Edinburgh College – Page 36 – The NEN

Students offer flash mobbing lessons!

Students offer an education in flash mobbing at Edinburgh College

A group of performing arts students from Edinburgh College is teaching clubbers how to flash mob ahead of their silent disco club event tomorrow.

In the run up to the college’s BodyPhonics: Silent Disco – a club event that will take place at Summerhall on Saturday 29 March – the Performing Arts Studio Scotland (PASS) students have created YouTube videos to teach dance enthusiasts how to flash mob and dance like the professionals. The instructional step-by-step videos include everything from how to do the moonwalk and the sprinkler to the classic running man and the freestyle robot.

With a variety of dance, sound production and theatre costume students organising the event, BodyPhonics: Silent Disco showcases a broad array of talent from the performing arts arm of Edinburgh College. The students have worked together to create a night of funk-laden, diva-warbling, glitterball disco music with exciting costumes, dances and the occasional flash mob going on throughout the event.

Jo Turbitt, performing arts lecturer at Edinburgh College, said: “It has been an epic project for the students and it’s been great to watch the event take shape. Students from dance and theatre costume have worked in close collaboration to inject life and energy into the event to produce something that is really outstanding. It’ll be a spectacular event where the audience can choose the DJ they want to listen to, choose if they want to join in and boogie or simply stand back and watch. I’m really excited to see it unfurl on Saturday.”

BodyPhonics: Silent Disco will feature songs from the past decade and from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s together with bursts of dance performances and surprises. To book tickets and to learn the routines click here.

Food, glorious food … be prepared for a treat!

Love food? Granton Campus Hub is the place to be this afternoon when Edinburgh College holds treat, a fabulous Food and Drink Festival from 4 – 8pm.

As well as showcasing the skills of College Hospitality students and promoting course programmes, the free Treat event also offers an opportunity to raise funds for St Columba’s Hospice, the College’s chosen charity of the year.

Among the highlights on offer are live coking demonstrations from top chefs, mouth-watering produce from local stallholders, free samples, prize draws and much, much more.

Carol Fyfe, Head of the Tourism and Hospitality Academy at Edinburgh College, said: “treat not only offers an excellent learning opportunity for our students but also offers visitors and food enthusiasts top food tips and tasting opportunities from some of the best chefs in the country. All money raised will go to our charity of the year, St Columba’s Hospice, which is another fantastic reason to come along to our food and drink festival”.

Top chef Neil Forbes, of Edinburgh’s Cafe Saint Honore, (pictured above) will headline at today’s event. He said: “I’m delighted to be taking part in the treat festival at Edinburgh College. At a young age I was inspired to get behind the stove because of my granny’s soup! These early experiences of family cooking have influenced me throughout my career and I hope my demo at treat will inspire others to create their own food memories”.

Top tips? Free food? Go on, treat yourself!

Admission to treat is FREE although a charitable donation of £2 will be gratefully accepted!

No joke – 1 April is Edinburgh College Open Day!

Edinburgh College is holding two Open Days to advertise a wide range of courses starting this August.

Tuesday 1 April

Granton and Midlothian campuses, 3 – 8pm

Wednesday 2 April

Milton Road and Sighthill campuses, 3 – 8pm

The Open Days will feature live student performances and demonstrations, course and funding guidance and live August course applications through the Edinburgh College website.

So whether you want to get improve your employment or career prospects, continue your studies or learn new skills, why not call in to find out about the great opportunities available?

For further information go to www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk

or email info@edinburghcollege.ac.uk

Students showcase award entries at Leith exhibition

Edinburgh College design students are staging an exhibition of their entries for a national competition to find the top new creative talents in the UK.

The college’s final-year HND Interactive Design students are giving the public an early opportunity to see their entries to the prestigious Young Creative Network (YCN) Awards. Their works are now on show at The Creative Exchange on Constitution Street in Leith, before the competition judging takes place.

The YCN Awards is an annual student competition that shines a light on emerging creative excellence in colleges, universities and art and design schools around the country.

The twelve Edinburgh College students have designed digital and interactive materials to meet competition briefs, which were set by a range of companies and organisations to help promote their services.

This year, Edinburgh College students have submitted entries for three of the 20 briefs – the design for a new in-store experience for the Morrisons supermarket chain, a design for Domino’s Pizza’s two-for-Tuesdays deal and a campaign to help the Lawn Tennis Association to encourage more 17-25 year olds to play tennis.

YCN competition winners are presented with their awards at a glitzy ceremony and their artwork is showcased in the pages of the YCN Student Annual – 15,000 copies of the annual are distributed across the education and creative industry sectors, giving the students’ work exposure and visibility to top industry professionals.

Edinburgh College students have a history of success at the YCN awards. Last year, Visual Communication student Emil Bloom won an award for the sub-brand he created for cutting-edge design collective Goji. Emil’s Goji Gorilla Movement range of branded accessories was subsequently sold in PC World, Currys and Dixons stores across the UK.

The students’ work will be on display from 7.30am – 7.30pm Monday – Friday at The Creative Exchange, 29 Constitution Street, Leith until 28 March.

Two Georges all set for Death Valley charity challenge

George Stewart (75) and his son George Junior (40) are all set for their epic cycle journey taking them from Las Vegas to Los Angeles via Death Valley, in support of Barnardo’s Children’s Charity. This is no ordinary journey, however – it’s a journey that George Senior has literally had his heart set on completing.

George Senior is a resilient man, surviving five major strokes, learning to walk and talk again, whilst also coping with a heart bypass. Given this DNA, you begin to understand where George Junior gets his energy and drive from!

Speaking ahead of the fundraising charity silent auction he has organised
in the Apex International Hotel in Edinburgh tonight (Thursday 27 February) George Junior, who works at Edinburgh College Granton Campus on the waterfront, said: “I can hardly believe we have got here. It’s only a week until we arrive in the States to set off on our life-changing adventure. My dad and I have cycled all of our lives and wanted to give something back. We’ve talked about creating lasting memories from this trip – it’s certainly something dad and I will never forget, but more importantly the funds we raise will help transform the lives of children supported by Barnardo’s, which we know will help create life chances these children will never forget too.”

The support for the challenge has been fantastic, with local businesses, the staff and students at Edinburgh College lending their support through cash pledges and event and equipment sponsorship.

With just seven days to go before the trip gets underway, the Two Georges are looking to beat their £6,000, or £5.45 per kilometer target, so a final push can help get them there. Tickets for the auction are still available via the
Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/DeathValleyCyclewithBarnardos/432013613547277

or donations can be made via their Virgin “just giving” page:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser

Lecturer honoured for LGBT education work

An Edinburgh College lecturer has become the first educator in Scotland to achieve official professional recognition for expertise in equality and diversity education.

John Naples-Campbell, a lecturer in performance at the college, has been honoured with an Equality and Diversity Professional Recognition award by The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS). The GTCS scheme recognises educators for particular expertise and commitment they have displayed in their teaching, not necessarily directly related to their curriculum area.

John achieved the award for the extensive work he has done in raising awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues among his students, including the organisation of arts projects to bring related topics to life. In deciding to present the award to John, GTCS took into account the significant impact his work has had on his students and the wider college community.

At Edinburgh College, John has led a range of LGBT activities, including the launch of annual LGBT History Month events. These included the staging of the play ‘The Laramie Project’, which tells the true story of a gay hate crime that resulted in the death of a young man in Laramie, Wyoming.

John also organised the creation of a video made by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender staff and students in which they discussed their own experiences to provide role-model advice to young people going through similar situations. The significant impact these projects had on the college community – which led to changed attitudes and students taking on the role of educating their peers in LGBT issues – helped the college win the Equality and Diversity Award at the Scottish Colleges Awards.

As part of his ongoing LGBT work at the college, John runs LGBT workshops for staff and students to try and embed equality practices in the teaching curriculum and the day-to-day business of the institution. He is now setting up a LGBT staff network and is also arranging for student class representatives to deliver equality lessons throughout the academic year.

In a previous role as drama teacher at East Lothian’s Knox Academy, John ran LGBT workshops and led a group of S3 pupils on a film documentary about LGBT issues. This featured interviews with representatives from Stonewall Scotland and Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Services, as well as the academy’s deputy head teacher. As a consequence of this project, pupils were asked to speak at a Stonewall Scotland conference, the school introduced a new LGBT policy, and it became a member of the Stonewall Schools Champion Programme.

John, who lectures at Edinburgh College’s Performing Arts Studio Scotland (PASS), said: “I’m incredibly proud to be recognised for something that is a genuine passion and that’s so important in allowing all students to thrive without facing unwarranted prejudice. Dignity and equality for all people underpins everything I do in education, so I hope I’ve done my bit to give students the safe, respectful environment they deserve.

“Part of what I’ve aimed to do is to challenge students on their attitudes. One thing that’s quite prevalent in our society is a kind of flippant homophobia that isn’t necessarily born out of hate or disgust but can be equally as damaging to young people who may only be getting to grips with their sexuality themselves. It’s a great credit to our students that they’ve been so willing to engage with the process of addressing their own attitudes, with many then going on to become becoming advocates and educators of LGBT issues themselves.”

John already has a GTCS Professional Recognition award for his work in holocaust education.

Rosa Murray, education adviser (professional learning) at GTCS said: “We are delighted to be recognising this important work which sits well with the Professional Values articulated within the new Professional Standards recently produced by GTCS for all registered teachers in Scotland.

“John has worked incredibly hard to achieve this Equality and Diversity award and has been an inspiration to many of us with his commitment to educating in innovative and effective ways. He is the first to achieve an Equality and Diversity award.”

Edinburgh College student is crowned British Judo champion

An Edinburgh College student has fought her way to the top of one of the world’s toughest sports after winning gold in the U-70kg category at the British Judo championships.

Sally Conway, who studies Instructors Course in Fitness and Exercise at Edinburgh College, is a full-time judo athlete and competes for Great Britain. The young athlete recently tore ligaments in her shoulder whilst competing at the London 2012 Olympics but returned to full health to win gold at the British Championships in Sheffield.

This sporting success follows a European Cup gold in Malaga and three weeks of Grand Prix and Grand Slam competitions in Tokyo, South Korea and Abu Dhabi, where she won a bronze medal and $1500 in prize money. Sally now has her sights set on competing in the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Sally said: “It was important to finish the year on a high with a medal. The plan now is to taper down a bit before heading out to a training camp in the new year. Over the Christmas period I will still be keeping active, nothing too serious, probably down to one session a day.

“I want to be ready for the Paris Grand Slam in February so I can achieve my main goal of 2014 – to compete and hopefully medal at the Commonwealth Games. To be selected as early as possible would be ideal as then the pressure of qualifying is off and I can focus on the competition.

“I’m so looking forward to competing at a Commonwealth Games, especially in my home country. I am sure it will be really fun. Already there’s such anticipation and everyone is asking me if I will be going to the Games.”

Sally is one of eight judoka to be nominated by Judo Scotland for scholarship support from Winning Students, the national programme that provides funding and assistance to talented athletes studying in colleges and universities across Scotland.

Sally, who is 26, added: “By the end of June, I will be qualified as a gym instructor and in delivering circuit training and exercise to music classes. I am also doing Lifeguarding and First Aid courses and there is the option of further study afterwards.

“I am loving being back in education. I left school at seventeen and went into full-time training until this year. After London, I said I want to get back into education again, both to break up the training, but also to let me have a different focus. It’s something which will give me more options for the future. I can’t see myself sitting in an office working at a computer; it was always going to be something around fitness and physical activity.”

Edinburgh College is brimming with sporting talent, with fellow judo champ Jodie Mullen, football players Lizzie Arnot, Lucy Graham and Sarah Laverty, and curling champion Jennifer Dodds all awarded Winning Student scholarships to compete in international competitions, such as the Commonwealth Games, Olympics and Paralympics.

Edinburgh College community garden scoops national award

Edinburgh College is celebrating after winning a national award last night (28 November) for its community garden, thanks to its outstanding contribution to the wellbeing needs of the college and the local community.

The community garden won first place in the Health and Wellbeing category at theCollege Development Network Annual Awards (CDNAA) at an awards dinner at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow. The college also won a Highly Commended award for its electric vehicle project and a Commended award for its innovative induction programme for new students.

Designed to recognise the talent, skills and achievements of colleges, their staff and students, the College Development Network Annual Awards provide a valuable opportunity to celebrate the exceptional projects and initiatives taking place in colleges across Scotland.

The judges were impressed with the far-reaching effects and benefits of the garden, including everything from the positive impact on sustainability for the college as a whole to the improved mental, physical and emotional health of the gardeners.

Based at the college’s Milton Road campus, the garden was established inSeptember 2012 to transforman area of previously unused land into a green space for staff, students and the local community to enjoy the outdoors and work together to grow plants, vegetables and fruit. The main aim of this was to encourage a healthier lifestyle, promote outdoor activity and encourage a more environmentally friendly way of producing food locally.

Since the opening of the green space, the community garden has come on leaps and bounds over a short period of time, with more than 160 students, staff and community groups using the facilities. Fifty individuals grow their own fruit and vegetables in the garden’s plots while groups such as Sikh Sanjog, a local charity that supports women and their families from the Sikh and minority ethnic communities, have used the garden as a social space.

Harriet Cross, sustainability coordinator at Edinburgh College, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have won theCollege Development Network Annual Awards for the Milton Road community garden. Our community garden has been a hugely popular resource for the students, staff and the local community and it’s fantastic for it to be recognised by a national awards body.

“Gardening enables individuals to pause and reflect on events happening in their life and I think this is why it has had such a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of the garden users. Not only does the garden promote healthy eating and focus on the importance of where our food comes from but it also gives people the time to chat and socialise with like-minded people. The garden coordinator, Severine Monvoisin, has led the garden project and completed a course to enable her to use listening skills to give appropriate responses when individuals open up and talk about personal matters while gardening.”

Severine Monvoisin, garden coordinator at Edinburgh College, said: “We have seen huge improvements in the confidence levels of students using the garden. It gives them a sense of purpose and accomplishment. For example, a student with special needs required help to change into gardening wear and this made her very reluctant to use the garden. However, after a few months, she started to work with her peers taking on tasks she could achieve, such as weeding and planting seeds, and this gave her confidence in her own abilities. She now no longer requires any help to put on her gardening outfit and regularly uses the outdoor space.”

The success of the Milton Road community garden has sparked another green space project at the college’s campus in Sighthill, which is currently under development. The unused acre-sized area of land at the Sighthill campus will be supported byCarr Gomm, a charity that supports vulnerable people through personal, practical and professional help. By involving community groups at the very beginning of the project, the college hopes the community garden will be a valuable and integral part of the local area.

As well as receiving the top award in the Health and Wellbeing category at theCDNA Awards, Edinburgh College was awarded the Highly Commended prizefor its electric vehicle research project in the Sustainability category. The college operates and monitors a fleet of electric vehicles and is conducting research into their environmental viability. The scheme – a partnership with SEStran, Edinburgh Napier University and Mitsubishi Phoenix – has gone from strength to strength and is now the largest of its kind in Scotland.

The creative arm of the college was also under the spotlight at the awards ceremony thanks to an innovative induction programme for new students developed by students themselves. The Creative Industries team picked up a Commended award for its project, which involves students being given responsibility for developing induction activities for new students. The scheme was set up to ensure inductions are as well-tailored for students as possible.

Pictured top: Severine Monvoisin, garden coordinator at Edinburgh College and Harriet Cross, sustainability coordinator at Edinburgh College.

Pictured above: Garden users at the Milton Road community garden.

Featured image: The Milton Road community garden under construction in 2012.

Edinburgh College: the right course for you

Edinburgh College Open Days this week:

Liz Lochhead to be part of North Edinburgh’s Big Night Out

Scotland’s national poet Liz Lochhead will be among the participants at a major community event to be held in North Edinburgh later this month. ‘The Big Night Out’, an evening of songs, fun, poetry and protest, is being organised by the local Power to the People group.

The programme is yet to be finalised, but the event will also feature a photography and artwork exhibition.

CLD worker Lynn McCabe, who supports the group, explained: “There’s going to be a couple of exhibitions on the history of protest (one is a photographic exhibition, the other is being put together by arts students from Edinburgh (Telford) College. The main part of the night will be in the theatre and will include protest poems and protest poetry. We have just had word that Liz Lochhead will be doing a turn which is great, and it’s likely that some pupils from Craigroyston High School will also be participating in the event – I’m meeting with their teacher to discuss this further. There’s still a lot to organise and confirm but the Power to the People group are very excited about The Big Night Out.”

Power to the People’s Big Night Out will be held in

North Edinburgh Arts on Friday 29 November from 6.30 – 9.30pm.

Tickets £3. All welcome.