Cause and Effect
Our weekly round up of life in charitable communications
“Every SEN parent should be allowed to dream ordinary dreams.
Our kids just need a bit more support to achieve them.”
As many schools closed for the summer this week, our work with the Disabled Children’s Partnership in fighting for an education system fit for everyone was just ramping up.
Tuesday saw the launch of the DCP’s landmark campaign, Fight For Ordinary, the accompanying report sets out a blueprint for reforming the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system in England. It includes five key areas that the Government must address if children and young people with special educational needs are to enjoy the same ‘ordinary’ things that their peers take for granted: a place to learn safely, the opportunity to take part in after-school activities and the chance for parents to work to support their families.
Behind the scenes, Cause’s founder and SEND parent, Sam Carlisle, had been intrinsic in setting the strategy and messaging of this campaign - a project she passionately believes in. Sam wrote about her own ‘fight for ordinary’ for her daughter, Elvi, in The Sun recently and she accompanied young people to Parliament so that MPs could hear their stories and thoughts on SEND and the DCP campaign. Thanks to Let Us Learn Too for helping organise the event which was attended by more than 60 MPs, a brace of baronesses, one Speaker, one Select Committee Chair and two ministers.
Helen Hayes MP meets young people at the Fight For Ordinary launch
What really made Fight For Ordinary stand out was research from One Poll that showed the general public (that’s voters, Mr Starmer) overwhelmingly support the notion that disabled children’s ‘ordinary’ expectations should be protected by law - almost 9 in 10 of the 2,000 adults surveyed agree that children with SEND should have legal rights and protections that give them the same education and opportunities as their peers.
We could not be more grateful to our friends at One Poll who conducted this pro-bono work. It is incredibly heartwarming to see so many parts of the media fraternity come together for the greater good. Thank you, team One Poll.
Ahead of launch day, we worked with PA to get the story out on the wires and leveraged our contacts to land a raft of coverage including The Independent, Daily Express and Daily Mail along with the DCP’s chair Anna Bird, vice chair, Jane Harris and campaign manager Stephen Kingdom all appearing on LBC Radio across the week. This was supported by attention-grabbing creative from Mere Mortals that is being shared across social media along with an invitation for SEND families to rally support from their MPs with a second wave of activity planned for September. Watch this space.
Adventurer Angus Collins interviewed by Anna Jones on Sky News
In other client news, our support for the oar-inspiring Angus Collins - the world’s most successful ocean rower- has continued at pace. Those who have been tracking his progress via the famous red dot on his website may be aware that a broken footplate has put paid to his attempt to be the first person to row non-stop, solo and unsupported around the UK but that’s not before Angus has raised over £105,000 for suicide prevention charity James’ Place, which offers free and life-saving treatment to men in suicidal crisis. Media has been gripped by A Great British Odyssey with pre-launch coverage in The Times, The Sun, and Daily Express, interviews on Heart with Jamie Theakston and Virgin Radio by Chris Evans and post-launch segments on BBC South, BBC West, BBC Radio Cornwall and many more. Saturday culminated in a live segment with Sky News’ Anna Jones talking to Angus about his courageous decision to continue rowing in a bid to keep the conversation around men’s mental health going. In his own words, this challenge was always about so much more than breaking a world record - proof if needed that not all heroes wear capes. It’s not too late to donate to this epic cause - simply visit Just Giving.
Pic: Chris Sherwood
Elsewhere, we were buzzing to see young people from OnSide’s Youth Advisory Board being quizzed by The Big Issue on their thoughts on the UK’s voting age being lowered to 16. It’s heartening to see these bold and brilliant young people continue to have a platform in the pages of the UK’s most loved socially conscious newspaper and follows last month’s iconic Young Team Takeover when editor Paul McNamee handed over the the reins (and the flatplan) of his precious magazine to these bright young minds. This was thanks to months of hard work behind the scenes between Cause, our fearless client, OnSide, headed up by Ochuko Adekoya and the visionary team at The Big Issue.
OnSide’s Youth Advisory Board brilliant takeover of the Big Issue magazine
We hope you enjoyed this whirlwind tour of a week in the life of Cause. As the name suggests, cause-driven work is our bag - if you’re a charity, social endeavour or community interest organisation wanting to raise your voice in regional, national and international media, do drop us a line.
