BigTalk Education vision and values
This page explains how we do that through our work as a social enterprise.
BigTalk Education’s vision is to ensure as many children and young people as possible receive high quality Relationship & Sex Education, to help keep them safe, healthy & happy.
Our mission is:
- Grow sustainable revenue sources to aid us in expanding our expert team to reach more children/young people.
- Create and distribute more quality age appropriate resources to educate children and young people.
- Train and support as many school staff as possible to allow them to feel confident in RSE.
- Publicise the importance of RSE, highlighting emerging trends and issues, to ensure key influencers in the media, political arena and education professionals.
BigTalk Education is proud to be a recognised social enterprise. The definition from Social Enterprise UK states that “social enterprises are businesses that are changing the world for the better. Like traditional businesses they aim to make a profit but it’s what they do with their profits that sets them apart – reinvesting or donating them to create positive social change… This allows them to tackle social problems, improve people’s life chances, provide training and employment opportunities for those furthest from the market, support communities and help the environment… It’s business for good and when they profit, society profits.”
How do BigTalk Education align with the six criteria that define a Social Enterprise?
- Have a clear social and/or environmental mission set out in their governing documents.
The vision and mission goals listed above are the founding principles of our organisation.
- Generate the majority of their income through trade.
BigTalk Education generates income through providing relationship and sex education (RSE) services and resources to universities, schools, educational professionals and parents.
- Reinvest the majority of their profits.
As a mission driven organisation, we strive to ensure that as many children as possible receive good quality age appropriate RSE. We reinvest profits in areas where we feel this mission can best be achieved.
Since 2005 our team has grown substantially, and we currently deliver in over 135 schools nationwide.
Our founder Lynnette Smith is very active in the National Children’s Bureau’s Sex Education Forum, for which she holds a voluntary position as Chair of the Advisory Group. Lynnette and other team members also speak regularly at conferences, workshops and seminars sharing insights from the RSE work we undertake with education professionals, politicians, academics, the Media and other stakeholders in RSE provision. An example being Lynnette’s involvement in Parliaments’ Women and Equalities Committee in its public evidence session on Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence in Schools. This was a key milestone that led to the March 2017 Department for Education’s announcement of statutory RSE for all pupils in UK schools.
We also provide additional support for parents and professionals, our most recent project in this area is to establish of a new website which will contain enhanced (free) information and support for parents, teachers and other education professionals. We expect this to be launched by the start of the 2018/19 academic year to coincide with the launch of statutory RSE.
We are currently working on three additional books for parents, carers and teachers of children aged 4+. Beyond this we are constantly working with partners such as the gypsy traveller voice project, transgender young people, schools for special education needs & disabled pupils and other groups to create new resources that are 100% inclusive.
Going beyond our direct contribution to RSE policy and provision, we are also committed to support Barnardo’s as our chosen charity, whose purpose is “to transform the lives of the UK’s most vulnerable children.”
- Are autonomous of the state.
As an independent organisation we are not controlled by a local authority, however many of our staff have local authority backgrounds in youth work, SRE and safeguarding. In fact, BigTalk Education was originally founded when Lynnette Smith’s role as a Sex Educator for North Lincs council was made redundant due to government funding cuts.
- Are majority controlled in the interests of the social mission.
BigTalk Education has never received outside investment and does not answer to any shareholders who have dividend requirements or expectations.
- Are accountable and transparent.
BigTalk Education annually publishes the number of children, professionals and parents we educate, which is how we benchmark our performance against our mission.
Our Values
Equality is not always about treating everyone the same – it is about treating people in such a way that the outcome for each pupil can be the same.
Tolerance is to understand that not everybody is the same and have the willingness to accept this.
Honesty is being truthful and open at an age appropriate level, that allows pupils to learn and understand.
Support is to work together with schools and family to provide guidance and care for children and young people.
Respect is valuing each person as an individual of importance, as well as the beliefs of their family and community,
Empower is to equip people with knowledge to keep them safe, healthy and happy.
Sensitivity is having an awareness of the feelings of others and responding accordingly.
Trust is ensuring children and young people have a safe space to learn and discus.
Empathy is the ability to identify and understand the feelings of others and offer them support.
