“Jo came to deliver a guest lecture with our Early Years and Early Childhood Studies Foundation degree students as part of a module on holistic approaches to supporting young children’s health and wellbeing. I was keen to offer students the opportunity to engage with someone who could bring this topic to life in a practical and non-threatening way, while also having the theoretical underpinnings required at this level, and she certainly did so! Her calm and purposeful energy and clear sequencing of learning opportunities which appealed to different types of learners was a pleasure to see unfold and I took away some new ideas and sources of information for myself too. Jo’s grasp of how to pitch and pace a session drew in the learners and allowed opportunities for discussion and reflection around how to work with young children and families affected by dependency. I believe this was a good use of faculty spending and it has encouraged some students to explore this area further in their assignments. Thanks Jo, we look forward to seeing you again”

“Ashton Park School invited Jo to lead a parent talk for the parents of our Year 9 & 10 students. She was incredibly well informed and pitched the evening in exactly the right way for her audience. She used both national and local evidence and statistics which made it meaningful for our parents.

Her approach was calm and engaging as well as professional and informative and this allowed parents to ask questions without feeling uncomfortable. She also took the time to speak to individual parents at the end of the talk – this was hugely appreciated.

The feedback we have received from parents has been incredibly positive. Many parents have asked that we arrange for Jo to lead some further sessions in school for both students and staff. This is something that we hope to do in the near future.

Jo is incredibly professional in the way in which she communicated in school in the run up to the evening; taking care to tailor the session to meet our specific requirements as a school. We wholeheartedly recommend her.”

“We hired Jo to deliver a talk to Year 9 - 13 parents. The main aim of the parent session was to reduce parental anxiety around drug use. She gave a clear picture of the drug scene in Bristol and an outline of what constitutes ‘problematic’ drug use. Jo is incredibly well informed. Her calm, engaging and professional approach created an environment where parents felt safe to ask questions. One parent commented “Jo provided just the right balance of information and statistics versus what actual support is out there. I do hope we will be able to book her again.”

“We hired Jo to deliver training to our pastoral support team including 20 tutors. As a teacher and member of the pastoral team it was really helpful to understand what types of drugs young people are using in the city, the different effects these drugs have and things to look out for in our day-to-day supporting of students. Jo also provided a list of different organisations that can support students externally.
The talk enabled us to reflect on why young people use drugs and the impact on their well-being. It was particularly useful for us in 6th form working with students who are 16-18 and are potentially more likely to find themselves in situations in which drugs are available.
We felt really supported by Jo in terms of considering the specific training needs of the team, it was tailor-made for our school environment and the location in which our 6th form falls in the centre of the city. Jo presented confidently and came across extremely experienced and knowledgeable. It was pitched in exactly the right way with lots of engaging activities, that helped the team engage, especially after five lessons of teaching. Tutors have already started using some of the language learnt in our day-to-day work. we look forward to Jo’s talks with our students very soon!
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“Jo’s session to Year 12 students in July (pre-festival season) focused on the extent of drug use amongst young people as well as drug use at festivals. This was an informative session that provoked positive discussions amongst students. Jo provided harm reduction advice but also challenged risky situations that are commonly experienced by young people who choose to use drugs at festivals. The feedback from students was that the session was open, non-judgmental, clear and targeted and provided helpful advice on staying safe at festivals. ”

“We hired Jo to deliver a talk to our parents about the drug situation facing our young people in Bristol. We had, for some time, wanted to offer our parents some professional advice as we knew this was an issue which caused them some concern. Jo’s talk was informative, engaging and contained a great deal of practical advice which our parents found both useful and reassuring. Most importantly of all it was non-judgemental and accessible. Jo’s delivery was warm and approachable, so parents felt they could ask questions. Her obvious expertise and professionalism also meant that they were confident with her answers. We received excellent feedback from parents who were very grateful that the school had invited Jo to speak. The topic of drugs can cause alarm and concern, but we felt Jo’s approach meant that parents were more willing to talk to us and each other about their concerns. Following this successful presentation, we also intend to ask Jo to work with our pupils. We believe Jo will pitch it just right with students because her style is calm, non-judgemental, candid and clear. We have invited her back to deliver PSHE and general studies sessions to our students in Year 10 and above. ”