ACEN (African Caribbean Education Network)

🎨 Calling All Black Students in Years 10–12 Interested in Design and Illustration! 📅 Date: Thursday, 30th January 2025 ⏰ Time: 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM 🌐 Location: Online Are you passionate about design and illustration? Join an inspiring session hosted by Hachette, one of the UK’s largest publishing groups, to explore how creativity shapes the world of publishing. ✨ What to Expect: - Learn key design concepts in publishing. - Hear directly from the cover designer of Immortal Dark, the No.1 New York Times YA bestseller (Sept 2024). - Discover the creative process behind the book’s stunning cover, inspired by its dark academia fantasy world. - Try your hand at creating your own cover design for Immortal Dark - with a prize for the winning design up for grabs! 📚 Immortal Dark is an epic story of secret societies, African-origin vampires, and dangerous alliances, where a lost heiress infiltrates the mysterious order to save her sister. 💡 Who Should Attend: Whether you're an aspiring illustrator, budding graphic designer, or simply curious about creative careers, this session is for you! While all students are welcome, we particularly encourage students of African Caribbean heritage to attend, as they remain underrepresented in these industries. 📩 Registration: Schools/teachers are welcome to facilitate groups of students online. Alternatively, students can register independently so please do disseminate details among students and parents. Register here: https://lnkd.in/eFfM7gPq #DesignWorkshop #Illustration #CreativeCareers #BlackStudentsInDesign #ImmortalDark

Discover a range of opportunities, from internships to scholarships and educational programs, designed to enrich and equip students with skills and valuable experiences. Join our network for free access to the latest opportunities. Link in bio.

Labels can either open doors or reinforce barriers. Too often, Black students are labeled in ways that limit their potential, whether through biased expectations, stereotypes, or assumptions about behavior. These labels don’t just shape how students are seen, they shape how students see themselves. When schools commit to equitable practices, labels can transform from limitations to affirmations.  #EquityInEducation

🎉 Celebrating the Success of Past Grantee, ACEN (African Caribbean Education Network) At Black Funding Network, we are thrilled to celebrate the incredible achievements of one of our past grantees, the African Caribbean Education Network (ACEN). 🙌🏿🙌🏽 Their work this year has been nothing short of inspiring, showcasing the power of community 🤝 and dedication to creating meaningful change. 🌟 Here’s a look at their 2024 highlights: 📈 National Expansion ACEN has significantly grown their network, reaching more schools, students, parents, and governors across the UK 🇬🇧, extending the impact of their mission nationwide. 🌍 🤝 Strengthened Partnerships They’ve fostered deeper connections with a range of organizations, leveraging collaboration to amplify their collective impact and drive their shared goals forward. ✨ 💡 Diversity and Inclusion Leadership ACEN has delivered comprehensive diversity and inclusion training to schools across the UK 🏫, equipping educators to create equitable learning environments. 🧑🏾🏫✨ Their racial literacy training also reached corporate audiences during Black History Month 🖤, further expanding their influence. 🎤 Groundbreaking Conferences This year, ACEN hosted a series of impactful events, including: 🌟 The ACEN Parent Summit 📚 The Junior Schools Conference ✊🏾 The Annual Anti-Racism Conference for Schools These gatherings have been a platform for critical conversations in education and personal development. 💻 EDI Webinar Series The launch of their curated webinars has provided educators with invaluable resources 🎓 across diverse curriculum subjects, enhancing inclusivity and educational excellence. 🌈 🚀 Career Development for Students ACEN has partnered with corporates to offer Black students exceptional career opportunities 🏙️, combining virtual experiences with in-person events that have now expanded into the North of England. 🌍 🏆 Recognition of Excellence Their outstanding contributions were recognized with the Parent Support of the Year Award at the prestigious Future Ed Awards ceremony. 🏅 As ACEN continues to empower communities and champion equity in education 📖, we are proud to see how our funding has supported such transformative work. ✨ 👏🏾 Congratulations to ACEN for an outstanding year, and we look forward to seeing what they achieve in 2025! 🎊

Registration is open for the ACEN Racial Inclusion Conference for Headteachers from the independent school sector - the only school-focused anti-racism event by students, staff, and academics. The full-day event will specifically focus on top-down understanding of issues and structural interventions. 🗓 Friday 7th February 2025 📍 St Paul's Girls' School ⏰ 09:00 – 16:00 Featuring: Headteacher Panel EDI Lead Panel Student Panel ACEN led workshop on incident recognition and accurate data capture. Headteacher Panel Jaideep Barot – Bristol Grammar School Sarah Fletcher – St Paul’s Girls’ School  Cecile Halliday – Northwood College Junior School for Girls (GDST) Adam Pettitt - Highgate School EDI Lead Panel Claire Bale – GDST Dr. Mirangela Buggs – The American School in London Coco Stevenson – St Paul’s Girls’ School Monia Sahar Zahid – Haberdashers’ Boys’ School Since our inception, we have trained tens of thousands of teachers and students and collaborated with numerous schools on a wide range of EDI initiatives. We have created this headteacher conference as our experience has shown a critical gap in structural change. While we regularly work with dedicated staff members, they often communicate that they lack the authority to implement significant institutional shifts. Whilst we welcome and encourage the participation of EDI leads and those with safeguarding responsibilities, this event is specifically designed for headteachers. Therefore, we are only able to accept registrations from these individuals if they are accompanied by a headteacher. Governors are also welcome. This issue is pressing now, as many racially minoritised teachers, students and EDI leads feel their institutions see anti-racism as a completed task, especially against the backdrop of many competing priorities. However, these issues remain central to the sense of belonging and engagement with education for significant members of your communities, and we hope that by dedicating one day of your academic year to this conference, you can demonstrate to them that these issues remain important to you. The day will feature a panel of school heads, EDI leads, and most importantly, students of different races. These students are skilled at sharing their experiences and conveying them in a way that fosters recognition and understanding of how racial issues arise, and why they often go unreported. ACEN will conclude the conference with a workshop designed to deepen understanding of the covert and common racial indignities that students often feel compelled to endure to access the education and community your schools offer. We will also shed light on the gaps and issues with current reporting mechanisms. By the end of this session, you will leave with actionable insights on how to make your schools safer and more inclusive spaces for racially minoritised students and teachers. More info & registration here: https://lnkd.in/ex5hqbur

Thank you ACEN (African Caribbean Education Network) for an excellent Anti-Racism Conference hosted at North London Collegiate School. School leaders, educators, and DEI professionals from both the independent and state school sectors recently gathered to discuss and make recommendations for addressing the ongoing plight of racism in schools. At the conference, we heard from Black students who bravely and eloquently shared their experiences of microagressions and racism in their predominantly white schools. Girls and boys were able to recount the daily microagressions from peers, often disregarded as 'playful, harmless banter', and the upsetting behaviours of some teachers. This includes a headteacher who, during roleplay in a history lesson, auctioned the only Black pupil in the class at a slave market to demonstrate the 'atrocities' of the transatlanic slave trade. I was moved to tears. Are all white teachers and pupils racist? No. Does racism exist in schools? Yes. Do we need change? Yes During the panel discussion, I was encouraged to hear from independent school headteachers at NLCS, Highgate School, and Craigleigh School share their journeys of acknowledging and proactively addressing racism in their schools. Change is slow and more needs to be done, but the right conversations are happening. ACEN are doing a fantastic job of leading the way!

ACEN has been approached to share the following vacancy at Latymer Upper School with our network in line with their staffing diversity aims. Position: Teaching Apprentice. Applicants must have a degree in Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, or Physics. Application deadline: 31st January 2025. More info: https://lnkd.in/ewtWJ3rR #diversityandinclusion

ACEN has been approached to share the following vacancy at Holmewood school London with our network in line with their staffing diversity aims. Position: Assistant Head of School. Application Deadline: 1st January 2025. More info: https://lnkd.in/e-jUi-vW #diversityandinclusion

When Black students feel unseen or undervalued, it impacts more than their sense of belonging, it affects their confidence, academic engagement, and overall well-being. Visibility isn’t just about representation, it’s about making sure every student knows they belong. Together, let’s commit to equity and inclusion that uplifts everyone. #EducationalEquity #InclusionMatters

Registration is open for the ACEN Racial Inclusion Conference for Headteachers from the independent school sector - the only school-focused anti-racism event by students, staff, and academics. The full-day event will specifically focus on top-down understanding of issues and structural interventions. 🗓 Friday 7th February 2025 📍 St Paul's Girls' School ⏰ 09:00 – 16:00 Featuring: Headteacher Panel EDI Lead Panel Student Panel ACEN led workshop on incident recognition and accurate data capture. Headteacher Panel Jaideep Barot – Bristol Grammar School Sarah Fletcher – St Paul’s Girls’ School  Cecile Halliday – Northwood College Junior School for Girls (GDST) Adam Pettitt - Highgate School EDI Lead Panel Claire Bale – GDST Dr. Mirangela Buggs – The American School in London Coco Stevenson – St Paul’s Girls’ School Monia Sahar Zahid – Haberdashers’ Boys’ School Since our inception, we have trained tens of thousands of teachers and students and collaborated with numerous schools on a wide range of EDI initiatives. We have created this headteacher conference as our experience has shown a critical gap in structural change. While we regularly work with dedicated staff members, they often communicate that they lack the authority to implement significant institutional shifts. Whilst we welcome and encourage the participation of EDI leads and those with safeguarding responsibilities, this event is specifically designed for headteachers. Therefore, we are only able to accept registrations from these individuals if they are accompanied by a headteacher. Governors are also welcome. This issue is pressing now, as many racially minoritised teachers, students and EDI leads feel their institutions see anti-racism as a completed task, especially against the backdrop of many competing priorities. However, these issues remain central to the sense of belonging and engagement with education for significant members of your communities, and we hope that by dedicating one day of your academic year to this conference, you can demonstrate to them that these issues remain important to you. The day will feature a panel of school heads, EDI leads, and most importantly, students of different races. These students are skilled at sharing their experiences and conveying them in a way that fosters recognition and understanding of how racial issues arise, and why they often go unreported. ACEN will conclude the conference with a workshop designed to deepen understanding of the covert and common racial indignities that students often feel compelled to endure to access the education and community your schools offer. We will also shed light on the gaps and issues with current reporting mechanisms. By the end of this session, you will leave with actionable insights on how to make your schools safer and more inclusive spaces for racially minoritised students and teachers. More info & registration here: https://lnkd.in/ex5hqbur