Straight out of the blocks

Dear all,

Well here we are in a new year, how did that happen? 2025 is the Chinese year of the wood snake and I was intrigued when I read the qualities of individuals born in ‘wood snake’ years. They tend to exhibit resilient, courageous and positive personalities, allowing them to maintain the drive and confidence to persevere in the face of adversity – this seems so perfect for 2025 somehow, perhaps we could all benefit from bringing these qualities with us into the year.

So, with this in mind, I want to celebrate the spirit of Grit, summed up by our participants who take such a leap of faith and courage when they show up to a Grit workshop and share their vulnerabilities with each other. This spirit is also reflected in champions like Rob (see below) who has been an outstanding advocate of our work and has now found a new opportunity to support us at a time when contributions like this are more valuable than ever.

Equally bold and courageous are leaders like Kathryn Boulton whose experiences you can also read below. As Director of Children’s services in Redcar and Cleveland she went out on a limb to bring Grit in to create transformation in the culture of her leadership team. She and her team have seen an extraordinary impact on themselves, their teams and the families they serve, but all of this started with the willingness to do something different and that is not easy. In a wonderful consequence of all this Kathryn has now joined our Board of Trustees as of January 2025, I am already loving working with her and am really looking forward to the insight and influence she will contribute to Grit.

Happy New Year to all of you, enjoy the newsletter and I hope you can embrace the wood snake qualities in yourself and others!

All the best

Ellie

Straight out of the blocks

It’s 2025 already and here at Grit we’re straight out of the blocks, launching ourselves into another busy period of delivery.

We’re working with Black Leaders at the University of Nottingham and the University of Exeter. We’re also delivering our Black Leaders workshops as part of the 10/10 programme at the University of Manchester alongside coaching workshops for staff supporting Black students, and the Grow Beyond Limits coaching programme for Black heritage and south Asian students in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health.

Then there’s our programmes for Students of Colour at Edge Hill University, the University of Hertfordshire, Southampton Solent University and at Bath Spa University

We’re back at Nottingham Trent University delivering 1 day and 3 day student programmes and at Manchester Metropolitan University we’re working with Marketing, International Business and Tourism students.

And we’re extra excited to be working with the University of Cumbria for the first time where we’ll be delivering a workshop for staff coaches.

So, it’s going to be full on from now on. See you in a course room sometime soon …

A free Grit taster

Anyone who has an interest in Grit and wants a taster of our approach OR has engaged with us and wants a top-up - this short session is for you. Ellie will be exploring the critical role of self-awareness as a leader is a session at the Staff College Festival, a free series of workshops for professionals from any sector.

Sign up here. Faces old and new, we’d love to see you!

Rob is running for Grit

Rob Hutchinson, old friend and long-time supporter, is running the London Marathon in April to raise money for Grit.

And, what’s more, his employer, Thomson Reuters, will double everything he raises up to ￡1,000.

?Go here to make a donation and to follow Rob’s progress as he gets in shape.

Go, Rob, go!

And if you think there’s a sponsored event you could participate in for Grit we’d love to hear from you…

The first of its kind

We’re thrilled about Southampton Solent University’s announcement of an expansion of its?collaboration with Grit?- ?a bespoke support programme for students all the way from pre-entry to their final year. Part of the university’s efforts to boost social mobility, the programme is “the first of its kind in the sector.”?

Can’t wait to get started!

And delighted to see Grit’s work with Black Leaders celebrated in the University of Nottingham’s Equality and Diversity annual report.

Grit in press

Changing the conversation: read the latest Grit post on the SSAT (the Schools, Students and Teachers Network) blog. Let’s change the way we relate to young people. Let’s have? a conversation rooted in listening, support and boundaries. Let’s put aside our judgements and opinions of young people.

And, over on the Nottingham Institute of Education blog, read about The Art of Possibility. Co-authored with Kathryn Boulton, Grit trustee and former Director of Children’s Services in Redcar & Cleveland, it’s about leading through challenging times: keeping optimistic, maintaining hope and being open to possibilities.