Watch these videos and read these reports to see the positive benefit of GSF on the lives of the students who attend; and, through them, on their schools and beyond.
This video, made at GSF2007, gives an idea of the impact of GSF on the students who attend. It includes some footage of students and teachers from past years who have returned to speak of the impact in their lives and their schools.
These outcomes are only possible because of the ongoing support and resources provided by the sponsors of GSF...
Read the report on the impact of GSF2005
Helen Parker is a student who attended GSF2006 and used the information and skills she gained to go back and teach lessons in her school about HIV and AIDS, managing to get some younger girls involved in campaigning. As a result of her experience Helen applied to VSO for her Gap Year and has been awarded a place on their Youth Development Programme (usually given to students post-university) as an HIV and AIDS educator in China with the charity CHAIN.
Students from Great Baddow High School in Chelmsford attended GSF2005 and were inspired to go back and make a real difference. A report of the wide variety of fantastic activities they undertook can be viewed here. The photos opposite are from a fashion show they put on, which recycled unwanted clothing and got the whole school involved in raising money for a charity they set up to enable Tibetan children to be educated.
Students from Radyr Comprehensive were interviewed by the local press on their return from GSF2006, resulting in a double page spread in their local paper. In addition to carrying out AIDS awareness assemblies and fundraising activities throughout the school, they persuaded their MP to write to Jane Davisdon (Assembly Member for Pontypridd) which stimulated from their school's inspectorate to look at the way sex education was taught in the school. As a result of this, an audit was carried out and changes have been made.
Stratton Upper School students who attended GSF2006 met with their MP after the conference and were motivated to go back as peer educators and share all that they had learned. They achieved this through planning and delivering a variety of lessons, workshops and assemblies for students from year 9 to year 13, culminating in a Dance for Life lunchtime event that got the whole school moving! They also organised a Red Day around the time of World AIDS Day, which raised about £1,000 to help combat HIV and AIDS.
Following their eye-opening experience at GSF2006, students from Stokesley School went back and formed a 'GSF Team'. They liaised with the James Cook Hospital in Middlesborough, which has links with an AIDS clinic in Ghana, and targetted their fund-raising to get a mini bus that would help patients get to and from the clinic. The team raised over £2,000 through organising cake stalls, a concert, a non-uniform day and a very successful fashion show where 2 A-Level Textiles students designed and made 45 outfits that were modelled in an evening fashion show linked to dance and music performances concerning the issue of HIV and AIDS.
Teachers at Elizabethan High School made every effort to give students returning from GSF2006 the opportunity to use the peer education skills they had developed, and now even have it written into their curriculum! Sixth formers who had attended GSF delivered PHSE lessons to Years 7 and 8 for half a term on the material they had got from the conference. In fact, over the last two years, GSF students have delivered about 500 hours worth of lessons to 1000 students at the school. The team of students who attended GSF2006 were awarded a Nationwide Citizenship Award from the Nationwide Building Scoiety due to all their hard work and commitment.
