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Goldsmiths activities - Selena Bolingbroke

Minutes:

Goldsmiths activities - Selena Bolingbroke talked through the following Goldsmiths

Community engagement overview:

 

1. Building strong relationships with local schools and colleges and community organisations

  • Volunteering in the community – 20% of students are active volunteers
  • Building partnerships with local schools and colleges – 200 local students on the Goldsmiths Progression scheme, 1400 local young people attending Goldsmiths Master Classes
  • Providing study scholarships for Lewisham students – 10 full tuition fee scholarships awarded annually
  • Providing pre-entry careers advice – independent Matrix accredited advice for anyone thinking about their options pre-HE

 

2. Accessible learning and research

  • Lectures and performances open to the public – see event planner on website, updated weekly http://www.gold.ac.uk/events/
  • World class research including Centre for Community Engagement Research and the Centre for Urban Community Research
  • Short courses – 12 new courses launched this year
  • Integrated degrees – aimed at adult returners (often local) over 200 enrolments this year
  • Research demonstrations – Lewisham’s People Day: 2015 Forensic Psychology experiment, 2016 Local History consultation on commemoration event for 40yr anniversary of Battle of Lewisham (Aug.2017), Research installations Lewisham Shopping Centre, Show-Off Science events Amersham Arms March 2016
  • Library community membership scheme – just need ID and proof of residence

 

3. Being a good neighbour

  • Consultation events with local community in relation to our estate master planning
  • Student accommodation – we have dedicated Stakeholder Engagement manager whose responsibilities include liaison with local residents
  • Open Days – local community always welcome, also this year Goldsmiths will take part in the ‘Open House London’ event – where the restored St James church will be fully open and accessible with tours - Sept. 17th 2016

 

4. Sharing space and facilities

  • Community groups can book rooms at Goldsmiths at low or even no cost – last year 21 events were supported involving over 7000 participants, including school sports days on the College Green.
  • Club Pulse is our gym and leisure facility – local community can apply for membership – over 500 community members.
  • Curzon Cinema – new partnership between Goldsmiths and Curzon to redevelop our cinema facilities and provide a Curzon quality programme open for our students, staff and the local community http://www.curzongoldsmiths.com/

 

 

5. Contributing to local workforce development

  • Goldsmiths is one of the largest employers in Lewisham
  • We are a London Living Wage employer and accredited by the Living Wage Foundation
  • All of our vacancies for professional and support staff are advertised in the local media
  • Our students become graduates who often settle in the local community – higher level of self-employed graduates than many universities, also graduates in teaching, youth work, social work.
  • Our staff volunteer at schools and other organisations in the local community

 

6. Connecting with Political and Representative Stakeholders within the Community

  • New Memorandum of Understanding signed between Goldsmiths and Lewisham Council – to underpin closer working relationship and shared priorities
  • Goldsmiths Students’ Union ran a big voter registration campaign this year and invited Vicky Foxcroft to conduct one of her constituency surgeries on campus
  • Goldsmiths now represented on the Lewisham Local forum, Lewisham Safer Communities Partnership and Stronger Communities Partnership
  • Goldsmiths headline sponsor of Telegraph Hill Festival, also sponsored the Artmongers/Grow Wild Sunflowers project on New Cross Rd

 

7. Supporting Local Business

  • Goldsmiths Procurement run ‘Meet the Buyers’ events to help inform local small businesses how they can become part of our supply chain
  • 16% of our suppliers are businesses registered with a SE postcode
  • Over 130 small local businesses attended our jobs fayre to promote their part time job opportunities to our students
  • Goldsmiths members of the Lewisham Fairtrade Committee and our staff help and advise local businesses that want to become Fairtrade accredited

 

For more information www.gold.ac.uk/about/community, Or contact Selena Bolingbroke S.Bolingbroke@gold.ac.uk

 

The assembly appreciated Selena taking the time to attend and would like her to

update again in future assemblies.