Welcome back to Edinburgh College!  It's been a lovely couple weeks off, and we hope you got to celebrate the holidays with those you love around you.

We know that for some, the winter break can be isolating, so we'll be hosting a Wellbeing Fair in the upcoming weeks to hopefully provide some assistance for those who need it both inside the college and outside of college hours. We'll also be running our clubs and societies as usual, so please come along if you'd like to join in the fun!

Now last year was an amazing and difficult year for so many reasons, but we hope that we made this past year just that little bit more enjoyable!

This year is certainly going to be an interesting one for our community, and of course we'll be bringing even more fun and exciting activities to the college campuses!

From stalls, to activities, campaigns to elections, it's going to be a busy second semester and we can't wait to share it with you.

Your Officer Team,
Skye, Luna, & Jon

Feedback Friday is back, and this time, we want to know whether you think that Edinburgh College is an inclusive place for LGBTQ+ students. You can answer this question even if you're not yourself part of the LGBTQ+ community, we're looking for overall impressions here. As always, you can leave comments based on your experiences too.

Today's question: How inclusive is Edinburgh College for LGBTQ+ students?

Our VP Activities, Jon Craig, is running an Opportunities Fair next Thursday 25th January from 11am to 2pm in the Sighthill Campus Atrium.

Find out more about our Clubs and Societies, meet some of the members, and take part in the fun activities we have planned. We hope to see you there!

The next set of Class Rep meetings are coming soon. We'd love as many Reps as possible to attend these meetings, as we'll be sharing important updates on upcoming events at College. The meetings are taking place on the following dates. Remember, you only need to attend one of these meetings:

• Monday 29th January, 4-5pm online via Teams
• Tuesday 30th January, 12-1pm at Milton Road Campus, Room 1-27
• Wednesday 31st January, 12-1pm at Granton Campus, Room A-204
• Thursday 1st February, 12-1pm at Sighthill Campus, Atrium Rooms 1 & 2

We're really grateful to everyone who came along and shared their feedback at the meetings in November, which was circulated to the Board of Management and the Senior Management at the end of last year. Class Reps are playing a key part in improving the Learning & Teaching experience at College.

EC Students' Association is run by students, and every March we ask Edinburgh College students elect their representatives for the next academic year.

Are you passionate about advocating for others? Do you wish you could make students' voices heard? Would you like the opportunity to develop your skills, make new connections and work in a friendly and supportive team? Then you might be interested in running to be our next Student President, Vice President Activities or Vice President Welfare.

The positions are 35 hours a week, from 1st July 2024 - 30th June 2025. The salary is £21,840 (additional pay award pending).

This event is part of WHALE's on-going project Empowered Enterprise which supports people with their business development - whether you have a brilliant idea or just dream of running your own business - this is for you.

Join them next Thursday for a free workshop with entrepreneur Nikki McWilliams. Nikki has started two successful, creative businesses from scratch! She will share her story and secrets to success along with a workshop for us all to visualise and develop your ideas. There will be time at the end for tea, biscuits and an opportunity to chat with each other. 

Event Details:

Date: 25th January 2024
Time: 6-8 pm
Location: WHALE Arts Centre, 30 Westburn Grove, Edinburgh, EH14 2SA

This event is open to everyone and there is no need to book - just come along! Feel free to invite friends and family that would be interested too.

There is a free creche available which does require booking - phone 0131415267 and let them know how many spaces you'd like.

Are you care experienced and thinking about studying at HN-level, a SWAP or access course, or going onto university?

Hub for Success offer advice and support with:

• Tailored information and advice on routes and pathways to learning and education – achieving your dream.
• Tailored information and advice on financial support and bursaries available.
• Struggling with coursework or deadlines and feeling like you may drop out? We can help – get in touch.
• Thinking about a change of course or direction?

They are running an event next Wednesday 24th January 2024 @ 4-5pm 

We work alongside the College to promote and defend the amazing diversity of our students on campus and online. 

There is a system in place where students can report instances of hate and misogyny at College.

If you experience or witness an incident which you believe is motivated by hate, you can inform the College anonymously or with your contact details.

Campuses are getting busier again with the new Semester starting, so make sure you are up to date on your responsibilities if you are driving to campus.

• Have a valid parking permit (available from reception)
• Park only in designated parking bays
• Display parking permit clearly, advised to be on windscreen

Parking attendants are on campus between 8am and 3pm, Monday-Friday and you are subject to a penalty fine (sent directly to your home address) if you do not comply with parking regulations.

Rock Trust are a charity offering advice on housing, employment and finances. They're running a series of drop-in events in the college over the next month on each campus. 

If you need any advice or support, make sure to visit them!

Sighthill Campus
Tuesday Jan 30th
11:30am - 2pm

Granton Campus
Tuesday Feb 6th
11:30am - 2pm

Milton Road Campus
Tuesday Feb 20th
11:30am - 2pm

Midlothian Campus
Tuesday Feb 27th
11:30am - 2pm

There will be a UK General Election in 2024. At the next UK General Election, everyone will need to provide Photo ID to be able to vote. 

To help make sure students have the relevant ID, the National Union of Students (NUS) have teamed up with CitizenCard to provide FREE Photo ID for students (usually £18). 

Photo ID is useful for lots of things, especially when you are applying for jobs, rental agreements, and, of course, proof of age - so, don't miss out, grab your FREE Photo ID using the  discount code "NUS" and save yourself £15 and a lot of hassle

Use discount code "NUS" to get it for FREE (usually £15)