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BGU Academic Leads on Sexual Crime Prevention at International Conference
Helen Elliott, Lecturer in Psychology & Counselling at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), presented her research at the International Association for the Treatment of Sexual Offenders (IATSO) in Vilnius, Lithuania last month. The premise of Helen’s research is to support initiatives to inform possible prevention of sexual crime by individuals in the community who have a sexual attraction to children. Carried out in partnership with Rebecca Lievesley from Nottingham Trent University the project is also designed to promote a public-health approach to working with this group, who are stigmatised and ostracised, and suffering psychologically because of this. Whilst preventative efforts to stop the sexual abuse of children are on the rise, along with more individuals are actively seeking treatment before they offend, much of the information that goes into these measures is informed from individuals who have already been convicted. Helen’s research aimed to address this gap in knowledge by exploring the experiences of those living in the community, with a sexual attraction to children, who do not want to offend. Offering them a chance to tell their story in an open environment to better inform the support measures available to them and thus prevent potential sexual crimes. The project’s findings highlighted core themes regarding isolation and fear, particularly in relation to the huge stigma associated with this attraction, and how highly prevalent shame-based narratives during formative teenage years led to the living of a "double life" for those attracted to children. Presenting the research at IATSO on 29 August, Helen made a number of important recommendations including: Therapies should be more accessible for adolescents who are beginning to feel different from their peers and confused about their feelings towards children. This attraction needs to be acknowledged within educational contexts and by those working with children, creating a more informed and comfortable dialogue around sexual health. Delivering sexual health education from a ‘pragmatic’ and ‘sex positive’ standpoint (as is common in the Netherlands) as opposed to a ‘sexual abstinence’ stance. Importance of clear reporting rules to enhance engagement in support services. Education to reduce stigma among professionals. Consider friends and family within prevention services – support for individual’s support network = indirect support for individual. Issues around wellbeing and the health needs of this group are being missed and require full focus – anxiety, depression, shame, and stigma. The conclusion reached by Helen and her colleagues was that whilst the conflation of a minor-attracted person and an adult child molester continues, so do the subsequent harmful consequences. This includes hindering disclosure, which could manifest into poor mental health outcomes, or risk becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy, with individuals believing that the only path in life is giving into one’s sexual desires. With one-third of child sexual abuse being committed by those under 18, we need to question whether some young people could be finding themselves with this attraction and unaware of its implications or how to manage it. If you’re interested in researching human behaviour and mental wellbeing, then our Psychology and Counselling courses could be the perfect place to start. Visit our website or contact our Enquiries Team today for more information. -
Lord-Lieutenant Officially Opens BGU Research Centre
Bishop Grosseteste University’s (BGU) new Lincolnshire Open Research and Innovation Centre (LORIC) has been officially opened at an event led by BGU Vice Chancellor the Reverend Canon Professor Peter Neil and the Lord-Lieutenant for Lincolnshire, Toby Dennis. Conceived by BGU, LORIC will provide support to businesses, public and third-sector organisations across Greater Lincolnshire by enabling connections with data specialists and researchers to bring new insights for businesses. Speaking at the launch event Christopher Bridle, LORIC Project Manager, spoke of how the county was at the heart of the project: “This is an incredibly rewarding moment, a lot of hard work has gone into taking the project to this point and it wouldn't have been possible without the involvement of a range of local companies. LORIC truly is a resource created by and for the people of Lincolnshire”. His words were echoed by the Reverend Canon Professor Peter Neil: “LORIC is just one manifestation of BGU's dedication to supporting the Lincolnshire community by placing research and the exchange of knowledge at the centre of what we do. It highlights our journey as an evolving university that we are now able to offer local businesses expertise and support to improve their practices which will, in turn, benefit the county for years to come". Opening the Centre Toby Dennis, the Lord-Lieutenant, shared his excitement for the positive impact LORIC will have for Lincolnshire business: "It is indeed a great thrill to be able to open this wonderful concept from an innovative and ever developing institution. This latest addition is an inspiration to the local community from which all corners of the county will have the opportunity to benefit. BGU is held in the highest regard far and wide and the county should feel privileged to be the home of this exceptional place of education and development" LORIC will be hosting its first Open Day for Lincolnshire businesses on the 17th of October from 4-6.30pm. Any SME within Greater Lincolnshire is welcome to attend and to hear more about how LORIC can support business, to tour the facilities and to enjoy refreshments. For more information contact loric@bishopg.ac.uk -
BGU Launch New International Programme for Aspiring Indian Teachers
This week, Dr Steven Puttick, Head of Programmes (Secondary, FE, Research Education) and Wayne Dyble, International Manager, of Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) have been busy in India visiting partners, presenting research, and launching an exciting new opportunity for Indian graduates to train to teach at BGU. High achieving Indian graduates in Mathematics and Science will be offered a limited number of places on BGU’s Secondary PGCE course. Following successful completion of the PGCE course, these graduates will be supported by a partner Academy chain to gain employment as Maths and Science teachers in the UK. This fantastic opportunity presents the ‘brightest and best’ Indian graduates with the chance not only of studying at an historic UK teacher training institution but also of securing employment following the course. For further details of this opportunity, and to register your interest please contact Wayne Dyble. As part of the trip, Dr Steven Puttick was also invited to present his research at Lady Irwin College’s International Conference on Learning. The conference brought together a large number of international scholars and was opened by Mr. Vineet Joshi, Director General of the National Testing Agency. In his presentation Dr Puttick discussed his research on policy discourses and current philosophical tensions within the English Inspectorate Ofsted. For more information on all the international activities taking place at BGU visit our news page or contact our International Department to find out what exciting opportunities are available to you. -
BGU Lecturer Helps Promote Social Innovation in Malaysia
Dr Elinor Vettraino, Head Coach and Programme Leader for Business and Enterprise at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), was one of five team coaches selected to support the development of social innovation in projects in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The SITEL project (Social Innovation through Team Entrepreneurial Learning) created by the University of Westminster and funded by the British Council, was an intensive Trans and Multi-Disciplinary five day workshop designed to foster an eco-system for developing resilient social enterprise through entrepreneurship education. The focus of the programme was to provide opportunities for early career researchers from both Malaysia and the UK to learn from each other and explore opportunities for building long-lasting research connections to explore solutions to social innovation challenges in the area. Dr Vettraino was delighted to be involved in the project: “It was a privilege to be asked to coach a team in this project and to have the opportunity to add real value to research in the region which will lead to real action.” The project Dr Vettraino was involved with was an agro-tourism farm-stay located close to Mount Kinabalu. Research into the challenges for the local community indicated the need for technology to support the development of irrigation systems, as well as training to support the youth of the area to stay and continue to work in the community. Dr Vettraino added that the future applications of the project team’s efforts created exciting avenues for community development: “Funding is available to take forward some of the project ideas that were generated during the programme and it is fantastic to have been involved in genuine development of opportunities for the people in the area.” Dr Vettraino is head of the Business and Enterprise area at BGU. You can find more information on the exciting opportunities offered by BGU’s Business courses on our website or by contacting our Enquiries Team. -
Enterprising students triumph with Tenner challenge
The Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) Enterprise Club hosted the first ‘Tenner Challenge’ of the year during freshers week. The challenge sought resourceful individuals to come together to generate enterprising ideas to turn a profit from a ‘tenner’ in under 36 hours. The event was a resounding success with the teams involved not only returning their tenner and making over £25 per team profit, but also donating £1 each to the Young Enterprise charity which empowers young people to harness their personal and business skills. The event was organised and run by staff from BG Futures, BGU’s Careers, Employability and Enterprise service, who commended the enterprising talent showcased. One team decided to produce and raffle off a chocolate hamper which proved so successful that, within the first hour of the challenge, they had managed to sell enough tickets to break even. Other teams purchased cookies and sold these to their fellow students, friends and family generating an income of over £40. The BG Futures team are hosting several enterprise initiatives throughout the year including The Lincoln Teenage Market, where performers and traders aged between 10 and 29 can showcase their creative talents for free, Global entrepreneurship week, which runs in November, and various other events hosted at BGU Enterprise Club. For more information on all these events and how you can get involved contact the BG Futures team at enterprise@bishopg.ac.uk. -
BGU Launch New Exhibition Exploring the History of Women’s Football
The Research Team at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) have launched a new exhibition at the Lincoln Central Library to explore and celebrate the history of women’s football. The exhibition promotes and celebrates women’s football in Britain from the early years up to today, including its presence in Lincoln and the wider county of Lincolnshire. With a legacy dating back over 100 years the Lincoln Ladies, or Lady Imps, are one of the Sport’s most enduring teams, gaining huge popularity during the Great War before an FA ban at the end of the conflict forced them to fight for their survival. Two stories are incorporated into the exhibition. The first is the history of the women’s game from the 1880s up to the First World War, in particular the highpoint during the conflict of 1914-18. The second story is that of the recent revival of the game, focusing on the successful run for the Lincoln City Ladies team that came to a controversial end in 2013. The exhibition has been produced to coincide with the performances of the Lincoln Mystery Plays latest production: ‘The World at Her Feet’. The play has been written to mark the centenary of the final year of the First World War. The script recognises the contribution of munitionette workers, some of whom formed football teams. Dr Andrew Jackson, Head of Research at BGU, described his excitement at what the joint endeavours of the exhibition and the play could achieve: “The 'World at Her Feet' will be a powerful play. It will resonate as a fitting end to the four centenary years of the First World War. The production will also feature in a year of anniversaries commemorating progress in the place and status of women, and their achievement of the right to vote. In addition, the performance will be set in a context of today, and a revival of the women's game of football at national and international levels.” It is hoped that the exhibition will not only bring the extraordinary stories of the trailblazing Lady Imps to light, but also inspire a new generation to follow in their footsteps. The exhibition also coincides with celebrations nationwide of women gaining the right to vote one hundred years ago. BGU has been running several activities throughout the year, including another special exhibition, to commemorate this historic event. The Research Team at BGU are dedicated to preserving and championing the history of Lincolnshire and its residents. You can keep up to date with all their activities via our website or, if you would like to get involved yourself, you can contact our Enquiries Team to find out how to start your new adventure. The exhibition will run at the Lincoln Central Library until the 17th of November and is open to all. -
PGCE Students Unleash their Wild Side for Innovative Learning Experience
PGCE Secondary Physical Education and Dance trainees at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) went on a trip to Sherwood Forest GoApe where they spent several hours enjoying a unique learning opportunity in the tree top adventure. The PGCE GoApe experience is used as a cohesive activity for prospective teachers to experience learning opportunities out of the classroom. Building bonds with one another and understanding how to work independently and together to achieve difficult tasks. The session consisted of three hours of climbing, swinging and jumping through different layouts and unique crossings. The high ropes course for new and returning adventurers alike continued to challenge all in different ways and to successfully complete it the trainees were required to utilise their strengths and work together as a team supporting one another. All of this builds back into the skills they will need in their future careers and this year’s group found it worthwhile experience with one saying: "The trip was extremely useful for team building and communication between participants, and would be a really useful classroom tool. It was really enjoyable." Whilst another of their teammates discussed how it could be built back into their future work: "It helped all participants realise and experience the various aspects of the hidden curriculum. This kind of activity would be brilliant to take a small group of A-Level or GCSE pupils." You can find more information on the wide range of innovative PGCE courses offered by BGU on our website. Or contact our Enquiries Team to find out how to begin your journey into teaching. -
Volunteering Fair Offers Opportunities to Boost Skills and Support Others
Students and staff at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) were encouraged to expand their horizons and boost their employability whilst helping those around them at the BG Futures Volunteering Fair last week. -
Students Cover BGU in Natural Artwork
Visitors to Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) may have seen some interesting stone circles and leaf collages around campus this week. -
BGU Lecturer Leading Innovation in Health & Social Care
During the Summer Nicki Walsh, Programme Leader for Health & Social Care at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), presented at a number of international conferences showcasing the work being undertaken in Lincolnshire to support improvements in General Practice. Changing health and social needs, due in part to longer lifespans and rapidly ageing populations around the world, mean that many causes of ill health are chronic and more complex due to comorbidities (e.g. Diabetes, respiratory disease). This therefore requires the providers of Health and Social care to respond in a dynamic, flexible and sustainable way to these pressures and challenges. While adapting, the focus of practitioners must be on the delivery of safe, effective and appropriate care. General Practice (in the UK) is well placed to respond to these pressures (NHS England 2013 and NHS England 2015). At the heart of this response is the General Practice Nurse (GPN) however workforce demographics and years of underinvestment in the workforce will see the number of skilled nurses needed reduce considerably in the next 10 years (QNI, 2015), causing what can be termed a “knowledge haemorrhage”, where practice experience and intuitive practice are lost. Therefore, investment in pre-registration and post registration professional education along with creative solutions which respond to this knowledge loss are needed (Walsh, 2017). This is particularly true of recruitment and retention both of which are key to ensuring that provision is fit for purpose. In August, Nicki presented at the 2nd International Conference on Nursing Science & Practice (United Scientific Group) in London. Her paper looked at a number of interventions and activities which are occurring locally to support the GPN agenda. This included the work with Lincs West CCG, which sees a monthly GPN Educational Forum held at BGU. It also looked at the data from the evaluation of a project with the University of Lincoln, which explored getting newly qualified nurses into General Practice. In addition Nicki presented her preliminary findings from her PhD, which is using a diabetes lens to look at the value and effectiveness of continuing professional development (CPD) for GPNs. At the beginning of September Nicki was in Cambridge presenting at the 29th International Networking for Education in Healthcare Conference (Advance HE). Delivering her preliminary findings of her PhD to an audience of peers she was well received and was able to establish some important networking opportunities. Finally, at the end of September a Nicki’s collaborative work with Rachel Mason (from the University of Lincoln) was presented at the Queen’s Nursing Institute Conference at the Royal College of GPs. This showcased work which saw undergraduate student nurses undertake their final management placement within General Practice. This was again well received and work is currently being carried out to prepare a case study for the Atlas of Shared Learning at the request of NHS England, which is designed to showcase examples of good practice designed to lead change across the NHS. All of this work leads to the new BGU Master's Programme for Primary and Community Care which will see BGU enter the evolving field of Practitioner education with a focus on Advance Practice. You can find out more information on this course along with all the Health & Social Care opportunities at BGU by visiting our website or contacting our Enquiries Team.
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