Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre Director (Clinical Legal Education)
The Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre (QMLAC) at the School of Law has citizenship at its heart, and runs a number of different community projects throughout the academic year. These allow participating students to apply the knowledge and skills gained during their degree to a real world setting and further develop their graduate attributes.
Image-based sexual abuse is an increasingly prevalent issue, and young people are often unaware of the law and issues surrounding the sharing of intimate images.
In a bid to tackle this sensitive issue, QMLAC developed its SPITE for Schools project. QMLAC student advisers deliver workshops to local secondary schools about the illegality of image-based sexual abuse, as well as the support available to victims. It is the only project of its kind being run in the UK.
All pupils left learning something and feeling more empowered to refer to the law in the future.— Feedback from a participating school
The workshop is in high demand: during academic year 2017-18, it was delivered to over 2,000 students across 17 schools. Even during the pandemic, 14 virtual workshops were delivered to over 940 students at seven different schools.
Undergraduates who participate in this project take on a great deal of responsibility for the work. They are asked to oversee all aspects of the workshop, from design to delivery, liaising with schools and addressing specific requests to ensure each workshop is bespoke and meets a school's individual needs.
Feedback from the schools that have taken part has been very positive. One school noted how Queen Mary students "did a great job presenting in challenging conditions"; another noted how their pupils liked learning about a "real law topic and applying it".
Not only does SPITE for Schools have a positive impact in the community, but it also equips participating Queen Mary students with key graduate attributes – such as communication and leadership skills – and gives them the chance to demonstrate their commitment to citizenship and supporting communities.