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Newsletter February 2014
Welcome - New season
Training days
Valuing education
People are dying...
Spring clean
Register with VisionWorks
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New Season 
No coats today. Buds bulge on chestnut trees,
And on the doorstep of a big, old house
A young man stands and plays his flute.
I watch the silver notes fly up
And circle in the blue sky above the traffic,
Travelling where they will.
And suddenly this paving-stone
Midway between my front door and the bus stop
Is a starting point.
From here I can go anywhere I choose. Wendy Cope
Here at Vision Works, we love the hope expressed in this poem. Spring is a time of hope for us all: new growth, new life, change...and hopefully more sunshine!!
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Training days
Monday 12 May - London
Thursday 12 June - Bristol All 0930-1500 hrs "This is the best out of school day I've ever had, (except for holidays)" M Stanley "Thoroughly enjoyed the day. I didn't know what to expect but feel that all staff should have the opportunity to go on this course." L Gould A chance to develop your own emotional intelligence and take home a set of tools to deliver this in your setting. To book online or for more information please click here. |
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Valuing education
 On my recent visit to Africa for our VisionZambia charity I met up with Marie Rose Ntigura and her daughter Amanda. Amanda is studying Medical Science at the University of Zambia and she shines with delight as she talks about how lucky she considers herself for the opportunity to learn.
Amanda also told us she was lucky to get accommodation on campus. This is despite the fact that she is in a room with six single beds shared between 10 people so they take turns to sleep. Also thieves come into the dorms every night from the compound next door so all her stuff has been stolen. Apparently there is residential accommodation on campus for only 700 students out of nearly 20,000 which sounds almost impossible to believe to our ears.
Yet Amanda is undaunted; she is bright and full of laughter. What a pleasure it was to meet her and be reminded of the value of education to an individual and a country. One day Amanda will write her story and we may glimpse more of her resilience and courage. Meanwhile it is a privilege to work with her mother at Chilanga hospice and Twigwilizane womens' group near Lusaka and we look forward to the continuing story of Amanda's success. Sue Allen
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"People are dying as the world watches coldly"
Stephen Hawking, arguably the most famous, ground-breaking scientist of our time, has appealed to the world to use emotional intelligence to reconnect with our sense of collective justice and empathy in order to come up with a solution for the humanitarian crisis in Syria. Click here to read more.
This is one of the most refreshing appeals I have heard for a long time. There seems to have been a battle in education and, I believe, in life in general, between heart and head. On one side is the practical, academic head bit that will accept nothing without proof and data. On the other side the heart speaks of the importance of emotions but is often unheard because emotions can't be seen or tested.
In the past couple of years, though, the boundaries have become increasingly blurred, as educators recognise the inherent value of teaching emotional wellbeing to students and employers realize its value in the workforce.
An appeal from Hawking brings the vision of many, where emotional intelligence is an integral part of our lives, one step closer.
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Spring cleaning!
 With the arrival of snowdrops, daffodils and lambs in the fields, the urge to Spring clean touches many. We are no exception and you can see the results on our brilliant, new website. We've taken the old website and given it a thorough overhaul. We've dusted the corners, moved the furniture and the free downloads have been hung out to air.
We hope you will agree that the result is better looking and easier to operate. We are looking forward to adding more and more in the coming months, for your delight!
Check it out at www.vision-works.net
We would be grateful for any feedback and /or any requests!
PS We also have updated the newsletter a bit.
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Register with VisionWorks
Register at www.vision-works.net for a host of FREE downloadable resources, assembly ideas and sample modules from our programmes.
More information
  VisionWorks for Schools now has its own Facebook page. All you have to do is like us and you will have regular updates of workshops, webinars, current EI news and more! We would love to hear from you too.
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