisations outwith.  A section of the school website is specifically for Safe BAE.
Next steps:

Part of the young people’s responsibility in connecting with the Safe BAE organisation, is to support their fundraising.  The young person at Braes is planning on hosting bake sales to raise financial support.
As the young person leaves school, the ambassadors will step up and continue her work.

Session 2022-2023 will focus on further ambassador training and raising awareness, as well as the two final steps in her programme:

  • Changing PSE lessons
  • training Staff Ambassadors that pupils can talk to

In addition, there is a plan in progress to develop opportunities for young people to continue to learn about Safe BAE within the curriculum.

IMPACT / OUTCOMES

Each session and assembly was evaluated and received positive feedback. 

See images below for feedback quotes

 

 

            

 

 

LA

Falkirk

CONTACT PERSON

Fiona Malcolm

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