Journeys in Education

Ewan Aitken has been in his current role as Chief Executive of Cyrenians for 7 years.  Cyrenians is a charity that works with people at the margins – the forgotten, ignored and dismissed – to give them a self-determined and settled life. He's also been an ordained Minister and leader of Edinburgh City Council.

Sir John Timpson and I talk about family, how and why he and his late Wife Alex adopted more than 90 children, what a saintly yet wonderfully eccentric woman Alex was and amongst many other things, why there are only colleagues in Timpsons, not management and employees.  We also get to here John's view on Attachment and why employing former prisoners has been quite as successful as it has been for their business.  

Gordon Goldie and Wife Lynne lost their 18yr old daughter Sarah in March 2016.  Her body was recovered from the River Clyde by the Glasgow Humane Society and as a thank you, family and friends got together and raised just over £10,000 in a year.  Gordon then joined as a member and was later asked to join the board of directors where he has been Vice Chairman for the last three years.  

His story is of Resilience, an incredible outlook on life and he's a man who has managed to, in spite of enduring the most horrific catastrophe, move on with his life. 

Stephen Bennett, multi BAFTA winning Director and proud Glaswegian is known for giving voice to others to tell their story.  This time round, it’s him telling his own story.

His debut feature 'Eminent Monsters' is a film about psychological torture carried out by the UK, USA and Canada and was screened at the UN Human Rights Council in June 2019.

His pioneering and influential other work includes 'Brian Cox's Russia', 'Dunblane: Our Story', 'The Boys of Ballinkinrain', the follow-up ‘Warriors: Revisiting the boys of Ballinkinrain’, 'Darren McGarvey's Scotland', 'Murder in a Small Town', and 'Darren McGarvey's Class Wars'.  A breathtaking body of work from someone who is ultimately a down to earth family man.

Zoe Venditozzi is a support for learning Teacher in Dundee, an author and is co-host of the Witches of Scotland Podcast, which tells us of those Scottish women accused, prosecuted, convicted, and ultimately executed as Witches.

This Podcast is part of a wider Witches of Scotland Campaign which has the stated aims of:

• A pardon for all of those convicted of witchcraft in Scotland.
• An apology for all of those who were accused of witches.
• A national monument for all those affected by the miscarriage of justice.

Bruce Adamson is the Children and Young People's Commissioner for Scotland.  He has spearheaded the drive for Scotland to now be on the cusp of accepting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Domestic Law, the first part of the UK to do so and he's a man with strong views on many things, including the mental health of our young people, involving them in decisions that affect them, raising the age of criminal responsibility beyond 8, (yes EIGHT) as it currently stands and the current rhetoric around the Weans 'catching up' the curriculum. 

Leslee Udwin is a Global Activist, former BAFTA winning film director and winner of the United Nations Women for Peace Activist Award.

Her documentary 'India's Daughter' led to her turning her back on her previous life to found THINK EQUAL.

THINK EQUAL is the initiative that will end the discriminatory mindset and cycle of violence across the globe, focussing on the Social and Emotional Learning of early years children becoming part of Curricula across the planet.

"Please Scotland, Please".

A continuation of my chat with Darren where we talk about teachers being legally mandated to physically assault children, Pollok Free State and the release of Darren McGarvey's Class Wars on BBC Scotland and iPlayer.

This weeks guest will always put his head above the parapet when sharing his views. Activism, social commentary, identity, class, nationalism, drug use.  

Writer of the book 'Poverty Safari'.  

Star of 'Darren McGarvey's Class Wars' on the BBC.

When talking about poverty to promote his new multi part programme, he describes it thus: “without a doubt it’s the biggest ugliest issue facing society”.

Open, honest and yet considered, I chat with  Darren ‘Loki the Scottish Rapper’ McGarvey.

Iain Smith is the Scottish Lawyer of the year for 2020 and a well known advocate when it comes to the 'ACE's' movement in Scotland.  He went from a disastrous start with his schooling to becoming school 'DUX' and Head Boy.  It wasn't until he was in his 40's that he discovered he was Dyslexic.

Iain works across the criminal justice system to ensure it better understands issues such as Adverse Childhood Experiences and being Trauma Informed.  A strong believer in 'presiding with kindness', one of his tweets reads thus: "When you see Junkie, Ned, Scum, Jakeball, Perp, Addict, Offender-try to see Struggling Adult, Abused Child, Trauma, Neglect, Self Harm.