The UK G-EPIC team, led by Professor Bryony Hoskins, held a successful teacher workshop on 21 st October 2024 at the University of Roehampton. In this workshop, 11 teachers from across England came together to refine a five-week intervention that aims to enhance the political self-confidence of girls from disadvantaged backgrounds. As well as to receive comprehensive training on how to implement the G-EPIC intervention in their classes.
The teacher workshop marked a significant step towards supporting teachers in the UK to upscale and deliver the G-EPIC intervention in Year 9 classes between January and April 2025.
The intervention focuses on five learning outcomes, which are;
- Improving self-confidence in knowledge and understanding of politics,
- Broadening the understanding of what is politics and reduce resistance to using and engaging with the word ‘politics’,
- Improving self-confidence in political activities in school,
- Improving self-confidence in political activities outside of school and participating in political activities in the future, and
- Challenging preconceptions and stereotypes of social roles in politics.
The five-week intervention covers topics, such as:
1. What is Politics?
2. How do I fit into politics?
3. How do I create change?
4. How will we create change?
5. Performing change
The intervention will be implemented by teachers using a range of inclusive teaching methods i.e., small group work/collaborative learning, the use of counter narratives within case studies and examples, role model and a student led creative production.
Teachers worked together during the workshop and collectively refined some aspects of the intervention based on the evaluation of the pilot results to enhance the interventions impact and make it more student friendly. The main changes to the intervention include a resource book for students and teachers and bringing in more intersectional and gender-related campaign examples.
Our G-EPIC teachers in England will implement the intervention to at least 21 Year 9 classes to more than 400 students in 2025.
By the end of the day, the teachers left with a sense of ownership over the intervention, having played an integral role in shaping its final version. We are excited to see the impact of G-EPIC intervention in schools on girls’ political self- confidence and look forward to working with teachers and students.
If you are a Year 9 teacher based in England, passionate about enhancing the political self-confidence in your students, join our project by registering your interest at the Contact Information form for teachers and schools - Google Forms by the 10 th November at the very latest.