To develop resilience, learned optimism, and improve the well-being of children, parents, and the professionals who work with them in Newcastle and the North East of England.

1. Bounce Back Be Happy Conference - March to July 2009

These conferences, developed by Gateshead and Newcastle City Councils, and sponsored by GONE and Northumbria University seek to help practitioners develop positive thinking strategies both for themselves and for the children and families with whom they work, in order to promote resilient thinking and future optimism.

2. ruMAD² ? (are you  Making a Difference too?) - July 2010

Launches at the North East Regional CPD Conference - Following Helen's visit with 5 Newcastle schools to Geelong and Melbourne in Australia, funding was sourced for the ruMAD2 project as part of the TDA ‘Embedding the Links’ Project in the North East

School Workforce Advisers were invited to ‘make the links’ between school workforce occupational standards, performance management and effective professional development. This resulted in a collaboration between 6 NE Local Authorities (led by Newcastle), Sunderland University, ConstantSea (Media) and Meerkat Film Company.

The project was to produce teaching materials and a short film showing the journey of a Newcastle teacher, Claire Redpath, modelling ruMAD² process with her children.

There are at least 20 occupational standards for Heads, teachers and support staff, which require the school workforce to have high expectations.

‘Keeping the belief’ and helping children and young people (C&YP) to overcome barriers to learning is core to the ruMAD² process.

The project is also linked to both SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning), Targeted Mental Health programmes and recent developments in the curriculum.

The aim of the materials is to stimulate interest from leaders, teachers, support staff and parents in the ruMAD² process, in the hope that more people will participate in the ongoing development of ruMAD² ideas. Inviting schools and communities to record their MAD projects and upload their materials onto the ruMAD² website, will provide concrete examples of their own MAD ideas for a worldwide audience.

Similarly, the ruMAD² process is for leaders to help coach staff, young people and communities to develop leadership skills and make a difference with evidence of impact.

By engaging with this process in schools and beyond parents, staff and pupils can learn together in a fun and meaningful context.

Further information can be found at www.ruMAD2.org.uk