Staff at Embassy

Christchurch earthquake fundraising at Embassy Auckland

Nicola Conway, from Embassy Auckland, writes. TIP: double-click on any word to see its meaning.

The Christchurch earthquake has been a terrible tragedy with great loss of life and destruction.  Our thoughts are with the people of Christchurch at this difficult time.

In order to help the victims of this terrible tragedy, Embassy Auckland students have managed to collect over NZ$1400 for the NZ Red Cross Earthquake appeal, and staff have donated directly to the Red Cross. Food and essential items are also being collected to donate to people in the worst affected suburbs.

Anyone who wishes to donate to the NZ Red Cross appeal can do so online <a href="http://www.redcross.org.nz/donate" target=_blank">here</a>.

Building futures

You may not know that Embassy language schools are one branch of a large global education company named Study Group. Study Group has many schools and colleges, including Bellerbys, Taylors College, and International Study Centres in the UK and USA - so it is a big company!

And big companies can achieve big things... which got us to thinking. We recognise that, as our students are benefiting from a great education, and in turn, our company is benefiting from your investments, that we should share that good fortune with those who need it most.

So we set up a company-wide charity initiative.

Charitable contributions

Education is our business, so when we were deciding which charity to support, Plan International was a natural choice. With Plan International's help, Study Group build schools for developing communities around the world.

You may have noticed references in our blogs and school news pages to charity events. Every school has regular money-raising activities; in addition, staff in all our offices often run marathons, jump out of aeroplanes, or (less energetically!) put on cake or book sales to raise money. For every penny that is raised, Study Group donate an equal amount, meaning staff efforts are doubled.

All the staff here at Embassy love to hear about the new schools as they are built. We enjoy looking at the photos and learning a bit more about the region.

Our achievements

To date, we have built schools in:

• Aceh, Indonesia
• Zounzounkanme, Benin
• Codó Nova, Brazil
• Liu Shu, China
• Van Han Commune, Vietnam

Schools benefit not only children, but the community as a whole, because educated kids grow up to become skilled adults.

The projects often also bring water and sanitation to the region; and as well as the building works, the charity provides educational materials, computers and teaching staff.

The latest school

Here are some images from our latest completed school, in Van Han Commune, Vietnam:

Study Group staff and children from Van Han Commune crowd around the foundation stone.

 

The new school in the background, with the kids who will benefit.

It's so great to see images like this, and realise that our small actions and donations are actually making a massive difference to children and their families across the world.

New faces, and old leavers

Goodness me, but it's been a serious rush here in Oxford. Like Julia has said before me, we're getting ready for the 100 new students to start on Monday morning - I don't pity the poor staff member with the emergency phone this weekend! However, we also have to say goodbye to some older students.

This week has been a sad one, actually. While it's been kicking into overdrive getting things ready, in the background several students have been finishing their courses. I've been with Studygroup since December, so this is still a new experience to me. One of my favourite students (not that I pick favourites, but I can't help it - some students just beg to be chatted to) whom I remember starting with almost no English, frightened and alone, came to me yesterday to say goodbye, and thank you. She was thrilled to be going home to see her three sons whom she missed very dearly, but was sad to be leaving at the same time. She gave me a big hug, and wandered away back to her class, and after she left, I had a tear in my eye - watching her grow in confidence and improving her English has been one of the things that in the last few weeks, even when it all becomes an enormous amount of administration, makes you remember exactly what we do here. The best of luck to you in the future, Laura!

Yesterday our ELD asked me how I was in passing, and I answered "stressed" - to which he laughed and said "good! You SHOULD be stressed the week before an Embassy Summer, if not, you're not doing your job properly!" I had to grin - I'm really looking forward to seeing them arrive. We've taken on two new activity leaders in the last week, and seeing the Social Programme kick into its fullest and best has been fantastic. Wish it were me taking the courses!

Busy few days ahead, wish us luck!

Jenny Moore, Student Services Officer, Oxford

The lull before the storm

It is the week before the Embassy CES Oxford's summer launches.  The staff are getting ready to greet over 100 new faces on Monday 2 July.  We are checking - do we have enough Welcome Packs - do they have the right information to help our students? Do we have the classrooms set up comfortably for our students? Do we have enough coffee for the staff to keep them going through the busy day?

The busy summer period is one of my favourite times of year - an air of excitiment fills the school.  There is so much going on in the beautiful city of Oxford; it's busy and dynamic, when the sun shines it reflects off the beautiful old stone buildings - making them almost glisten.  The school's social programme brims full with things to do - fabulous trips to London, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Cambridge and Bath, hilarious trips on the river to try the famous punting and on a hot afternoon a stroll around the amazing Pitt Rivers Museum to cool off whilst looking at their collection of mummies!

Whilst sat at my desk it is sometimes easy to forget all that goes on around me, but then a student will burst into my office to tell me of their day - talk about what they have learnt or seen and I can see in their eyes the thrill of it all - the experience of living and breathing another country, another culture and another language and I remember - THIS IS A WONDERFUL WORLD FULL OF OPPORTUNITY.

I need to get back to work now, plenty still to do.

See you later!