Tom Hartwell play @ The Edinburgh Fringe

Since graduating from drama school last year, Residence Life Supervisor Tom Hartwell has been developing a new play with fellow graduates from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. You Tweet My Face Space is a satirical comedy about the addiction to our new social world.

After an overwhelming response from theatre audiences, critics, FIE faculty and students alike, Tom is proud to announce a partnership with FIE as the play heads to the largest theatre festival in the world!

This is huge opportunity for FIE to reach a vibrantly diverse international community and by sponsoring the arts will bring FIE’s brand to new theatre schools from across the pond!

Upon returning from Edinburgh, the play will also be performed as part of the FIE London fall orientation.

Looking ahead to the future FIE hopes to bring actors, directors and writers into the classrooms to run workshops with students, engaging with our existing theatre programmes and developing new working relationships with accredited drama schools and local theatres, creating new enriching experiences for our students.

You can read more about Tom on his website: www.tomhartwellactor.com

FIE signs Time to Change Employer Pledge and appoints Employee Champions

On 31st March 2016, FIE was proud to sign the Time to Change Employer Pledge.

Time to Change, a joint venture between Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, is committed to tackling mental health stigma and discrimination. The Employer Pledge demonstrates FIE’s commitment to mental health and wellbeing and to breaking down mental health stigma and discrimination within the workplace.

Our pledge statement is as follows: FIE: Foundation for International Education is fully committed to ending mental health discrimination in the workplace and is proud to pledge to Time to Change. Our organisational values include a focus on Diversity & Inclusivity, which underpins our promise to provide a safe and open environment for all employees and welcome those from diverse populations. FIE’s activities undertaken for the pledge include reviewing our policies and procedures, promotion of mental health awareness as an organisation, and providing support tools. Our working groups will develop an action plan relating to all areas of FIE’s accessibility, including disability and mental health. A wellbeing section will be added to FIE’s annual appraisal process and the sickness and absence policy will be reviewed as it pertains to those experiencing mental health problems. This plus many more activities will continue the conversation about mental health at FIE and guide our goals as an organisation.

Our pledge commitment includes an Employer Pledge Action Plan, which has been developed by a team of FIE staff and which includes our current initiatives and resources, as well as action items for 2016, 2017 and beyond. We thank all staff involved in developing the action plan.

As one of the first steps in the action plan, FIE has appointed Clare Woessner and Jessica Burbury as Employee Champions.

Clare and Jess will help in driving forward change internally, and help embed positive changes within the workplace. As a next step, they will undergo an induction with the Employee Champions Officer at Time to Change, covering topics such as boundaries, activities and managing expectations amongst others, as well as highlighting how Time to Change can support them fully as Employee Champions. We thank Clare and Jess for getting involved!

Summer visiting faculty and interns

This summer FIE is delighted to welcome 16 visiting faculty members to FIE London. You can check out all of their bios at the link below!

2016 Summer visiting faculty bios

We are also delighted to welcome several interns this summer:

• Andrew Bell, a graduate student in Higher Education Administration at Louisiana State University who will be working on communications projects as well as some Residence/Student Life projects from late May to mid-August
• Adam Janoudi who will be interning with the Facilities Department from early to mid-June
• Adam Rehman who will be on a work placement in the IT department for 1 week at the beginning of July

FIE finalist for GoAbroad Innovation in Diversity Award

FIE was delighted to be a finalist in the 2016 GoAbroad Innovation Awards in the Diversity category for its Greek Connect programme, developed by Grahaeme Hesp.

The winners were announced at the GoAbroad Reception during the NAFSA Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado.

 

FIE staff and faculty collaborate on FIE video

In April, Aimee Predl, Director of External Communication, unveiled a new FIE Welcome to London video which can be viewed on FIE’s YouTube Channel.

FIE Photojournalism faculty member Sam Bland shot the video in and around London, interviewing our students about their internship and academic experiences and filming students and faculty in the classroom.

FIE staff member Victor Mellors features in the video, as well as faculty members Mark Woolgar and Ian Hill.

The video also highlight’s FIE’s values, and gives students a glimpse of what their FIE experience might look like. Congratulations to all involved in the project!

Helen and Hannah swam for Sport Relief

In late March, Helen Curtis and Hannah Feakes, each participated in 5k and 2.5k swimathons for Sport Relief, raising over £700 combined to support health and education projects in the UK and overseas.