Season’s Greetings!
We hope this newsletter finds you well - we are finishing up after a busy Autumn term. We are running more classes and teaching more students than ever - thank you for your support in helping us grow!
We're collecting our student feedback and writing end-of-term reports, so thought we would share some lovely feedback from Jonathon, who has been teaching a Digital Skills class this term at the Snowdrop Project.
We were delighted to receive a grant from The National Lottery Community Fund which has allowed us to run THREE fully funded Digital Skills courses for refugees and asylum seekers across South Yorkshire.
The grant paid for:
All resources - including laptops, a projector and USB sticks
Teaching and administrative staff
Venue Hire
Creche facilities, which allowed our learners to attend the course free from the distraction of babies and young children.
It was amazing to see the students engage with this course and develop key skills which provide both immediate and long-term benefits. The course has given them access to online facilities and services which had previously been closed off to them.
If you need something to look forward to in January, then we have you covered! We will be holding a fundraising quiz on Thursday 26th January. Further details to follow....
Solange is the newest member of our Board of Trustees. Bringing her lived experience of the asylum-seeking/refugee process to the board, she will be involved in the governance of the charity. She works as a cleaner in a special needs school and will soon be embarking on a Health and Social Care course at university. We are delighted to have Solange on our board and look forward to the knowledge and experience she will bring.
Beth has recently joined us as a volunteer teaching assistant, supporting students during class. Currently studying for an MA in Translation Studies, she completed her CELTA qualification in 2022. Having studied French and German for many years, she enjoys learning about other cultures and strongly believes in the importance of language education to help others access opportunities and to enable inclusion in local communities.
We enjoyed a Christmas team social at the Treehouse board game cafe in Sheffield. We had lots of fun playing games and spending time together, but the highlight of the night was receiving this message from a member of our team:
"This time last year I was in a deep pit of despair and couldn't imagine enjoying an evening out. Hope English School has helped me so much to be more positive about life"
We were humbled and delighted to receive this message and want to thank the entire team for being so welcoming and kind to all those who come our way.
Have you been following our "Advent Calendar of Hope"? Over on the socials we have been bringing daily snippets of hope for every day of Advent. We have been bringing daily snippets of hope on social media for every day of Advent.
You can find us on Facebook on @hopeenglishsheffield and on Instagram on @hopeenglishschool
