Staff and students at South Tyneside College celebrated the opening of ‘The Globe’ yesterday (Wednesday, 5th March), a new social enterprise shop.
Located on campus, ‘The Globe’ is a project which has been brought to life by the college’s ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) students supported by ESOL lecturer, Emma Aabid. It will offer a range of affordable goods, including clothing, books, and bric-a-brac.
As a social enterprise, ‘The Globe’ supports sustainability by promoting the recycling of goods, helping to reduce waste, as well as providing affordable items to the student community. All profits will go to the college’s Dr Winterbottom Charitable Fund, which supports students facing hardship, helping them access necessary materials, support their studies, and overcome financial barriers to their education.
Principal, South Tyneside College, part of Tyne Coast College, Mandy Morris, said;
This initiative is a fantastic example of how, as a college, we are empowering students to engage with social enterprise and sustainability. By running the shop, students get valuable work experience while promoting the important values of recycling and supporting local causes through affordable fashion and goods.
So far, students have secured £900 in funding from ‘The Key’, with support from Auxilia Youth, to bring this project to life.
A special thanks to our Foundation Learning department, who contributed to the celebration by preparing cakes from around the world, each inspired by the countries where our ESOL students are from. This was a wonderful way to highlight the diversity of our community and celebrate the cultures of our learners.
Additionally, we’d like to extend a massive thank you to Impact, an external agency that our safeguarding team works closely with. Impact kindly visited the shop and made a generous donation of toiletries to support our local community. We are extremely overwhelmed by their generosity.
The shop will be run by ESOL students, with support from ‘Our 1 Community’ who will help with running the shop on Tuesdays and Thursdays as part of their social action project. This partnership will also help foster lasting connections between ESOL students and the wider community, creating an environment of collaboration, understanding, and mutual benefit.
If anyone within the college community would like to donate items to support the shop, please contact Emma Aabid directly. For any public donations, please leave them at Reception.
*Please note that ‘The Globe’ shop is not open to the general public, except for authorised visitors (such as contractors or clients using the college’s salon services, etc.).
L-R: Juan*, ESOL student & Principal of South Tyneside College, Mandy Morris
*Juan was selected through a ballot to ensure a fair appeal when assisting with cutting the ribbon.
