Story Tent: Leading a Day of Respect, Openness and Curiosity
We delivered the established Story Tent program for a group of local schools in collaboration with Dr. Anne (research tutor at Oxford Centre for Mission Studies) and Fr. Scot (Rector at Church of England Church. This special day brought pupils, staff and community members together to explore the ROC values—Respect, Openness and Curiosity—through shared conversation.
The Main Question: How can we understand fairness through the different stories we tell?
Respect:
Seeing More
Openness:
Listening Well
Curiosity:
Asking Better Questions
The Story Tent encourages everyone to slow down and look again. Pupils are guided to see beyond their first impressions of others, helping them value the unique backgrounds and different lives in their group.
By asking 'What do you see?', Pupils are encouraged to understand that people can see the same thing in different ways. This helps everyone be more open to new ideas and and admit when they don't have all the answers.
We moved past simple questions to find out what really matters to others. Pupils were shown how being genuinely curious helps us find common ground and feel more connected to the people in our community.
How pupils’ worldviews developed
Better confidence when talking to new people with better understanding of their own worldview. Understanding the ROC words and how to use them. Feeling ready to lead and share these new ideas with their own friends and teachers back at their regular schools.
Teachers Takeaways
Easier ways to lead classroom talks.
Practical ideas for handling different opinions or tricky topics.
Dedicated time for school leaders to work together on ways to make their school communities more welcoming for all.
Helping schools design learning system that builds understanding, dialogue and independence.
A Welcoming Setting
There were six different zones where pupils could talk safely about big topics. These spaces were carefully set up so that students from different schools could share their own views on fairness without any worry.
The day included clear ways for pupils to track their own progress. Children were led through moments of quiet reflection, helping them see how much they had grown and what they wanted to improve about how they talk to others.
This event showed how ROC values aren't just words—they are tools for life. Every person left with a simple way to handle disagreements and find a fair path forward when they feel things are just not going their way.