Lorri Garnell's blog

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EDIF Dissemination Days

These Dissemination Days enabled us to showcase our project involving working with young people from the Havering College LGBT social & support group and Newham PARIS LGBT youth group. Three young people came along to these events with Margo Lindsay and I (Havering College) and Dawn Ballinger (Newham PARIS Youth Group). We displayed our project work and our young people spoke with several people from various other projects and also participated with 'views from learners' feedback at the end of each event.

Jay, one of our students, sang her original song for the audience, which she wrote about her experience as a young LGBT person. This can still be found as an attachment in one of my earlier blogs.

The young people involved have said they found the whole experience extremely positive and have gained new skills and confidence.

We will continue to:

  • Raise awareness of LGBT issues within Havering College, as well as the wider community 
  • Promote Havering College as an LGBT friendly College
  • Develop our work with LGBT young people.

Our networking with Newham PARIS Youth Group is on-going and going from strength to strength.

I have attached photos from 2 of the Dissemination days.

Many thanks to Catina from us all! :)

 

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Further Tutor Observers Training

My colleague Sarah Budd and I ran another Challenging Homophobic Langauge and Behaviour Training workshop for a group of 12 Tutor Observers on 27/08/14. This was well received and all staff engaged with the training session, which was aimed at ensuring all language used in the classroom is inclusive and tutors do not assume heterosexuality within groups of students.

The session was interactive and it gave staff the opportunity to speak openly about LGBT issues.

All training materials and handouts were emailed to each staff member, as well as a Tutor Observers checklist for their use during observation sessions.

We aim to offer further training on the next Staff Development Day in October 2014

 

 

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Promoting Havering College at London Pride 2014

The Pride event was attended by 15 young people, who were a combination of both LGBT groups of young people from Havering College and Newham PARIS group.

The College students wore the t-shirts with an original printed design on each, which advertised the College student social and support group.

These t-shirts actively promoted Havering College as an LGBT friendly place to study and several people commented on the  design and asked the students questions about what it represented.

One student took part in the celebration by joining the parade and some photos of the students were put on the official Pride website.

 

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Getting ready for London Pride Saturday 28th June

A large group of students are going to London Pride tomorrow. They will all be wearing t-shirts which have been professionally printed with the new promotional poster for the Havering College LGBT Social & Support Group. This poster can be seen as an attachment on the previous blog.

This idea was generated by students and will be a great way of promoting the college as a LGBT friendly place for young people to study and students will also be wearing these t-shirts at future EDIFdefinition Dissemination days to show their work to everyone who attends.

We will add a group photo next week after Pride!

 

 

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Outcomes from the LGBT Creative Arts Workshop days

We now have our outcomes from the two Creative Arts Workshop days which we held in January and April 2014:

  • One student recorded her original song during the Creative Verse workshop, which you can hear using the attachment link on this page.
  • A group of students completed the LGBT History Timeline comic strip during the Computer Graphics workshop, which can be viewed using the attachment link on this page
  • One student, along with ideas from the whole group, designed a new promotional poster for Havering College LGBTA Social & Support group, which can be viewed using the attachment link on this page

These outcomes will be utilised to promote Havering College as an LGBT friendly college to prospective students and the wider community, as well as raising awareness of LGBT issues within the college.

 

Please click this link for work related to this project.

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Havering College 2nd Creative Arts Workshop Day

The learners of Havering College and Newham 'PARIS' LGBT young people's group came together for another Creative Arts Workshop where they finished off their projects

This was the second workshop day we have held for Havering College LGBT students and ‘PARIS’ Newham LGBT young people. It was attended by 8 young people (4 college and 4 PARIS) and 6 staff members.

The previous workshop day was held on the 18th January 2014, where the young people decided what subject they wanted to focus on, with the aim of completion on the second workshop day. The young people in the computer graphics group completed their piece of work - which depicted LGBT milestones in history from the 1960’s to date – in the format of a comic page using photo’s they had taken over their 2 days spent together. The music group completed recording lyrics and poetry and were also able to use the drums, piano and mixing decks for the first time. The arts and crafts group experimented with glass painting, which none of them had done before. All of these young people discovered new tools and skills over the 2 workshop days and requested they met up for further days like this. Young people’s feedback included:

“I loved it today (especially the drums) I felt very comfortable with everybody because all of us can be ourselves”.

“I thought today went really well and I had a lot of fun. I enjoyed all of the activities and the socialising”.

“I learnt about glass painting. It was fab, new and it’s something I’d do again”.

“I enjoyed the comic strip and learning new skills”.

“It was good meeting everyone and getting involved in the music department”.

“Today was nice, I really enjoyed it!”