17 minute read
HEROES IN OUR MIDST
PRESIDENT’S REFLECTIONS
Welcome to the new edition of ‘The Dragon’, which aims to examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our OG community and, of course, the wider world, while also looking ahead to consider what ’normal life’ might look like in future.
We have all been affected by this pandemic, to a greater or lesser extent, and will no doubt continue to be for quite some time. From schools shutting down, the joys of home schooling and multiple Zoom calls, through to panic buying, cancelled holidays and not being able to see our friends and family, COVID-19 has infiltrated every aspect of our lives. Not to mention the suffering of those who have contracted the virus or lost loved ones to it, and the extraordinary debt we owe care workers and the NHS. We are honoured to feature a member of the School community who works for the NHS in this edition of the magazine and we know there are many more within our community out there doing the same, all of whom are equally deserving of our gratitude.
Lockdown was an enormous challenge for the School itself, but it transitioned incredibly quickly to the effective provision of remote teaching and pastoral support. My fellow Committee Members and I have been hugely impressed by how the School responded, and continues to adapt, to the fast-changing requirements of this pandemic.
In a ground-breaking adaptation of our own, we held what we think must be the OGA’s first ever virtual AGM in June. We were delighted to welcome a small number of guests to join us for it, although we were obviously sad not to be able to conduct the meeting in person at School and be joined by all our usual loyal supporters. It was also a great shame that we had to cancel the Summer Lunch which usually follows our AGM and which, for many of us, is the highlight of the OGA calendar.
At the time of writing, we do not know if, or when, we will be able to reschedule this event but please rest assured that your Committee will continue to meet (virtually) on a regular basis and that we remain as committed as ever to supporting the OG community and the School throughout this most challenging of times.
I wish you all the best for the coming months and hope that it is not too long before we are able to meet in person again.
Best wishes in the meantime,
Mary Comer née MacKenzie (Class of 1997)
President Every academic year, the OGA makes grants of up to £500 available to current pupils and alumnae to support them in undertaking a project to assist and benefit a community, either in the UK or internationally. In 2019/2020, two grants were awarded to recent alumnae and the projects began very successfully. We were delighted to hear from Annis Archer and Gemma Bole, both of whom participated in projects in South Africa. The COVID-19 situation brought these activities to a premature conclusion, but not before a positive impact was made by these two young women in their respective projects.
COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE
A SOUTH AFRICAN SNAPSHOT
By Annis Archer (Class of 2019)
Team South Africa! Everyone was so welcoming when we arrived, and I couldn’t wait to spend a year with them all. For our first experience together in South Africa, we headed to Soweto (a deprived township near Johannesburg) which was a real eye-opener for us all. On our second day, we had orientation and shared a meal with our country representatives, Ian and Yvonne. Soon after, I travelled to Zithulele (the village I was volunteering in) with the other five girls I would be living with for the year. I was working for a nongovernmental organisation (NGO) called Jabulani with my project partner Zoë. The other four girls worked for different NGOs in the village, called Axium and the Zithulele Independent School.
Our accommodation for the year was built around two typical African circular huts called Rondavels. However, this was modernised with a kitchen, dining / living area, two bathrooms and three bedrooms for the six of us to sleep in. The host for Axium lived next door to us with her three children, who all made us feel at home. I volunteered for Jabulani Rural Health Foundation and worked on its antiretroviral (ARV) programme, which supplies life-saving medication for those with HIV. The programme alone supports over 4,000 patients in the surrounding area.
Taken just as we arrived in Johannesburg after an 11 hour flight. The staff at the hospital are utterly dedicated to saving lives day in, day out; it was truly inspirational that I was able to be part of their work. I had the opportunity to shadow doctors during my time here. I saw a Caesarean section and visited the wards and the outpatient department. It was always non-stop at the hospital with deliveries and the construction of a wheelchair ramp in progress during my time there.
We had clinics on Monday and Thursday for children, and on Wednesday for people with tuberculosis. Zoë and I worked
This was one of the consulting rooms for the anti-retroviral (ARV) unit.
Entrance to the Jabulani Rural Health Foundation Hospital.
together in the ARV unit, sorting out medication for patients to collect at the 12 satellite clinics in the hospital’s surrounding area. I was responsible for three of these clinics.
In December, Zoë and I were involved in volunteering at an event called Rolling Hills, which is for children with disabilities. This was hosted at another hospital called Madwaleni, about two hours away from where we lived. I painted faces for some of the children who have cerebral palsy and managed to get covered in glitter in the process! There was a wheelchair parade and running races as well as a 4km wheelchair race for the adults. It was a truly inspiring day and one which I will never, ever forget.
Donating blood was another new experience for me when I was abroad. The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) regularly visits Zithulele Hospital for donations. Whilst I was in South Africa, I donated twice and it was definitely not as painful as I originally thought it would be! I found out that one unit of blood can save up to three lives - amazing and incredibly worthwhile. World AIDS Day was another important date in the calendar for me and Zoë. To celebrate, we headed to one of our satellite clinics called Nzulwini - a clinic for which I packed. It was an incredible event and all spoken in Xhosa (the local language). There were many speakers, doctors talking, dancing, a football team taking part and lots of Xhosa people. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before.
I’m so disappointed to have had to leave my Zithulele family five months early. Zithulele taught me so much about myself and I am extremely grateful for the seven months I spent there, and all the experiences and opportunities I was given.
I have made friends for life and definitely plan to return in the future.
Event held to highlight World AIDS Day
Annis and Zoë at Zithulele Hospital
Donating blood at Zithulele Hospital
TEACHING, LEARNING AND GROWING
A SOUTH AFRICAN EXPERIENCE
By Gemma Bole (Class of 2019)
From August 2019 to March 2020, I was living in the city of Polokwane in the northern province of Limpopo in South Africa. I was based at a school called Mitchell House, which had a centre for children with disabilities called the Enrichment Centre. The Centre has three classes - the Junior class for children aged 4 to 9, the Senior class for children aged 9 to 14 and the Life Skills class for children aged 14 to 18. We rotated around each class on a monthly basis, spending a week in each and then a week as a teaching assistant at the nursery class for 4 to 5-year olds.
At the Enrichment Centre, the children had a range of different disabilities including Autism, Down Syndrome,
Rett Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy. At the Centre, I assisted with teaching the children life skills including cooking, cleaning, art, music, gardening, exercise, Maths and English. At first it was quite challenging; some of the children had behavioural issues and there was a very wide range of abilities. However, as time went on,
I was better able to manage and adapt the activities so that there was something to suit every level of ability. The work was hard, yet very rewarding.
At the nursery school, we led the children through lots of activities that developed both their fine and gross motor skills, including art and drawing activities, ball games and story reading with fantasy play.
We worked at either the nursery or the Enrichment Centre from 7am until 12:30pm every day. In the afternoon, before Christmas, we assisted with after-care. I taught them lots of games and activities to keep them occupied and I also assisted at Netball Club for the mainstream secondary school, teaching the girls new skills and practices.
I also became involved in the local community. I started playing hockey for a local team with some of the teachers and, having run in some of the local Polokwane races, I was about to join the running club but then we were sent home due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Over Christmas we were fortunate enough to spend time travelling around South Africa. We drove from Polokwane to Cape Town, stopping off at the Drakensberg Mountains, Durban and three different coastal towns. Having time to explore South Africa was incredible. It is such a breathtakingly beautiful and diverse country. I tried surfing, hiked up to the Tugela falls – one of the highest waterfalls in the world – explored the beautiful Kirstenbosch gardens, hiked up Table Mountain three times and visited Robben Island.
Those seven months were definitely some of the most exciting months of my life; it was a once in a lifetime experience that I will certainly never forget. Thank you for making this opportunity possible for me with the support of the OGA Grant - I sincerely appreciate it.
INNOVATION
IN MOTION
Interview with Lauren Bissett, User Acquisition Executive for Mallzee
The retail world has felt major impacts arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has also been an example of innovation and commitment to its communities, both in everyday life and online. The reliance on retail, particularly for food and sustenance is unavoidable and this has presented retailers with opportunities and the necessity to evolve, but it has also encouraged many of them to think more broadly and consider supply chains, ethics and the environment more than ever before. While there have been revelations of some retailers and suppliers stepping back from responsibilities in their working communities there are also (thankfully) more wonderful stories of innovation, support and a commitment to sustainability in the long term from many retail-led organisations. One innovative young company, based in Edinburgh, is an example of that commitment to being a purposeful and ethical retail business. Mallzee is an online shopping experience, designed to allow people to browse and buy from multiple brands through a mobile application. Established in 2013 by a young founding team, it has received global recognition for its forward-thinking approach.
A key part of this innovative young team is Lauren Bissett (Class of 2011) and we are so pleased to welcome her to this edition of ‘The Dragon’. With an impressive academic record, Lauren chose not to follow a more traditional route into employment and instead focused on finding a company that she could feel passionate about, which matched her own sense of purpose and commitment to delivering good. Lauren is responsible for driving Mallzee’s ‘Lost Stock’ initiative – conceived and launched with great success during the lockdown period to support factory workers in Bangladesh who have faced a sudden and dramatic reduction, or complete cancellation, of orders. The impact of this is the difference between life and death for many of these workers, who rely on the income to feed themselves and their families. Lauren’s passion for this campaign is clear and reflects the positive outcomes that can be achieved with determination, collaboration and an ingrained sense of fairness and equality.
My own experience has taught me that graduates cannot wait for opportunities to be presented to them, they have to be proactive.
We were really pleased that Lauren was happy to be interviewed and appear in this edition. We have very much enjoyed hearing about the important work that she is doing to support deprived communities in Bangladesh during this hugely challenging time.
When were you at St George’s?
I started in the nursery at St George’s in 1997 and was there until leaving Upper Six in 2011. I am the proud owner of a platinum badge!
What subjects did you study?
By Sixth Form, I spent most of my time in the languages corridor studying Spanish and French to Advanced Higher. Outside of languages, I kept a wide spread of subjects including Geography, Maths, English and Business Management.
Do you think the subjects you studied have impacted your career choices?
When I was at school, I really didn’t know what I wanted to do for a career, so I purposefully avoided narrowing down my subjects into one area of focus. I enjoyed all the subjects I studied in Upper Six, so I applied to university to study Spanish, Management and French. I took both Spanish and Management to Honours level. The decision to keep my options open throughout my education encouraged me to learn about lots of different careers, try some out and see what I enjoyed doing most. I was not very sporty at all at school. My extra-curricular activities mostly involved being in groups, like Duke of Edinburgh or Young Enterprise, which were all really fun and good lessons in teamwork.
Was there a teacher, mentor or fellow pupil within the school who particularly helped or inspired you to recognise and/or follow your dreams and set out on your current career path?
I received a lot of support from all the teachers at school, particularly my Spanish teachers Mrs Campbell and Dr Dorward. In Sixth Form, I was given the opportunity to go to Madrid twice to gain work experience in teaching, but primarily to practice my Spanish. Not only did I fall head over heels for Madrid as a city (where I later spent my third year of university abroad), but these opportunities definitely helped me to stand out from others with similar grades when applying to university and for jobs.
What stood out for you most about the education experience at St George’s?
I honestly really enjoyed school, realising when I was at university that it is not a given that you do enjoy it. I was strong academically and worked very hard to achieve the grades that I got. There was always a good balance of doing what was necessary in order to be in the best position to succeed academically, and also going beyond the coursework to learn other skills that we would go on to need. Languages were taught very well at St George’s - I still think I was more fluent in Spanish on leaving school than I was after my Spanish degree! Far too many to even count. My favourite memories mostly involve the nonsense conversations we would have in the common room or sat on our form room floor on a Monday morning, talking about the weekend. We were a really close year group; I’ll never forget the day we thought we had been so sneaky, organising a lunchtime water fight, to be met with a row of teachers on our way in confiscating water pistols. We always had a laugh together.
What sort of influence did St George’s have on you as you look back now?
St George’s had a huge influence on me. Most of my best friends today are people I met at St George’s, girls I’ve known since I was four years old. It was a really safe place, a secure and stable environment to grow up in, for which I’m grateful.
What did you study at University? Did this directly impact on your career path?
I studied Spanish, French and Management at the University of St Andrews. The Management course had the strongest impact on my career path, as it was varied enough that I could learn about a lot of different areas of a business and work out what I was and wasn’t suited to. In my final semester I took an International Marketing class which I loved, and I knew that that was the area I wanted to focus on to start my career.
Can you tell us a bit about your job and the responsibility you have at Mallzee?
At Mallzee, I am the Head Marketer for our clothes shopping app. My goal is to find new users for the app through digital adverts and our social media presence, then optimise the shoppers’ experience when they download and use the app to make them want to continue to use it. I joined the team as an intern during university, so my role has changed a lot over the course of four years, which has been great. As we’re still a relatively new start-up company, I’ve grown with the company and learned as it does, which has been fantastic.
Can you tell us how the company has adapted or innovated in response to the pandemic?
At the start of lockdown, we found out that high street retailers had cancelled $2bn worth of stock orders with their factories in countries like Bangladesh, leading to over 1.8 million garment workers losing their jobs. We read a quote from a factory owner on the BBC who said: ‘if my workers don’t die from Coronavirus, they’ll die of starvation’, which made us stop and think about how we could help.
As a team, we came up with the idea of ‘Lost Stock’, a £35 box of clothes from this cancelled high street stock, which prevents the clothing from potentially going to waste, and supports a garment worker and their family for a week through our NGO partner, SAJIDA Foundation. It’s been an entirely new venture for us, and a fast learning curve, but we managed to sell over 100,000 boxes in the first few weeks, which is more than we had hoped to sell in the first year!
How many other businesses or organisations have supported the Lost Stock initiative?
We have been overwhelmed by the support we’ve received from other businesses and professionals, offering their time, knowledge and connecting us to even more people who could help us.
