Junior Deans use Annual Fund support to spread cheer to students and host art competition
Student welfare was front and centre of recent Annual Fund awarding which spread cheer over the festive period and beyond with a range of creative initiatives, including a winter art competition that attracted stunning entries.
Through the generosity of donors to Green Templeton College, the Annual Fund provides grants for academic-related activities and support for college life.
Funding was awarded to the Junior Deans – Hettie Davies, Charlotte Lee and Carlos Outeiral – to brighten up the holiday season, particularly for those students unable to take part in household group activities through reasons such as COVID-19 isolation, health or availability of others, and for those remaining in college accommodation over Christmas.
The Junior Deans put together bags of festive decorations to deliver to students in college accommodation over the festive period.
Bags of festive decorations and craft kits were delivered to students’ front doors to ensure those remaining in college accommodation knew the Welfare Team was looking out for them, and were available to be contacted at any time, and to increase festive spirit for those unable to see family or friends.
There was a further treat on Christmas Eve for students in college accommodation, with Carlos baking several festive treats that were delivered to students’ doors.
In parallel, funding was used for a complimentary candy cane service to allow Green Templeton students to send each other candy canes with randomly generated compliments, which were placed into pidges at The Lodge. The aim was to increase the sense of community and communication within college and instil a ‘check on your neighbour’ mentality.
Annual Fund support also helped towards the Junior Deans’ winter art competition, open to all current students. The prize was a hamper of self-care items sourced, where possible, from local shops.
The winner was Thomas Gordon-Colebrooke, who produced a series of four wildlife photographs, including the beautiful images on this page showing a festive robin and a pair of swans on the Thames.
Thomas Gordon-Colebrook won the winter art competition with a series of four photographs, including this festive shot of a robin
Another of Thomas Gordon-Colebrook’s winning photographs was this beautiful image of swans on the Thames
Finally, the financial aid allowed the Junior Deans to buy nearly 100 desk plants for GTC students in both college and private accommodation, which were either delivered to front doors or placed on a COVID-secure outside pick-up stand for people to collect.
The plants, purchased from a family-owned garden centre, originated from sustainable sources, and came in fully recyclable postage and packaging. The Junior Deans said they chose to distribute plants because plants have been shown to increase mental health and ‘self-care’.
Praise for the Junior Deans!
More than 360 students were involved in and benefitted from the initiatives all together, with some participating in multiple activities. Anonymous feedback included:
“This is so sweet. It really means a lot for us staying here in the holidays. I appreciate it a lot.”
“I’ve had a really stressful term and I really appreciate you giving us the chance to get involved with student activities again.”
“How sweet and thoughtful this is… Thank you for looking after us and all that you do.”
“As I’m remaining in Oxford last minute, I really appreciate the team thinking of those left behind unexpectedly after believing I’d be with family for Christmas.”
More information
Find out more about the Annual Fund.
The Junior Deans have undergone training in crisis control, pastoral support and confidentiality. They are a good point of contact for students unsure who to contact about specific college or university queries, and are often the first point of contact for students experiencing issues that affect their welfare. Contact the Junior Deans via jd@gtc.ox.ac.uk or +44(0)7868 185963.
More entries from the winter art competition
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- Submitted by Alexandra Pavliuc
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- Submitted by Greco Malijan
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- Submitted by Janina
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- Submitted by Rosemary Walmsley
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- Submitted by Thomas Gordon-Colebrooke
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- Submitted by Thomas Gordon-Colebrooke
Congratulations to all of our new students who matriculated this weekend!
Welcome to Green Templeton 🐍🐚
Happy Friday!
We are ready and excited for a busy Michaelmas Term ahead.
Get ready for a discussion on leadership, diplomacy, philanthropy and Olympic sport. Plus a live fencing demonstration.🤺
On 28 October, we are bringing together four extraordinary women from the United States, United Kingdom and Pan-American sporting communities for the event: Bridging Nations, Leading Change.
The conversation will explore how sport can create change across borders, from women’s leadership and philanthropy to sports diplomacy and the Olympic movement.
With a welcome from Chief Executive of @TeamGB Jon Dutton OBE , alumna Selina Kaing (MBA, 2006) will moderate the panel`s discussion featuring:
🌎 Ana Irene Delgado, Permanent Representative of Panama to the Organization of American States
🏅 Sally Munday, Chief Executive of @UKSport
🤺 Georgina Usher MBE, Chief Executive of @BritishFencing
To register, go to the link in the comments
#GreenTempletonCollege #Oxford #WomenInLeadership #SportDiplomacy #Fencing #OlympicMovement #WomenInSport #OxfordEvents
Although we can not guarantee his attendance, Vincent encourages all new students to attend the college life fairs, taking place today from 14:00 to 15:30 in the marquee and Thursday 8 October from 10:30 to 12:00!
Meet college staff and representatives from student clubs!
The college is delighted to welcome a new Oxford PharmaGenesis DPhil Scholarship in Translational Health.
The scholarship has been established through an endowment gift of £1,660,000 from Oxford PharmaGenesis, now part of the Klick family, creating a permanent fund to support doctoral students undertaking outstanding postgraduate research in the field of translational health at Nuffield Department of Primary Care @oxford_uni
