Thursday 24th March 2022
In a continued bid to positively influence the culture in student sport, SSS and the CHANGES: Programme has extended our partnership to continue tackling the challenges of initiation and hazing activity within student sport. Read more about the continued partnership below!
As of August 2019, Scottish Student Sport and the CHANGES Programme have strived as partners to advocate that student sport in Scotland is a safe and inclusive environment for all. Alongside CHANGES’ Programme researchers Professor Moira Lafferty (University of Chester) and Dr. Caroline Wakefield (Liverpool Hope University), we are continuing to work towards the commitments set out in the partnership agreement which are supported by SSS CHANGES trainers, Development Committee, and Equality Steering Group.
Through the partnership, we aim to:
SSS Commitment
- Promote and market the CHANGES programme to SSS’ members
- Continue to formally support the staff within the membership who make up the CHANGES delivery workforce as trainers
- Advocate the use of the CHANGES workshop programme annually and work with sport sabbaticals to create a national campaign endorsing CHANGES messaging
- Provide ongoing support through SSS staff, Development Committee, and Equality Steering Group
“The work we have done over the last 3 years in partnership has been ground-breaking in the UK. By working together through this agreement, we can move the programme forward through research-informed practice developments.”
CHANGES Commitment
- Continue to provide SSS members with the CHANGES workshop programme and components at a not-for-profit delivery
- Continue to run SSS Train the Trainer workshops so we have people trained at the Regional level to lead the workshops
- Update and share CHANGES resources
- Work with SSS to further develop CHANGES to tackle anti-social behavior beyond welcome and initiation activities
- Provide support, input, and updates at SSS Conference and meetings as required.
- In all work involving CHANGES with other Educational groups/student sport acknowledge and reference the partnership agreement with SSS.
Lead researcher, Professor Moira Lafferty, from the University of Chester’s School of Psychology, told us:
“Renewing the partnership with Scottish Student Sport means we can continue to roll out the Challenging Hazing and Negative Group Events Programme (CHANGES) by working with students, our Scottish trainers, and their Committees to ensure that student sport in Scotland is safe and inclusive. The work we have done over the last 3 years in partnership has been ground-breaking in the UK and by working together through this agreement, we can move the programme forward through research-informed practice developments.”
Eilidh Paterson, Inclusion & Culture Development Coordinator shared:
“We at Scottish Student Sport are so grateful to be partnered with two incredible experts in Moira and Caroline who continue to provide our members’ student and staff with training at no cost but also, addressing extremely important and challenging subjects on campus shifting the sporting culture as we know it. We are delighted to extend our partnership with CHANGES and look forward to being part of the continued progress.”
Since the partnership’s conception in 2019, we have hosted three Train the Trainer sessions which has led to the upskilling of 26 staff from the SSS Membership. This strong foundation of trainers means SSS is able to offer members the opportunity to arrange training for their students on campus with the only cost being to cover the trainer’s travel expenses. As a result, a few of our members have created their own partners who return the on-campus training delivery favor to those that deliver for them.
If you are interested in booking one of our trainers to deliver some training to you or you do not have a staff member trained within your College or University, please reach out to SSS’ Inclusion & Culture Development Coordinator, Eilidh, and submit a note of interest.
Tayside, Fife, and Grampian Regional Trainers;
Eamonn Laird, University of Dundee
Rory Anton, Robert Gordon University
Kieran Matthews, Robert Gordon University
South East Regional Trainers;
Amy Beattie, University of Stirling
Catherine Wilson, Heriot-Watt University
Douglas Jardine – Scotland’s Rural College
West Regional Trainers;
Seona McKenzie, University of Strathclyde
Jamie Taylor, University of Glasgow
Scottish Student Sport’s Staff;
Eilidh Paterson, Scottish Student Sport – eilidh@scottishstudentpsort.com
Megan Richardson, Scottish Student Sport – megan@scottishstudentsport.com
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