Edinburgh College – Page 36 – The NEN

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.

Edinburgh College Open Days to highlight New Year courses

Edinburgh College holding open days to showcase new January courses

Edinburgh College is hosting two open days this month to give potential new students first-hand insight into all courses due to start in the new year.

Anyone who would like to learn about more than 100 full-time, part-time, evening and distance courses beginning at the college in January is invited along on 20 and 21 November. The open days are designed to give school leavers, adult learners, people looking for career boosts or changes and anyone else interested in education opportunities the chance to see the college up close and get advice about their options. Among the programmes on offer are access courses that will equip people returning to education with entry-level qualifications allowing them to progress onto college courses beginning next August.

Students will be putting on live music and dance performances as well as demonstrations to showcase their courses, and prospective students will be able to discuss course opportunities, applications and funding with staff. There will also be the chance to enter a free prize draw to win a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2.

Each open day will cover all the college’s course areas across its four campuses, including:

Access courses
Business
Construction and building crafts
Creative industries
Engineering
English as a second language
Health, wellbeing and social sciences
Tourism and hospitality

The open days take place on:

Wednesday 20 November, 3-8pm – Edinburgh College Granton Campus, 350 West Granton Road, EH5 1QE
Thursday 21 November, 3-8pm – Edinburgh College Sighthill Campus, Bankhead Avenue, EH11 4DE

Edinburgh College principal Mandy Exley said: “It’s not always easy to know which course is the right one for you and the best way to choose is often to talk to students and lecturers and to get a feel for the environment. By throwing open our doors and inviting everyone in to the college, we’re providing a great way to get a proper sense of how our education opportunities can make a huge difference in people’s lives and give them a platform to achieve.”

For more information about the open days and which courses are available to start in January, go towww.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/opendays

SQA Star Awards for Edinburgh College

Edinburgh College has won two prestigious prizes at a national education awards ceremony, recognising its strong links with industry and outstanding achievements in innovation.

At the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) Star Awards last night, the East Lothian Hospitality and Tourism Academy – a partnership between Edinburgh College, Queen Margaret University and East Lothian Council – won a Highly Commended Award in the Partnership category. The college also won a Highly Commended Award in the Innovation category for a scheme providing industry mentors for students.

The annual SQA Star Awards honour inspirational achievements and commitment from colleges, schools and training organisations across the country.

The East Lothian Hospitality & Tourism Academy caught the judges’ attention because of its close links with industry partners and the benefits these relationships can bring to young people. The academy has benefited from vital support from large hotel groups such as Marriott, Jurys Inn, Novotel, Mercure and Macdonald hotels and resorts, as well as Edinburgh’s own luxury hotel Prestonfield and the Royal Mile’s Fraser Suites.

The initiative, which is now in its second year, exposes young people to the wealth of jobs in hospitality and tourism industries by giving 16-18 year olds the chance to train at college, university and in industry. The success of its first year attracted government funding of £4.6m, which has seen the initiative expand to many more schools across Edinburgh and East and Midlothian, and the Scottish Borders and include other areas such as health and social care and creative industries. Queen Margaret University and Edinburgh College are partners in all the new academies.

Ray McCowan, vice principal at Edinburgh College, said: “We are thrilled to have been recognised by the SQA Star Awards. The academy is a pioneering project and has been a great success.

“The academy represents partnership working at its very best. It brings together the vision of two educational organisations and a local council, as well as harnessing industry expertise. The college realises the vital importance of strong links with industry and it’s partnerships like these that give our students the vital experience and skills to succeed in a highly competitive industry.”

In its first year, 30 out of 34 students successfully completed the academy. Of the 30 successful students, 18 continued to study the HNC in sixth year, four moved to Edinburgh College to study the SVQ2 in Professional Cookery and eight took up employment in the industry. There are now 163 students across all of the academies in Edinburgh and the Lothians in the fields of creative industries, health and social care, cookery and food science and nutrition, with a new academy planned for engineering.

The college has a number of successful graduates within the field of hospitality and tourism, including James Thomson OBE, owner of Prestonfield House.

Celebrating Edinburgh College’s other honour, Visual Communication lecturer Helena Good said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won the Highly Commended Award at the SQA Star Awards. Our mentoring programme was established to develop a strong working relationship between our students and industry and it’s brilliant that it has been recognised in this way.

“Before the mentoring programme was introduced, the first contact that students had with industry wasn’t until their end-of-year exhibitions. Now we are introducing our students to the key players in leading design agencies from an early stage. This gives them an invaluable experience in working with professionals throughout their course and an insight into how the industry works.”

Helena added: “Since the mentoring programme began, we have won more than a dozen national and international awards including the Scottish Marketing Student of the Year for a second year in a row and four D&AD (Design and Art Direction) nominations, the creative industry’s flagship awards. One of our student’s work was also commissioned by the music brand Goji and is now being sold on high streets across the UK.

“As the initiative gains success, it has attracted more interest from industry. Our work placement programme has become much easier to manage because so many of our recent graduates have secured good agency positions and are a testament to the employability of the students we produce.”

SQA chief executive, Dr Janet Brown, said: “Once again I have been overwhelmed by the quality our finalists’ achievements. Some have overcome challenging personal circumstances and defied expectations while others have shown incredible initiative and commitment to succeed in their chosen disciplines.

“More than ever, qualifications are an essential component of an individual’s successful progress from education and training into further study and employment. Our Star Awards ceremony is an opportunity to congratulate learners on their achievements but also acknowledge the fantastic work of our centres – schools, colleges, training providers and employers who deliver our qualifications – and the people who give learners the guidance and encouragement they need to realise their potential.”

Ydance weekend at Granton Campus

One hundred sixty young dancers from across Scotland are heading to YDance Connections this weekend – an inspiring programme of workshops and creative sessions created and delivered by YDance and hosted this year by Edinburgh College at the local Granton Campus. The participants and group leaders have travelled from as far afield as Stornoway, Inverness, Lochgilphead and Isle of Skye to be involved in this unique event, which is part of the build up to YDance’s Commonwealth Youth Dance Festival in 2014.

Connections kicks off on the Friday afternoon with sessions in Capoeira, Bollywood, Samba, African and 40’s/50’s period dance workshops led by the Kennedy Cupcakes. The rest of the weekend is full of choreographic workshops, performances and an 80’s themed party on the Saturday evening– where the 160 dancers will join the YDance Team in a celebration of 25 years of YDance (Scottish Youth Dance).

Edinburgh College dance lecturer Jo Turbitt said: “‘We’re delighted to be hosting YDance’s Connections weekend at the college’s Performing Arts Studio Scotland and to be taking part in the celebration of the brilliantly talented young dancers we have across the whole of the country.

“YDance Routes is an important project that helps broaden the range of professional destinations available to the next generation of dancers, so we support it fully and hope the Connections weekend helps them develop along their own paths. The energy and enthusiasm of our youth dance community is always hugely impressive and we hope they can take full advantage of our facilities to learn from each other. We hope to see some of these groups again at YDance’s Commonwealth Youth Dance Festival.’

The groups taking part are 6.1.0. Dance Academy (Fraserburgh), An Lanntair (Stornoway), Dalriada Youth Company (Lochgilphead), Denny High Dance Academy (Denny), East Lothian Youth Dance Company (Musselburgh), Eden Court Young Dance Company (Inverness), Exquisite (Lochgelly), Fusion Youth Dance (Aberdeen), Glasgow Youth Dance Company (Glasgow), Ihayami Fusion (Edinburgh), Indepen-dance Young 1’z (Glasgow), right2dance (Paisley), Runamuk (Edinburgh), Scottish Ballet Youth Collective (Edinburgh), SkyeDance Youth Company (Portree), Unusual Suspects (Edinburgh) and SiMY Dance (Glasgow).

The Connections weekend is part of YDance Routes, a two year programme that aims to inspire, develop and broaden the horizons of Scotland’s youth dance sector and is leading towards a Commonwealth Youth Dance Festival in Glasgow in 2014. YDance Routes is funded by Cashback for Creativity, the Educational Institute of Scotland and The Leverhulme Trust.