The Foundation Learning students this year have worked with The Edward Starr Trusthttp://www.starrtrust.com/ on their CHOCS (Children Helping Other Children Smile) programme to raise funds for orphaned and less fortunate students in Tanzania, enabling them to attend school.

The CHOCS programme is aimed predominantly at schools, but having heard about our courses and learner group, Edward Starr were keen to work alongside Varndean.

Having attended team building and confidence workshops run by the trust at the Crew Club, students were offered the opportunity to choose a charity that they would like to work with and then developed ideas to help raise funds.

Given our students background, it was fantastic to see that they really took ownership of this and were able to raise £360 for the charity Shika http://www.shika.org.uk/ which goes a long way to helping children in Tanzania access education.

This was all done in the space of 3 months through car boot sales, youth discos, cake sales and various raffles, all undertaken voluntarily within the students own time on the whole.

To round this off, some of our students attended an event at the Brighton Theatre Royal on Tuesday 10th July to present their work as well as their cheque to a representative from Shika.

To stand up in front of an audience of 60+ students, teachers, chair people, business members and Claire Martin OBE would be nerve racking at the best of times, let alone having never had to present to such a big group. A truly astonishing achievement!!!

Don’t forget its exam week this week. Make sure you know when your exams are and turn up on time.

If you don’t know when your exams are, make sure you contact someone and find out!

What a night….! LYVe swept the board at the Young Enterprise Area finals for Company Programme last night by winning five, yes FIVE, of the awards.

Best Branding, Best Marketing, Best Company Report, Young Achiever and BEST COMPANY!

Beating 9 other Young Enterprise companies from Brighton, Hove and Lewes 7 of which are private schools and colleges, Live Young VIbe are the first group of young people from a state education organisation to have won these awards in this area, fabulous achievement considering their backgrounds!

A well deserved win that puts them through to the county finals on May 16th in East Grinstead. We are so proud and are looking forward to the next round….bring it on…!