Tesco vouchers, The Big Give and Teach First opportunity
Nicole SparkesHi everyone,
Just sending round some details about two new charity initiatives running in college, as well as a scheme, called Teachfirst, which you can get involved with to help the local community. See below for more!
Collecting Tesco Vouchers
By the end of the week there will be separate boxes in the JCR and MCR for Tescos Vouchers - so do get collecting! We will donate the vouchers to a local primary school - the first school to receive our vouchers has been chosen by the junior chaplain as the school in his local parish, but we are open to suggestions as to where future vouchers should be donated, so do get in touch if you have any ideas.
The Big Give
Have you got junk that you'd like to be rid of? The Big Give offers students the opportunity to remove the clutter in their room at the end of the year, whilst also aiding three good causes:
* Helen & Douglas House, an organisation that offers support and care for terminally ill children and their families, which will use the proceeds from selling the donations on to sustain its remarkable work;
* Aspire - a charity that provides employment to the homeless;
* and the Community Emergency Foodbank, which collects food resources for individuals or families who are temporarily food insecure so that they can continue to eat in their homes.
If your junk meets one of the following criteria, please think about giving it away:
* Food that is not perishable, not out of date and has not been opened. eg. tins, cans, packets of tea, biscuits, pasta, rice. This will go to Community Emergency Foodbank
* Books, CDs, DVDs
* Kitchenware (but no knives or broken crockery please)
* Mugs and glasses
* Clothes and Jewellery
* Sports equipment
* Small items of furniture
Sadly, duvets, knives, electricals or unclean/broken items cannot be accepted!
The location for where you should drop your donations off is currently being discussed. This email is just to let you have a think about what you're willing to give. A later email will detail where and when you drop stuff off. You've got until Wednesday 9th Week after lunch (when H&D House will collect the donations), so get giving!!
Oli Koo
Helen & Douglas House College Rep
Teachfirst
Enabling Enterprise is running a project, called Teachfirst, with a primary school in Oxford, which you can get involved in.
Primary students from Pegasus primary will be engaged in a project over 3 days - 13th, 14th and 15th June. The project will allow them to build on key 'enterprise' skills and have fun in the process. The three sessions will be led by teachers in class time, with students working in teams of 4 or 5 on their ideas. If you would like to support them, then you will join their sessions to work with a team of students - this could be for all the sessions, or just one afternoon.
If you choose to take part you will:
* Receive a training session on working with young people from a member of EE staff, previously a Teach First teacher.
* Gain classroom experience that will be valuable for TeachFirst applicants, with the opportunity to extend it next year.
* Engage with a project supported by Oliver Wyman, a leading global management consulting firm.
* Work alongside a classroom teacher to support the students in their endeavours - giving students the opportunity to develop skills and raise their aspirations enabling you to give back to the local community through a fun and enjoyable project.
Not only will this exciting project be a great volunteering opportunity for you, it will give the Primary pupils valuable experience of working alongside bright, enthusiastic young people.
So contact Samuel Hall, JCR President, at samuel.hall@merton.ox.ac.uk if you're interested in getting involved. In your email, please assert which dates from above you can attend, and whether you can attend a training session on 6th June or 8th June.
Thanks,
Nicole