Teaching Against Hate

Coronavirus Update:

COVID-19 has impacted every sector and, as a result, our programmes (including the in-person delivery of our Teacher Training Programme) have been put on hold. We instead want to focus our efforts on ensuring that our material is still accessible for those who would benefit.

How can you help us to do this?

We are currently working hard to modify and adapt our programmes and training resources to go online so that they can be accessed remotely and connect communities even if that means virtually!

Now more than ever, connection is important. The cultivation of narratives which break down fear and foster understanding will shape how our societies come through this. With most children at home, we're striving to offer their guardians educational tools and materials to help make sense of what's happening and connect them to other young people through the development of skills like empathy, self-awareness and self-confidence, and respect.

Moreover, your donations will enable us to digitise our content, take our programmes online, and train teachers even in light of the changed circumstances and mass school closures. Schools may have shut, but that does not mean the end of learning – especially not for our teachers. 

Even if it’s £1, that’s £1 going towards ensuring our teachers get online access to this training and that, although the school gates have shut for now, teachers are still able to grow, develop, and are supported to foster classrooms where students can celebrate diversity, build bridges of understanding, and learn from/about one another.

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Teaching Against Hate

We want to create a network of teachers who will educate a generation of students not to hate and teach them to build positive relationships with those with different faiths, beliefs and identities. 

 Who are we? 

Hi there! We are the Faith & Belief Forum - a charity running since 1997 with a simple aim: to work towards a society without prejudice, where we celebrate diversity, respect difference, and move forward together. For 23 years, we have worked to promote better relations between different people and communities with different faiths, beliefs and worldviews.

As the UK's leading interfaith charity, we have been at the forefront of the effort to bring communities together in the face of division through school workshops, linking programmes that match students from different backgrounds and beliefs together, community outreach programmes and university programmes which build bridges on campuses across England.  

What do we want to do?

I'm glad you asked! 

We want to raise money to provide teachers with training workshops that will equip them with the skills to support students to deal with issues of identity, faith, and belief.

At a time of deep divisions in our country, the need to learn about and appreciate one another is of vital importance. Our country is made up of people with many different cultures, beliefs and worldviews - all of which call the UK home. Even in multicultural cities, teachers often express concerns that students don’t mix with other young people that are different to them and are therefore not sufficiently building the confidence and empathy required for later life.  We know from talking to teachers that they are worried that their classrooms are not as effective at fostering cohesion and tackling prejudice as they might wish. We want to support them to overcome these challenges.  

But why is this important?

A good question! In our experience, we know that young people are concerned about the divisions in society and the alarming rise in hate and discrimination like Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. The UK is a diverse family that is made up of a range of different worldviews and beliefs and, for that reason, we need to learn to live together. The pace of change in society feels like it has rarely been faster and the challenge for teachers in supporting their students to respond to that complexity never tougher.   

How are we going to do it? 

The training programmes (which will count towards their Continued Professional Development) will provide teachers with effective methods to ensure that their classrooms are inclusive environments for exploring subjects around faith, belief and identity, including robust educational tools for dialogue and a range of experiential, age-appropriate activities. 

The training programme is designed with over 20 years' experience in the field of interfaith and community relations and is also regularly updated in response to the changing context.

Why fund us?

With your generous support, we can ensure that teachers up and down the country have the tools they need to support students when engaging with issues around faith, belief and identity. In light of growing divisions around the world (not to mention the UK), children are learning in times of intense disunity and pressure. We need to ensure that the current generation of young people have the tools they need to resist hate and to create communities that foster peace and cohesion. Our teacher training can do that. 

Teacher testimonies and experiences: 

- ‘This has made me think about how to increase inter-faith dialogue across the whole school community’ - Training Participant 

- ‘To take the elements of diversity across the subjects I teach so children get a deeper understanding’ - Training Participant 

- ‘I have really thought about my own identity today and what it means to me, and essentially how important it is’ - Training Participant 

- ‘Such a lovely, friendly atmosphere in the room. Very nurturing, helpful and FUN!’ - Training Participant 

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Thank you for your time and support!

The Faith & Belief Forum Team!