to celebrate the achievements of pupils, staff and partners involved in developing and delivering projects under the GELS banner;
to share content and learning from GELS funded projects with other members of the network;
to highlight the quality and breadth of work undertaken by the network to key personnel within the two local authorities (Leicester and Leicestershire).The event was officially opened by the Lord Mayor of Leicester. I arrive about 1300, hotfoot from the REDP delivery group meeting, just in time to see the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress leave - but also just in time to catch the children from various schools taking part in the Salsa Workshop run by Maggie Munoz. The library has a great little (and little-used) theatre which makes a superb venue for this sort of event. It's fondly remembered locally as a place where dances and concerts were held during WWII for local people and US and British servicemen from the nearby barracks. I'm not convinced it's been put to much use since then - but today it certainly is!
There's a really good turnout of teachers, pupils, students, supporters and fans of GELS. We enjoy presentations on the Food for Thought Project (by Whitehall Primary School, Leicester), on their Community Cohesion Project (by Castle Rock High School and Newbridge High School, Coalville), on an Archaeological Evidence and Identity Project (by Rushey Mead Secondary School) and on a South African Fair Trade Enterprise Project (by Brocks Hill Primary School, Oadby). There's also a chance to explore the GELS Resource Centre.
Leicester Council of Faiths has always actively supported Global Education LeicesterShire, which in turn has given us an appropriate platform for our work with teachers, pupils and teachers. I'm wholeheartedly committed to their cause and today, our current Chair, Councillor Manjula Sood, and our immediate past Chair, Minou Cortazzi, are here.
The future of GELS is uncertain, to put it mildly. Its current source of funding, from the Department for International Development (DfID) runs out at the end of August and nothing has been found to replace it - yet. Leicester Council of Faiths has been actively involved in the work of GELS since I came into my post. I would feel very disappointed if it were forced to wrap up its services. Global Education LeicesterShire is run by its Joint Co-Ordinators, Clare Carr and Claire Plumb (photo above). They are two dedicated, imaginative, resourceful people who have been of great assistance, support - of inspiration even - to me, personally and professionally. Thre's no one in or around the city better suited to doing this work. I'd like to think that they'll still be actively involved in the months and years to come (if that's alright with them, of course).
You can read the Lord Mayor of Leicester's blog entry for this event:
http://councillor.leicester.gov.uk/home/colin-hall/my-blog/
There's a fullsome report of this event on the website of Citizens' Eye Community News Agency - which contains a link back to this blog entry. Don't click on that link unless you want to risk triggering a recursive occlusion!
http://www.citizenseye.org/2010/06/30/global-education-leicester-shire-event/
