Power Of Youth Day, which takes place during Volunteers’ Week, is an opportunity to shout about the incredible contributions that young people are making in their communities, society and the environment. Throughout the day events and celebrations take place across the UK. Leaders, organisations and young people take to social media to celebrate the #PowerOfYouth, recognising the invaluable and diverse contribution they are making to society.  

To those ends, here are a few organisations that empower young people that you can direct interested students towards. 

LGBTQ+ Fundraiser

Fundraisers are always a hit at Harrogate College and a group of students worked on an LGBTQ+ fundraiser for LGBTQ+ history month. They planned and advertised the event and sold homemade cakes and biscuits, homemade decorations, wristbands, flags and bookmarks, raising nearly £100 for Yorkshire MESMAC.

UNICEF Fundraiser

The same group of students helped the Students’ Union raise money for UNICEF to support children who are suffering in Ukraine as a result of the war. The students supported by making and serving iced coffee, raising over £100 altogether.

Pride Party

The students are going to continue their hard work and use all the skills they have learnt to run a Pride Party, including decorations, wristbands, flags and mocktails, in June. They plan to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust, a cause close to some of the students’ hearts.

This month is Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller History Month (GRTHM). Established in Britain in 2008, GRTHM month raises awareness and explores the history of travelling communities. 

The month aims to tackle the negative stigma and prejudices these communities have faced for centuries. It seeks to educate those about their contribution to society and how we can support them and help them feel included in our society. 

What are the differences between Gypsy, Roma and Traveller? 

There are many differences between Gypsy, Roma and Travellers. Although they are nomadic groups, their communities follow entirely different cultural values. 

Romany Gypsies travelled west from Europe around the 10th and 12th centuries during the Roma migration from India. Romany is the word that Gypsy people in England and Wales apply to themselves, hence the term ‘Romany Gypsy’.

The word ‘Roma’ is used as a term for European ‘Gypsies’. Over the past 50 years, there has been an increase in Roma people in the UK. 

Irish Travellers are said to have migrated to England in the early 19th century. They mainly came to England after the Great Famine in the 1850s and then after World War II. 

‘What Makes a Home?’

This year, the theme for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month is ‘What Makes a Home?’. Gypsy, Roma and Travellers are known for their nomadic lifestyle, however, some families have lived in houses for generations but maintain their cultural identity and travel seasonally. 

There are many reasons families move into housing. It can often be difficult to access vital services such as healthcare, dental care, education and employment, especially those that require addresses.

Some may feel that the move into housing is due to a shortage of available sites for vehicles and stopping places. 

The government has recently implemented new laws which make the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller nomadic lifestyle more difficult. People are now at risk of having their vehicle (home) confiscated and facing fines and imprisonment. 

Not only does this affect their way of life, but also affects their mental health with suicide rates being 11% of all deaths in the Irish Traveller community according to the All Ireland Traveller Health Study. 

Their life expectancy from the latest data shows they live around 10 years less than that of the non-Traveller population according to the Equality and Human Rights Commission.  

A helping hand

York Travellers Trust works solely with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Communities in York and the surrounding areas. Their charity objectives are ‘to relieve the poverty and advance the education of the communities and to preserve and protect the health of such persons’. 

Leeds GATE is an organisation led by Gypsy and Traveller people in partnership with others in and across Yorkshire. They are a resource centre that supports Gypsy and Travellers living in Leeds and passing through. 

Resources

Here are some resources below to learn more about the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. 

Learn more about the history of Gypsies, Roma and Travellers with this animation. 

Tackling inequalities faced by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities

This is a House of Commons Committee report with recommendations to the Government. 

Harrogate College’s Hospitality team is in the running to scoop a major award.

The Bistro on the Park has been shortlisted in the Best Achievement of the Year category of Harrogate’s Hospitality and Tourism Awards 2022.

Run by the college’s catering and hospitality students, expert chefs and tutors, the bistro is regularly transformed into a full restaurant for themed dining evenings. Those events give the students valuable experience of working in a busy, public-facing catering environment to ensure they are ‘work-ready’ when they have completed their studies.

The college’s hospitality department has also been working closely with local employers – on recruitment drives, work experience and tailoring its courses – to help the sector recover from Covid-19.

Proud to be nominated – and to support the local hospitality industry

Harrogate College’s Cultural, Contemporary and Heritage Studies Programme Manager, Jason Parry, said: “It is an honour for us to be nominated for this award.

“It is no secret that the hospitality industry has been through one of its toughest times. The impact of Brexit and the pandemic has put an increased pressure on businesses and the staff who work tirelessly to keep the local hospitality and tourism trade going.

“The fact that our teaching team and students have been put forward for this award is a great reflection of the commitment and passion that the staff and students have demonstrated over recent months,, while working to support the local sector. And such commitment is perfectly paired with the resilience that is needed to work in the industry at this time.”

The college will find out how it has fared on Monday 6 June, when the award winners will be announced during a gala dinner at the Royal Hall.

Sharing real-world experience with students 

Its hospitality students have enjoyed a busy year that has seen them create and serve up several meals to the public based around themes ranging from Autumn Vegan Dinner and Christmas around Europe to St Patrick’s Day.

They have also been meeting and learning more about a number of local employers including RHS Garden Harlow Carr, who they are working with on a ‘design a menu’ project.

And in April, during the college’s Green Month, they learned more about sustainability and reducing food waste through a talk from Lucy McCarey, from Too Good To Go.

Recent fact-finding visits, meanwhile, have included trips to Rudding Park Hotel, the Grand Hotel, in York, and Leeds city centre – where Professional Cookery students sampled dishes and produce at Trinity Kitchen and Kirkgate Market.

Harrogate’s Hospitality and Tourism Awards received more than 1,000 nominations this year, and the awards night sold out in record time. Harrogate College sponsors the event’s Newcomer of the Year award, and was also involved in the judging for the Chef of the Year category.

Professional Cookery students got a chance to hone their fish preparation skills while preparing a themed menu for St Patrick’s Day.

The Harrogate College students, who recently completed a unit focused on preparing and cooking fish, had to produce a four course meal for paying visitors at the March event.

The dishes they created were inspired by the theme of the Irish Coast. They included salmon pate (served with pickled cucumber and Guinness and treacle soda bread) and cod in white wine and chive sauce, with a traditional lamb stew also prepared as an alternative.

As always on dining nights, the college’s canteen area was transformed into a busy restaurant which, on this occasion, served about 40 guests.

A great success

Harrogate College’s Cultural, Contemporary and Heritage Studies Programme Manager, Jason Parry, said: “The evening put the students’ skills to the test and was a great success.

“The progress they have made was clear for all to see.”

The cookery students also recently enjoyed a trip to Leeds city centre where they were given a hotel tour, visited the Corn Exchange, sampled some dishes at Leeds Trinity, and took a ride on a water taxi.

After sampling the food at Trinity Kitchen the group took part in a challenge that wouldn’t have looked out of place on the BBC’s The Apprentice.

Based at Kirkgate Market, the students were divided into teams that had to gather specific information about seafood and meat, and find the most unusual fruit and vegetables.

The Leeds visit was arranged as a fun-focused reward for the students following months of hard work. 

Professional Cookery student Ellena Harrison-Wood said: “The Leeds trip was an amazing experience for us and the other hospitality students that came along.

“At the market we were shown the importance of shopping locally, and how important community cohesion is when it comes to the hospitality sector and good food in general.

“As for the Saint Patrick’s night meal, the customers had a great time and said we had improved massively since our first Italian night, last year.”

The college, which runs a range of hospitality and professional cookery courses, has been working closely with local businesses to help the sector recover from the impact of the pandemic.

Harrogate College is hosting a special event to help members of the local construction industry find out about funding and training opportunities.

The CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) funding awareness session takes place at the college on Thursday 26 May.

The event will give attendees the chance to find out about what support, in terms of grants, funding and training, is available.

The session runs from 8.30am to 9.30am and will include three short presentations including from John Long, of CITB, and Lorraine Kirbitson, from North Yorkshire Construction Training Group.

A representative from the college will also give an overview of the courses and apprenticeships that we offer, and show visitors the facilities that are available in our construction department.

Those attending will also be able to find out how to access free training at the college, which is being funded by Zero Carbon Harrogate, later in the year.

The event is open to anyone working in the trades. To reserve your place contact Lorraine on 07713 034917 (email lorraine@nyctg.co.uk) or book on Eventbrite here.

Harrogate College is pleased to be hosting this event as part of its ongoing support for local building sector and our commitment to responding to employers’ needs. If you would like to be updated about similar events and training, join the Harrogate College Employers’ Network.

Harrogate College has hailed new proposals to put education at the heart of the UK’s sustainability drive.

The government’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy includes plans to introduce a new Natural History GCSE, develop a Primary Science Model Curriculum and promote carbon literacy training.

The Department for Education (DfE) believes those proposals will play a crucial role in the wider push to reduce the country’s environmental footprint.

Harrogate College, which is already working with local employers to provide a range of green skills training – including for the electric vehicle and retrofitting industries – has welcomed the move.

But it is urging the DfE to ensure that sufficient support for vocational training at post-16 level is included in its plans.

Funding vital for sustainability sector vocational courses

Our Principal, Danny Wild, said: “It is great to see the Department for Education taking positive action on sustainability, and there is much to be applauded in this new policy.

“Encouraging more young people to seek jobs in the green sector and learn the necessary, emerging skills that are needed, is vital as we work to produce a workforce fit for the challenges ahead.

“As a further education provider committed to sustainability and supporting the local economy, our college is continually tailoring its offering to do just that.

“We have already run successful retrofit courses and, from September, our curriculum will expand to include more sustainable construction training and courses on electric vehicle charging units.

“However, we need proper support and funding from the government to be able to keep providing and expanding such training as the demand for green skills continues to grow.”

Leading the way on carbon literacy training

Part of the new strategy involves an acceleration of the government’s plans to roll out carbon literacy training at all levels of education.

Education Secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, has also pledged greater support for teaching climate change awareness at all levels by 2023 – and new requirements will be introduced for further education teachers to build sustainability into their lessons.

Harrogate College is already ahead of the game in that regard, having completed its first carbon literacy training sessions for students and staff earlier this year.

Ensuring that carbon literacy training is provided is part of the college’s Sustainability Pledge, which outlines its ambitions to become a net zero carbon college by 2030.

The commitment was announced when the college hosted the launch of the first Harrogate District Climate Action Festival in October, 2021.

May 17 marks the 18th annual International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. The day was created to draw attention to the violence and discrimination which is still experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex people and all other people with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, and sex characteristics.

The date itself was chosen to remember the World Health Organisation’s decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder. It represents a cultural landmark which can be used to draw worldwide attention to the plight faced by LGBTQ+ people; for example, in 37 of the countries the day is celebrated in, same-sex acts are still illegal.

The day of worldwide celebrations aim to act as a jump off point from which action can be taken. It aims to engage with institutions and policymakers involved in shaping laws across the globe, bringing about positive change worldwide.  

Every year a different theme is chosen. This year the theme which will shape the celebration is “Our Bodies, Our Lives, Our Rights”, a theme which highlights demands to freely express gender and sexuality without threat of violence or subjugation (and a timely statement given current goings on across the Atlantic with regards to Roe vs. Wade). 

Hopefully you can take inspiration from the great events being organised across the globe, which you can access via Twitter. You can also drop into the Harrogate College LGBTQ+ space on Tuesday or Thursday afternoons during enrichment time. This is a safe space for those who identify as LGBTQ+ and straight allies where we chat, play games, and organise college celebrations for LGBTQ+ History Month and Pride. If you have any questions about the society, please email megan.hawkswell@harrogate.ac.uk. 

Artists, sculptors and ceramicists at Harrogate College are preparing to welcome the public to their first North Yorkshire Open Studios event.

The artists – all studying for a Master’s Degree in Creative Practice – have been busy putting the final touches to their work, and workspaces, ahead of the Saturday 4 June showcase.

Featuring over 100 artists, Open Studios gives visitors an opportunity to view and buy bespoke pieces to suit every budget.

North Yorkshire Open Studios gives artists and makers a chance to open their studios, network, and show and sell their work directly to the public over the first two weekends in June. The artist-led event is run by a voluntary steering group of North Yorkshire based artists.  

Dr Annabel Smith, Programme Manager, MA Creative Practice at Harrogate College said: “We are delighted to be hosting our first Open Studios event in June. It gives many of our student artists the opportunity to showcase their work.

“The NYOS event has grown to become one of the major events in North Yorkshire’s cultural calendar, as well as one of the North’s most prestigious open studios events. The college is honoured to be included this year and is highlighting and showcasing work produced by our Year 1 and Year 2 MA Creative Practice students.

“We look forward to welcoming visitors and art buyers from across the district and further afield, who will be able to find out more about the artists, their work and their aspirations for the future.”

The exhibited work will include ceramics, paintings, printmaking and textiles and will be on view to the public in the college’s canteen.

The show takes place from 9am to 5pm.

For more information about the artists visit https://www.nyos.org.uk/

Harrogate College prides itself on working hand in hand with local businesses and organisations to provide the skills and training they need to ensure that our economy grows and thrives. Our monthly newsletter is a handy way of keeping our partners informed of developments at the college.

To receive future Harrogate College Business Newsletters directly to your inbox click here

Business Newsletter – April 2022

Dear Partners, As a college focused on providing the green skills that our district needs we are always keen to announce new initiatives within this sector. A good example of this took place in April when we issued a press release all about how we are tailoring our courses to provide electric vehicle infrastructure training. Apprenticeships also have a vital role to play when it comes to plugging the national skills gap, so we are pleased to outline in this newsletter the steps we are taking to update our programmes and improve our offerings to best support local employers. Construction is one of the district’s key sectors, and we are delighted to be hosting a CITB funding awareness event at the college on Thursday 26 May when local firms will find out about grants, training and other forms of support.  One of the many events we held during March, for our Green Month, involved a visit from Too Good To Go, which works to reduce food waste by connecting people to restaurants and stores that have surplus, unsold food. We have now created an article all about the visit, as outlined below. We hope you enjoy the read. Danny Wild Principal Harrogate College — Meeting the electric vehicle challenge More training to support the country’s transition to electric cars will be introduced at Harrogate College this September. Harrogate, as recently widely reported in the media, has been revealed to be one of the ‘worst prepared areas in the UK’ in terms of supporting the shift to electric vehicles. Those findings were mainly based on the current scarcity of public charging points, with research showing that the district has just one for every 134 electric or hybrid cars. The college, however, is working hard to address the issue by teaming up with local specialists and providing technical courses to support the electric vehicle (EV) sector – and has just bought some charging units to use in training this September. Read the full story here. — Action on apprenticeships Recent figures have shown that apprenticeship numbers are falling nationwide – and especially in wealthier areas like Harrogate. Harrogate College, however, is taking action to reverse that trend by working closely with local businesses and tailoring its curriculum to deliver the skills they need. The college was part of a 100 in 100 recruitment campaign in February to encourage employers to take on an apprentice to ‘future-proof’ new and existing employees. Principal Danny Wild said: “While Harrogate is a relatively affluent town and many pupils who go on to study A Levels are likely to go on to university, we also need to factor in the increasing number of pupils who are interested in more practical options. “It is vital for businesses to understand how to recruit and support apprentices, and the college stands ready to support them. We work to ensure apprentices have the skills they need for the workforce. If we are to kickstart the economy by upskilling people, we need to promote apprenticeships as an option. “Through the 100 in 100 apprenticeship campaign and the employers’ network, there is plenty of opportunity for us to level up in the district. By addressing the employment and productivity gaps, we want to make sure no one is left behind regardless of what background or pathway they take.” The college currently works with more than 100 employers across industries such as hospitality, construction, science and pharmaceutical, as well as engineering. It consolidated its ties with those businesses by launching the Harrogate College Employers’ Network (HCEN) last October. Mr Wild added: “We are continually looking at ways to use our apprenticeship data so that we are better informed about how we can improve our programmes. We hope that as the employers’ network grows we can gather relevant data from all stages of the apprenticeship journey, both for the apprentice and employer, including on attendance at training right through to the endpoint assessment.” — Fresh thinking on food waste The college, which has made a Sustainability Pledge, is committed to promoting action that protects the environment – and recently introduced carbon literacy training for students and staff. As part of our Green Month activities in March, we brought together students and staff to educate them on the impact of food waste. An article all about the visit can now be read on our website, here. The college invited Lucy Mccarey, from Too Good To Go, to talk about the subject. Lucy, who has spent over two years fighting food waste and is passionate about the planet, introduced students to her top tips such as planning meals and storing food correctly – as well as using resources like the Too Good To Go app, where individuals can buy discounted food from organisations to prevent it being thrown away. —

Construction industry funding awareness event Harrogate College will be hosting a CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) funding awareness session for the local construction industry on Thursday 26 May. The event will give representatives from visiting businesses the chance to fiind out about what support, in terms of grants, funding and training opportunities, is available. The session runs from 8.30am to 9.30am and will include three short presentations including from John Long, of CITB, and Lorraine Kirbitson, from North Yorkshire Construction Training Group. A representative from the college will also give an overview of the courses and apprenticeships we offer, and show visitors the facilities that their staff and apprentices could use in our construction department. Those attending will also be able to find out about how to access free training at the college, funded by Zero Carbon Harrogate, later in the year. To reserve your place contact Lorraine on 07713 034917 (email lorraine@nyctg.co.uk) or book on Eventbrite here. —

We hope you’ve enjoyed this edition of our Business Newsletter – we’ll be back with more next month!