Meet the Team!

Georgina Horton - Fundraising Volunteer

Georgina joined our team of volunteers in 2021 and has been working hard to secure grant funding for us. As an administrative team we have been meeting virtually for a very long time now, we are looking forward to getting to know Georgina in '“real life” very soon!

How did you first get involved in HES? 

I saw a volunteer position on the University of Sheffield volunteering page – I had heard about HES before and loved the sound of it so was really excited to apply!  

What specifically does your role involve? 
I research possible funding sources and write applications for them. It’s basically raising money to fund the work we do here at HES.  

What do you like most about working for HES? 

The team at HES is made up of really lovely people, who all put in time and effort for a great cause- and I love being a part of that! I also really like that my role directly helps those in need- fundraising makes the important work of HES possible and makes a huge difference to the lives of socially isolated migrants here in Sheffield. Helping to make Sheffield an inclusive, welcoming place for refugees and asylum seekers to live is really rewarding.  

What else do you do with the rest of your week when you are not working for HES? 

 I’m currently studying for a Masters degree so I spend the majority of my time doing uni work- I have a dissertation due at the end of summer so there’s plenty to do! Apart from that, I love spending time with my family (especially looking after my 1-year-old niece), boyfriend and friends. I’m a self-professed geek and love to read for relaxation- currently reading The Testaments by Margaret Atwood which is really good. I like to go on walks and have really got into cooking since the first lockdown. I’m vegetarian and have been experimenting with vegan recipes too- although my favourite thing to do is definitely going out for food (and drinks)!  

Have you always lived in Sheffield, if not what brought you here? 

Yes! I am from Sheffield and have lived here my whole life- I stayed in Sheffield for uni, too.  

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself?  

When I was 16, I worked in a toyshop in France for a week- which was really scary and random given that I hardly knew any French. I remember walking in on my first day thinking “what am I doing here?!” but, by the end of the week, my French language skills had improved massively, and I had gained so much confidence.  

Meet The Team!

Tom Johnson - Teacher

Today on the blog is one our newest team members. Tom joined our team of teachers in the spring of 2021 and as well as teaching our regular ESOL classes, has also been involved in teaching our brand new digital skills pilot course!

How did you first get involved in Hope English School?

So last summer I worked for the University of Sheffield and that was how I (virtually as it was all online) met Luz (another teacher) who told me about Hope English School (HES). I thought it sounded like a fantastic organisation and I really wanted to get involved in something that aims to primarily help refugees and asylum seekers so I sent my CV off and afterwards the rest is history.

What specifically does your role involve?

So I have been teaching a Syrian couple online and the new digital skills class. I really think this second class has a lot of potential to help improve people's computer literacy in a time when it is becoming more and more important because of the pandemic and society in general being more dependent on technology and I hope to be around to see it grow.

What do you like most about working for HES?

The people who work for Hope are so kind and helpful that it makes working for them a dream. They are really happy to work with you and make your life easier which is great. I also love helping people and Hope gives me a platform to do so making it such a rewarding job.

What else do you do with the rest of your week when you are not working for HES?

I am a big football fan so I play once or twice a week. I like to watch it too but I am a Sheffield Wednesday fan so that hasn't been much fun recently. I love spending time with my family and girlfriend and friends either in a pub, on a walk or doing something cultural like in a museum or something. I also love vinyl and enjoy browsing in record shops and listening to records in my down time.

Have you always lived in Sheffield, if not what brought you here?

So I was born in London but moved to Sheffield when I was 18 months old and grew up in Woodseats. After that I went to university in Salford near Manchester and in 2014 moved to Barcelona where I lived for 6 wonderful years. Last September me and my girlfriend decided to move back to be closer to family and friends and are both really happy in Sheffield. We love how close to the peak district we are and all the wonderful things you can do in the city. My girlfriend is still adjusting to all the hills but she is getting there.

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself?

Hmmmmm, well I used to play cricket for Sheffield Collegiate as a teenager and played with the now England captain Joe Root. In fact, my first ever wicket was bowled Johnson (me) caught Root. I also used to sometimes appear on Catalan TV talking about Spanish football which was good fun.

Spring 2021 Newsletter

Welcome to our Spring Newsletter!

We hope this finds you well, we have lots of news to share with you and things to celebrate! 

What we've been up to...

The lockdown didn't stop us from teaching - our teachers and many of our students have really got to grips with online learning now which meant we were able to continue many of our classes and start some new ones!

The new year saw an increase in demand for online classes, so we started 3 new online classes for the Refugee Council and were approached by Doncaster Council to launch new classes for 6 Syrian Families on the Resettlement Scheme.

In total, during the spring term, we have supported 37 students through online teaching and a further 12 through physical resource packs.

We have also been able to offer tailored support to a newly arrived family in need through the Refugee Council, outside of our group classes.

We're returning to the classroom!

• We are delighted to be returning to the classroom this term. Many of our students have struggled to engage online and are as keen as we are to return to 'normal' teaching.

• We are also excited to finally be launching our digital skills training course. The initial pilot course is being run in conjunction with the Refugee Council and Snowdrop project and will be kicking off next week. Read more on our website.

We are absolutely delighted to reveal that we have been awarded £8,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund! This money will fund our new, much-needed, digital skills course. A huge thanks to our fabulous fundraising team for all their hard work in applying for this, and many other grants. They make a huge difference.

Say hello to our newest team members!

We have recently welcomed two new members to the Hope English School team!

Tom joins our teaching staff and Georgina has started volunteering in our fundraising team. Welcome Tom and Georgina, it's great to have you with us!

Support us with your shopping!

Good Taste, The Sheffield Fair Trade Shop currently have us as one of their 'Shop Charities', this means that they will donate 5% of the cost of your purchases to our work every time you shop via their online shop. If you visit their shop in Broomhill, you can also support us by donating your loyalty points to us (£5 for each full loyalty card!) at no extra cost to yourself. 

Did you know that you can also support our work through your Amazon purchases, by registering Hope English School as your chosen charity on Amazon Smile. It works exactly the same way as usual but Amazon will donate a small percentage of your purchases to us. 

Are you interested in becoming a trustee?

We are looking for more volunteers to join our board of trustees, we especially welcome applications from people with lived experience of the asylum-seeking process, either through frontline work or direct personal experience. If you would like to find out more information about this please get in touch!

Meet the Team!

Lisa Bruni - Volunteer Research Assistant

How did you first get involved with Hope English School (HES)?

I first got involved with HES because I was seeking a volunteering opportunity that would allow me to help minority groups in England that may be oppressed as a result of social inequalities, and I had a special interest in language barriers. Hope English School gave me the chance to do this rewarding work whilst I took a year out of my master's and figured out what I would want to go into after my studies. My master's in international development was also a big driver to get involved with a charity who's aims were based on social justice.

What specifically does your role involve?

As the funding and research assistant I help Rachel seek ways of funding the charity's activities, such as writing grant applications, and I carry out primary research to help the charity form it's aims and objectives on evidence-based issues to ensure we are maximising the benefit of our work for those we are trying to help.

What do you like most about working for HES?

Most of all I feel happy in the knowledge that I am working in a great team of kind-hearted people whose hard work is directly and indirectly improving the lives of refugees and asylum seekers. The weekly team meeting have been amazing to continue social activity throughout lockdowns, even if I've only ever met the team virtually!

What else do you do with the rest of your week when you are not working for HES?

Whilst on my year out, I've got to be quite busy with volunteering and working! Outside of HES I volunteer for my local Oxfam group and I create blogs and social media content for my friend's food security social enterprise (s/o to Rooting for Justice). For work, I am a mentor for A level students and I've recently started working for the ONS on Census 2021. In free time I run, practice yoga, and have video calls with my friends.

Have you always lived in Sheffield, if not what brought you here?

I am currently living back at my parents' house in Portsmouth but I was brought to Sheffield for University studies 5 years ago. I am hoping to secure a more stable job as the pandemic eases off and move back to Sheffield in the coming months (it's an awesome place to live - I'm a big fan of the Peak District!)

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself?

Over lockdown I have discovered that I love DIY and upcycling old materials or objects to make useful new ones. I've been making shelves out of old planks of wood and climbing ropes, creating earrings with shells I have from a holiday from who knows when, and cutting up clothes to transform into new pieces ready for summer!