The Newsletter of Homerton College, Cambridge & The Homerton Roll

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PILKINGTON TRAVEL GRANTS Each year a number of students are awarded travel grants from Pilkington Travel and the Gates Cambridge Trusts. Here are two examples of the excellent work done overseas by our students. BACK PACT 2010: INDIA AND NEPAL In July 2010, funded by the Pilkington Travel grant, I joined a group of fellow students on a month-long trip to schools across India and Nepal. Our aim was to use drama workshops and performances to initiate a cultural exchange between Cambridge and a number of institutions in the area. We devised a twenty minute performance based on a European folktale and set off for India. Arriving just before the monsoon began in Delhi, our initial days were spent getting used to the immense heat and the culture, and coincided with the Commonwealth Games putting its mark on the city. We began in a large school in Lucknow which was funded by a British businessman, moving on to charity schools in the fascinating Varanasi, then the Jamghat shelter for street-children in Delhi and continuing to several schools funded by British/Nepali charity initiatives in Kathmandu. Our aim was to challenge the imaginations of the children we met and discuss our ideas about creative learning with teachers. The workshops shared drama games with children, which was a privilege, especially an instance when a simple call and response game concluded with a once-shy girl shouting dance moves to a crowd of 100 pupils, whilst locals sat on the perimeter walls staring as we shared the fun! I was fascinated to see that many children who had lived in slum areas seemed to adapt more quickly to imaginative thinking games than those in school. During one game in which an invisible ball of sound is passed between players, even the youngest children at Jamghat were so entranced by the ‘ball’ that they clambered to grab it, creating new noises and movements as it was passed. It was striking to compare this to pupils in prestigious schools who were adept at taking in and reproducing information without as much ability to think critically and creatively. It Top Group Singing Right Matilda and students at Lucknow often seemed that the young children who had the need for resilience were particularly responsive when asked for individual, artistic thought. All the children with whom I worked were enthusiastic and shared their traditions with us: from Rajasthani dancing, Indian soap-opera style performance to colourful Nepali dress. Having studied drama, I realise the commonality it highlights between different cultures. The sharing of ideas and passions is essential for our understanding of others. So I would encourage people of all ages to step beyond their comfort zone and to share something which matters to them. Matilda Stickley Education with English and Drama 2007–2010 16 Homertonian
HIV/AIDS EDUCATION, GHANA Thanks to a £500 Pilkington Travel Award, I was able to accept a placement as an intern working with AIESEC CUC (Association Internationale des Étudiants En Sciences Économiques et Commerciales, Central University College), based in Accra, Ghana, from August to October 2010. I was working on the ASK project (Answers, Solutions and Knowledge), an initiative centred on HIV and AIDS awareness and education, with the main focus on educating primary and secondary school children about HIV. The six weeks I spent as an intern in Ghana were extremely challenging, exciting, inspirational, testing, and instructive. Emily Taylor-Hunt on her project in Accra I had undertaken a lot of research before arriving and I was ready to start immediately. However, I soon realised the organisation was very relaxed, I was not given a huge amount of guidance, there was poor time-keeping, and a very hasslefree attitude to getting things done. While this can be very positive, I found it difficult to get used to this laid-back approach. Even until the last week I still found it extraordinary how, after already postponing opening for a week, I would turn up at a school to teach only to be told they were closing and sending all the children home for another week, just so they could ‘get things ready’. I quickly realised that entering an internship with unshakeable expectations was not helpful! At first, the fact that the project I was working on gave me a lot of freedom and not much guidance was daunting. However, I took it as a chance to do as much as I could on my own accord. I spent hours discussing HIV and AIDS with other interns, planning lessons and discussing the issues surrounding HIV and AIDS education. We came up with creative ways of teaching – using puppets, devising quizzes, creating short pieces of drama, and making the lessons as interactive as possible. We taught children from 11 to 17 years of age. It became clear how complex HIV education is. The subject deals with issues of prejudice, including homophobia and racism. It raises questions of sexuality, selfesteem, gender attitudes and individuals’ hopes and fears. I learnt a great deal on my internship in Ghana and subsequently I have been inspired to get involved with HIV and AIDS education and awareness locally, and now volunteer in Cambridge with two charities. The skills and knowledge I developed, and the experiences I had in Ghana, are invaluable and I look forward to building on them in my future career. Emily Taylor-Hunt Education with English and Drama 2009–2012 Homerton College 17
Page 1 and 2: Homertonian The Newsletter of Homer
Page 3 and 4: principal’s letter Kate PrettY Th
Page 5 and 6: while working in a school at Soham;
Page 7 and 8: HOMERTON: The Evolution of a Cambri
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Page 11 and 12: Left and opposite page Phoebe Haine
Page 13 and 14: HOMERTON COLLEGE BOAT CLUB 2010 to
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Page 19 and 20: MCR The MCR has had an exciting yea
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