Giving Tuesday - why give? by guest blogger and SATRO Patron James Dubois

At a time when our minds are full of the recent horrific terrorist murders in Paris, it is perhaps good to focus on what we, personally, can do to help others. Rather than sit back and leave actions to others, we should consider what difference each of us could make to the lives and opportunities of those less fortunate than ourselves.

Material objects and hedonistic pleasures are but a fleeting pleasure: how much better to give to worthy causes with which we can identify. Whether it be £1, £100 or £1,000 – start with some gift, of any amount, to help others. It’s a good habit that rewards the donor as much as it enriches the recipient. Gifts freely donated will probably not change your standard of life, but they may make a big difference to those who need the funds.

Are you ready to make a habit of giving and, in the process, enrich your own life?

- James Dubois, SATRO Patron

If you would like to give to SATRO you can do so by texting SATR11 to 70070 or visit our website to find out how else you can support us. 

SATRO RECEIVES £10,000 GRANT FROM HEATHROW COMMUNITY FUND

 TO FUND SATRO MOBILE CLASSROOM CONSTRUCTION COURSE AT

SUNBURY MANOR SCHOOL, SUNBURY-ON-THAMES, MIDDLESEX

SATRO is delighted to announce that Heathrow Community Fund has donated £5,000 towards the cost of the SATRO Mobile Construction Classroom to attend Sunbury Manor School, Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex on a weekly basis. SATRO runs a fleet of five mobile classrooms which attend schools across Surrey and its boards teaching up to BTEC Level 1 Building and Construction Skills to Years 10 and 11 students. 

Louise Duncan, HeadTeacher said “We have worked for years with SATRO Mobile Classroom for our Year 10 and Year 11 students and it has made such a difference to them.  They have relished the opportunity for more hands on practical work, enjoyed developing their skills and working in a completely different environment.  For some students it has given them an opportunity to succeed in a way which more academic subjects have not always offered them.  It has also had such a beneficial impact on their other students as they have seen the Construction Classroom as something special for them, somewhere where they can succeed and work in a different way and for many it has shown them a way into college.  We were so disappointed that for financial reasons we were not able to continue this provision and so grateful for the injection of funding from Heathrow Community Fund which means we will be able to do so.  It will make such a difference to our next cohort of Year 10 students, thank you.”

Heathrow Community Fund also donated £5,000 to SATRO to help fund a new van for this much needed programme.

Heathrow Community Fund is part of an independent grant–making charity set up by Heathrow’s owners to support and strengthen local communities close to the airport.  In the past two years it has donated more than £1 million through three grant programmes, funding projects which support young people, help protect the environment and support active local communities.  Funds come from an annual donation from the airport, donations from airline passengers and fine imposed on aircraft that breach noise limits.  

SATRO Volunteer donates pre-war Meccano set

We'd like to send a huge thank you to our volunteer that very kindly donated a pre-war Outfit no.10 Meccano set for us to sell. After placing an advert on a specialist Meccano website, we are pleased to say that we have sold the set for a massive £555! Thank you so much to our very generous volunteer, this money will go towards inspiring more and more young people in Surrey about their future careers!

Why engage with schools? Corporate Social Responsibility - Lucy Miguda

Many companies use SATRO to help them meet their CSR targets by enabling them to engage with their local schools.  In the press we read constantly about employers concern about not being able to find the right kind of staff and students nowadays do not have the problem solving skills or ability to “think outside the box”.  Many of the programmes we run are designed to address these issues and more.  SATRO is an outstandingly effective educational charity which has been working with young people across the south east of England for 30 years and in that time has worked with over 450,000 young people.  We provide real-life experience of the working world particularly in Business, Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.

We inspire and enthuse young people about their future careers by giving them practical engagement opportunities with the working world throughout their time at school.  We offer bespoke packages to help you meet your CSR requirements for employee engagement:

·         Mentoring programmes

·         One day school events

·         High profile sponsorship opportunities

Last year, our business volunteers contributed 13,831 hours and 100% felt supported by SATRO and they would also volunteer again!  By partnering with SATRO you will be helping bridge the skills gap between education and business whilst engaging your employees.  We can help you:

Raise your community profile

Enhance employee skills

Increase job satisfaction

Attract the next generation of employees

Promote your brand through sponsorship

We provide meaningful data on the impact of your corporate community engagement.  We provide measurable outcomes to demonstrate the difference and impact your engagement has with young people in your area.  We provide rigorous training and DBS checks for volunteers.  We offer many inspiring programmes and we have an excellent record of working very successfully with large and small corporations: Allianz, Legal & General, Unum, Air Products, CISCO, ExxonMobil, Toyota (GB) Plc to name but a few.

Please contact Lucy Miguda, Business Development and Fundraising Manager lucy@satro.org.uk or 01483 688070 for further information

#GIVINGTUESDAY COMES TO UK

You may have heard about this in the press recently, but what is it? Black Friday is the first Friday following Thanksgiving and it traditionally marks the start of Christmas shopping season, this is followed by Cyber Monday which is the busiest online shopping day for retailers globally. Giving Tuesday takes place on Tuesday 2nd December, it asks everyone to do one simple charitable act on the day as part of their run up to Christmas. Whether it be making a donation, volunteering your time or just spreading the word, Giving Tuesday is a call to action for everyone who wants to give something back.

This year, the UK campaign has been launched by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), working closely with Blackbaud, the Cabinet Office, and a wide range of charities,companies and sector bodies, building on the enormous success of the campaign in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Singapore and across Latin America.

Why not make SATRO a part of your #GivingTuesday? Donate now by texting SATR11 to 070070 and the amount you would like to donate, or you could volunteer your time, find out how by emailing dani@satro.org.uk 

#SATROConcert - Academix

SATRO have organised an a cappella concert on Saturday 18th October, it will be hosted by Epsom College. Academix, are just one of many performers on the night. They are a new, exciting singing group; a 5 piece contemporary a cappella group with vocal percussion. All of Academix's repertoire is arranged specifically for the group by its members, making the most of their unique versatility and talents. To avoid missing their performance, book your tickets here!

New member of the SATRO team!

Today, SATRO welcomes Lucy Miguda, who will become a member of the team. Lucy is going to be our Fundraising and Business Development Manager, whose main role will be to step up our fundraising for the 30k for 30 years campaign. We can't wait for her to become part of the team and look forward to working with her!