A View from the Bridge: School Exclusions

Our former colleague and Youth Consultant, Güney, has worked alongside our team to co-author an impactful report on School Exclusions, drawing on his own experience of education and his journey afterwards.

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In the report, Güney articulates five stories that document his path of exclusion from school, mental health and socialisation. He draws on his experience to make a number of important recommendations for the education system to better support both young people and teachers including; “Putting young people at the heart of schools, not grades and funding” and “Confidential support for teachers and staff from external organisations”. 

We also hear about Güney’s journey following school including his time at a charity called Art Against Knives and his work at MAC-UK. This journey speaks to the power of creative spaces for young people and employment opportunities that meaningfully address the social and economic inequalities they’re facing.

“When a young person is angry, start with asking them, ‘is everything alright?’” 

School exclusions are a current and serious issue for many young people who have already experienced exclusion and marginalisation. We hear too often about the significant negative impact being excluded has on young people’s overall wellbeing, social and professional development and in many cases, the breach on young people’s human rights. 
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Güney was recently invited to chat about this on ‘A View From A Bridge’ an Instagram account which posts videos of a person on a bridge, picking up a phone and sharing their view with the world.