Join Us – We are recruiting a Social Media and Marketing Officer

We have an amazing opportunity for someone to join the small Sophie Lancaster Foundation team at a hugely exciting time of our development.

Would you like to be our new Social Media & Marketing Officer? We are looking for someone who has professional social media experience who wants to use their determination and energy to challenge prejudice and intolerance and use Sophie’s story as a catalyst for change.  You need to be a great communicator, passionate about growing audiences and always striving to keep consultation and collaboration at the heart of all we do.

The role isn’t a typical 9-5 job, but you’ll get time in lieu for work outside core hours and enjoy the privilege of working for an incredible organisation that is committed to making real change. You’ll be based here at our Haslingden, Lancashire HQ but also travel to events across the country.

Please review the Role Requirements PDF and email your CV, accompanied by a personal statement showing how you fulfil these requirements, to: enquiries@sophielancasterfoundation.com by 9th October 2024.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early should we receive a large number of applications. Please do apply as soon as possible if you are interested.

We champion the value of difference and equality and celebrate a diverse and inclusive workforce. If you are disabled and have the skills and the experience to do the job, then let us know if you require adjustments through your journey with us.

National Lottery Funding to tackle Alternative Subculture Hate Crime

We have HUGE news to share with you. We are delighted to tell you that we have been awarded a grant from the National Lottery Community Fund of £258,928. This funding will be spread over three years and will be used to tackle the main issues emerging from last year’s alternative subculture hate crime survey.

The survey delivered some shocking statistics:

· 73% of alternative subculture hate crime goes unreported

· 56% of respondents had been physically attacked

· 87% of respondents had been threatened or harassed

· 71% of respondents had been verbally abused

· 27% of respondents said that their experiences of hate crime had made them feel suicidal

The lottery bid was created in response to the survey and aims to deliver game-changing improvements for the alternative community with regard to their experiences of hate crime.

The project will improve signposting to hate crime reporting, explain the hate crime laws so people are empowered and better understand their rights, and improve the training that police and other justice agencies receive so that alternative subculture hate crime is recognised. This will also contribute to giving people who do report hate crime, a more satisfactory experience.

Part of the project is to tell the stories of alternative people, celebrating the culture, the music and the scene. It also aims to help people find community – particularly those who are isolated because of prejudice or intolerance. We can’t tell you how much this means to us and are so grateful to the National Lottery Community Fund for supporting this vital work.

Also, thanks to you. Thank you to everyone who completed the hate crime survey, who share their stories with us at festivals and events, who phone and email after a hate crime to ask for support and honour us with their confidence. This is for all of you. We want you to feel that this is your project and is there to make life better for you. We will work with you so you can help shape this work and we will include multiple opportunities for you to get involved.

We can make positive change together.

Let us Stamp Out Prejudice, Hatred and Intolerance, Everywhere. #WeAreSophie #NationalLotteryCommunityFund

You can read the findings of the full Alternative Subculture Hate Crime Survey and read the Sophie Lancaster Foundation Commentary, which outlines the background to the survey and our commitment to do all we can to change the situation, here:

National Hate Crime Awareness Week 2024

The Sophie Lancaster Foundation is proud to launch another FREE National Hate Crime Awareness Week school resource!

National Hate Crime Awareness Week 2024 takes place from the 12th to 19th October, starting a national campaign to bring people together across the UK to advocate against all forms of hate crime and make communities a safer place to be.

The resource contains an assembly presentation and accompanying brochure for both Primary and Secondary schools, covering all angles of hate crime, hate incidents, reporting hate and hateful behaviours in and around school. Please feel free to download and if you do use our resource, please let us know by using the hashtag #WeAreSophie

National Hate Crime Awareness Week 2024 Resources Download