Issue 5 | Summer 2017
The Power of Philanthropy – changing society for the better An article by Christine Taylor (Class of 1970), Emeritus Fellow at Merton College Oxford and former Development Director having led the College’s £30 million 750th Anniversary Campaign
Alumnae in international development Alumnae working overseas and facilitating social change in the UK
Am I an alumna or an Old Girl? A note from Anthea Hartley (Class of 1966), on St Helen’s Profile magazine and the alumnae community, what it is and how is it relevant to you and me?
a note from... Welcome to our fifth edition of Profile in which we meet alumnae who have pursued careers in the not-for-profit sector. Working both at national and international level, these women are contributing to the well-being of others and empowering change. The not-for-profit sector is often over-looked by students and adults alike when thinking about careers. Yet what is clear from the alumnae profiled here is that, whether they always knew that this would be the sector for them or having stumbled across it, the not-for-profit sector has offered them fulfilling and rewarding careers. Charities come in all shapes and sizes and can lead people in many different directions. They enable people to engage with some of life’s greatest challenges, to travel the world or work in the UK. They provide opportunities to be directly involved or work in a variety of ways behind the scenes. Ultimately, careers in the sector can be some of the most rewarding and exciting on offer. Though a career in the not-for-profit sector will not be the destiny for all of us, we nevertheless give back to our community by volunteering our time or providing financial support. In this issue, Christine Taylor, an alumna who has recently retired as Development Director at Merton College, Oxford explores the power of philanthropy and how our donations and charitable giving have an impact on our society and the work of those in the sector.
dates for the diary Please contact the Development Office or visit www.sthelens.london/Events for more information.
Alumnae vs Girls Lacrosse Match Saturday 9th September 2017 – St Helen’s School Alumnae parents and friends of St Helen’s are invited to watch our newly formed first team open the season against our alumnae. This will be followed by our annual Big BBQ on the same day. Please contact the Development Office if you are interested in playing in the alumnae team.
The Big BBQ Saturday 9th September 2017 – St Helen’s School Following our Alumnae vs Girls lacrosse match, alumnae are invited to a fun afternoon reunion with outdoor activities, rounders and a fantastic BBQ.
Futures Evening: Creative Industries Wednesday 11th October 2017 – St Helen’s School Parents and alumnae working in the Arts and Creative Industries are invited to meet our Year 10-13 students interested in a career in this field.
Giving back to the community is a life-long commitment and at St Helen’s we encourage the girls’ interests in the wider world and instil in them a sense of responsibility to their community and the world around them. Whether through devoting their time and commitment to a particular cause (such as Phab) or in support of fundraising through the work of the Charities Committee, St Helen’s students embrace their charitable responsibilities fully. Selfless giving is an attribute that we know our students will take with them as they grow and develop into responsible global citizens.
Calendar Sale
I am sure that you will find this issue both inspiring and thought provoking.
Class of 2017 Certificate Collection
I wish you all an enjoyable summer. Dr Mary Short, Headmistress
Saturday 25th November 2017, 11.00am-2.00pm – St Helen’s School
Carol Service Monday 11th December 2017, 6.30pm-8.00pm – Holy Trinity Church, Northwood
Class of 2017 Festive Reunion Wednesday 20th December 2017 – Venue TBC An opportunity for the class of 2017 to get together for some festive cheer and catch up with their classmates.
Wednesday 3rd January 2018, 2.00pm-4.00pm – St Helen’s School The class of 2017 are invited to tea and cookies in the School House foyer to collect their A level certificates.
The Power of Philanthropy – 4 changing society for the better An article by Christine Taylor (Class of 1970), Emeritus Fellow at Merton College Oxford and former Development Director having led the College’s £30 million 750th Anniversary Campaign, as well as the 750th Anniversary Celebrations
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lumnae in international development A working overseas
8 Alumnae in international development working in the UK
10 Alumnae facilitating social change in the UK From our students 12 Empowering change through our Charities Committee upporting Our Vision together 14 SIntroducing our Development Fund
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From the Development Office A note from Anthea Hartley (Class of 1966), on St Helen’s Profile magazine and the alumnae community, what it is and how is it relevant to you and me?
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Alumnae news
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School news
cover photo The cover image was taken by photographer Melissa Sung. The photo is of alumna Malika Giles (Class of 2009) who works for the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat in Tajikistan. The photo was taken during a field visit to one of the most inaccessible field offices Malika works with in the region which is located in Khorog, nestled in the isolated Pamir mountain range in Tajikistan. The mountain range is among the world’s highest and since Victorian times has been known as the "Roof of the World". To read more about Malika’s work in Tajikistan please turn to page 6.
Feature story
The Power of Philanthropy – changing society for the better Over the centuries philanthropy has been changing people’s lives and working to address the causes of need in society. Different organisations, communities, wealthy families and individuals have helped to ease poverty, have financed some of the world’s loveliest buildings, have paid for many of its great paintings, sculptures and musical compositions; they have financed research into many different diseases, as well as filled the gaps left by inadequate state provision by endowing almshouses, hospitals, universities, colleges and schools. Though philanthropy has shown itself in many different forms, right through from the times of Ancient Greece and Rome, and in East Asia under the Sung and Ming Dynasties, and though it has continued right through the middle ages and the early modern era, in many respects modern philanthropy began to take shape towards the end of the Industrial Revolution in the final years of the 19th and the dawn of the 20th Century, when multimillionaires sought to give away their wealth to good causes. The Scottish-born philanthropist Andrew Carnegie believed that “the man who dies rich, dies disgraced”. And so it was Carnegie and Rockefeller in the US who instituted Trusts and Foundations, to help to distribute wealth with vision and intelligence. Their names and those of other multimillionaires are still found upon New York’s buildings today. The advent of the welfare state in the 20th Century, especially in Europe, pushed philanthropy somewhat to one side, and, both in the UK and in continental Europe, people came to expect that the state should pay for
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education, for the health system (though individuals pay into insurance systems in most European countries for medical treatment) and the arts. But today we need philanthropy once again. The squeeze on public spending in many countries of the rich world suggests that we may have passed the limits to society’s ability to pay for public services through tax revenues. The rising proportion of elderly people is now an additional issue. Philanthropy is being called upon to fill the gaps. According to the World Giving Index 2016, compiled by the Charities Aid Foundation, the UK is the most generous country in Europe, in terms of money and time which people devote to supporting charitable causes.
The transformative power of large donations Of course it is the huge generosity of the extremely wealthy which often hits the headlines. In the week of writing this article, a new biomedical research centre has opened at Oxford University’s Old Road Campus in Headington, Oxford, with the support of a £20 million gift from the Li Ka Shing Foundation. Sir Li Ka Shing is a Hong Kong business magnate and Asia’s wealthiest person. In the UK one is also very familiar with the hugely generous benefactions of British philanthropists such as the Weston, Wolfson and Gatsby Foundations (David Sainsbury), to name but a few. If one remembers so well the large gifts from the wealthiest individuals, do the smaller gifts really count? It is true, that, for the most part, Capital Campaigns reach their targets with the help of the gifts from major donors.
“In its earliest form, the word philanthropy, from the Greek ‘philanthropia’, simply meant love of mankind. The meaning of the word has evolved over time, but from the earliest days, human civilization has depended upon kindness directed towards strangers”. From A History of Modern Philanthropy by the National Philanthropic Trust.
When Merton College, Oxford reached the £30 million target of its 750th Anniversary Campaign in 2014, some 80% of the gifts had come from ‘Major Donors’, which, in Oxford University terms, are donors who have given gifts larger than £25,000. But even a £25,000 gift, extremely generous and appreciated though it is, seems much more manageable when it is broken down as £229.17 per month over 5 years, which is possible with Gift Aid and tax rebates. But it is also true that major donors are encouraged to make their gifts when they see the involvement of the much smaller donors. Indeed, many philanthropists render their gifts dependent on the gifts of smaller donors, and offer ‘challenges’. So when US venture capitalist Michael Moritz, together with his wife, Harriet Heyman pledged £75 million to Oxford University to provide special bursaries at Oxford to encourage the very poorest students to apply to study there, he set up a challenge whereby their gift is delivered in stages, and is dependent on the gifts of others. Mr Moritz and Ms Heyman plan that their generous gift will eventually attract matched giving to bring the total value up to £300 million. Thus ‘Participation’ percentage challenges often form essential parts of Capital Campaigns.
Small donors matter So small donors do matter. Indeed, they are vital in helping charities develop broad diverse bases of
support, which in turn provide stability for charities to plan and grow. And naming opportunities are not only for the wealthiest. They are an important way of enabling donors to be closely involved with their passion. There are hundreds of ‘naming opportunities’ available every year for a wide range of amounts at colleges, schools, religious institutions, social service agencies and cultural organisations. They include seats in theatres and opera houses, scholarships and bursaries, as well as individual rooms in buildings. The naming opportunities not only enable charities to reach their goals, but they increase the donor’s sense of belonging to the charity, which gives much more personal satisfaction than is generated when one gives a donation into a ‘large pot or fund’. Indeed, even for relatively small amounts of money, young people and children can become involved – the opportunities given by many third world and environmental charities such as World Vision, Oxfam and the World Wildlife Fund to purchase or give gifts such as ‘adopting a tiger’, where the child receiving the gift also receives an adoption certificate and a small tiger toy are well known, not only in terms of raising funds, but in increasing environmental awareness. Funding a child through school, or gifting a goat or a well in the Third World is a small but meaningful way of givingtowards education and sustainable agriculture.
Smaller regular donations also form the basic level of many ‘Friends’ or membership reward schemes at cultural organisations such as museums, theatres and art galleries. Donations give preferred booking opportunities, free entry to certain exhibitions or specific discounts. Schools too have, of course, always been the recipients of philanthropic gifts. Many were founded on philanthropy. With the pressure on independent schools to limit fee increases, as well as the obligation that independent schools, as registered charities, have to offer bursaries, in order to open up opportunities to children from less well-off families, schools are increasingly looking to fundraising to generate the income they need to continue to achieve the strategic goals. Professional fundraising in schools, (often known as Development) has more than doubled in the UK in the last decade. 2015 saw UK schools raise an impressive £190 million – a 27% increase on the previous year. (Information from the Institute of Development Professionals in Education). Philanthropic gifts are indeed making the difference. Christine Taylor, Class of 1970, BA German with French, University of Bristol and PGCE, University of Nottingham Christine was Fellow and Director of Development at Merton College Oxford from August 2006-February 2017. She led the College’s £30 million 750th Anniversary Campaign, as well as the 750th Anniversary Celebrations. Christine is now an Emeritus Fellow at Merton College, Oxford.
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Alumnae in
International Development
Working Overseas
Malika Giles Class of 2009 History, University College London Resource Mobilisation and Communications Officer, Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) Life in Dushanbe, the capital of the small, landlocked, post-Soviet nation of Tajikistan, is a world away from daily life in the city of London. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan and the terrain is 93 percent mountainous, with peaks reaching over 7,000 meters. I have been based here for two years, working for an international non-governmental organisation, the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH). AKAH supports rural communities living in isolated mountainous areas to become more resilient to natural disasters and provides humanitarian aid to communities which have been impacted by natural disasters. A key part of the organisation’s mandate is habitat improvement for people living in remote mountainous areas, through livelihood support programmes, or building fuel efficient stoves, and providing access to clean water. As part of my role, I also work on projects in Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan, and often travel to Kabul, Bishkek or our other offices across the three countries. The most inaccessible office is located in Khorog, nestled in the isolated Pamir mountain range, which is known as the roof of the world. The panoramic mountain vistas can only be reached by helicopter or enduring a 15-hour drive along a potholed but magnificent scenic mountainous road that stretches out along the Panj River marking the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
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I work in resource mobilisation and communications, which involves writing grant proposals and reports of our projects, as well as collecting field data and conducting interviews for case studies or success stories. I studied history at University College London, which equipped me to think critically and enabled me to develop strong research and writing skills. Although my academic background is not directly related to my current job, I feel that the skills I learnt at St Helen’s and at university, both through the subjects I studied as well as through the other activities I took part in, come in useful in almost every aspect of my work. One of the features of my job that I enjoy the most is the varied environment and wide-ranging tasks that I have the opportunity to work on – from supporting a team to set up a camp for people who have been forced to flee their homes due to natural disasters or conflict, to presenting proposals to our donors about Tajikistan’s vulnerability to climate change – no two days at work are ever the same. While studying at school and university, I occasionally worried that I had not chosen a more vocational career with a clearly mapped out career path. However, I have been reassured to learn that most people working in international development and humanitarian response come from a variety of academic backgrounds and have work experience from different sectors. I have had the opportunity to work alongside inspiring, intelligent and hard-working colleagues from Tajikistan, Afghanistan and from around the world, who are passionate and dedicated to their jobs. Furthermore, I feel privileged and honoured to have experienced the extraordinary and rich culture, the warmth of the people and the beauty of the landscape of Tajikistan and Afghanistan. It has been an enriching and unparalleled experience and I feel I have learnt lifelong lessons and made lifelong friendships along the way.
Laura Parry-Billings Class of 2011 International Development, McGill University. MSc Global Health and Development, University College London Project Development Officer, SEED Madagascar If I had to hazard a guess as to where I’d be six years after finishing St Helen’s, working in Madagascar for an international development charity wouldn’t have even crossed my mind. Moving to Canada to complete a BSc in Physiology, I was very much set on pursuing a medical track. However, this all changed in the first term after taking a class exploring the causes of underdevelopment. Keen to learn more about different approaches to tackling poverty, I switched my degree to International Development and haven’t looked back since!
It was my first internship that confirmed my motivation to work in the not-for-profit sector. As part of the fundraising team at a charity, focused on reducing mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS, I was inspired by the dedication and ambition of colleagues to improve health outcomes for some of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in Sub-Saharan Africa. After completing an MSc in Global Health, I secured an internship in the London office of an international development charity based in southeast Madagascar. Gaining experience in project development and charity management, I assisted in identifying new funding sources, writing proposals for new donors and overseeing financial reporting. However, I was soon ready for a new challenge. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to transfer to Madagascar where I’m currently working as a Project Development Officer in the charity’s community health division. Ranked as the fourth worst country for water and sanitation, and facing some of the worst outcomes for maternal and child health in the world, there’s certainly no shortage of work to do! In my first two months, I’ve worked on the implementation of a maternal health education programme, started designing a water and sanitation project in schools, and assisted in scaling-up a well management project in rural communities. Working in the not-for-profit sector certainly has its fair share of challenges. For me, these have included years of unpaid internships, coping with resource shortages and the ongoing frustrations of securing funding for our projects, and enduring the tough conditions as a result of living and working in the field which include no hot water, regular power outages and Cyclone Enawo! (An intense tropical cyclone which hit Madagascar in March 2017 killing more than 81 people). That being said, these challenges have ironically also been some of the key reasons that have driven me to continue pursuing a career in the sector. They’ve kept me on my feet whilst providing endless opportunities to learn, network, push myself out of my comfort zone, and take on responsibilities that I never thought would be possible as a fresh graduate. I know that my journey is far from over but from my experiences so far I truly believe that persistence, a willingness to adapt, and a passion for the cause can take you far. Finally, nothing can beat witnessing the tangible impacts of the work we do, whether it’s seeing communities take ownership in maintaining clean water sources, or expectant mothers actively engaging in discussions on how to improve child health.
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Alumnae in
International Development
Based in the UK
Nadine Adamski (née Holland) Class of 1997 BA Architecture, Nottingham University. Bartlett School of Architecture: UCL, Diploma in Architecture (RIBA part 2). University of North London: RIBA part 3 Head of Fundraising, Sabre Charitable Trust Qualifying as an Architect was a feeling of sheer elation and of relief that I had no more exams! However after five years in commercial architecture, I felt my skills could be of great use to international development projects and so I accepted a voluntary role as the Architect in a team at Arup lead by another ex-St Helen’s pupil, Hayley Gryc. The brief, set by the Sabre Trust, was to design a prototype, childcentred, sustainable kindergarten for the Ghanaian Government. During our research trips to Ghana, I was exposed to an incredible group of people who were making a significant impact on early years education in Ghana through training teachers and building better schools. The kindergarten we designed is arguably the most rewarding architecture project on which I have worked and it became the trigger for
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me to move from commercial architecture to the third sector. When I was ready to return to work after the birth of my first child, I approached the Sabre Trust to see if they needed an in-house architect. They didn’t … but they did need a Head of Fundraising. They took a bit of a punt on me, deciding that someone with my passion and drive for the cause could be equally as effective as an experienced fundraiser. I was awarded Best Up-and-Coming Fundraiser by the Institute of Fundraising, hopefully proving that I was a sound investment for Sabre. Since starting my role, I’ve lead a small UK team of three people and we have built profitable core funding streams in Trust and Foundations and Corporate Partnerships, increased our income from £120,000 to £850,000 and now have a projected income target of over £4.8 million in the next three years. Just as I discovered in architecture, joining a small team creates diversity in your role and exposure to all aspects of the charity. For anyone looking to work in the not-for profit sector I would definitely advise them to consider the size of the team they are joining. The Sabre Trust has received global recognition as a leading early years education charity and is transforming the way thousands of children start their education. It is now on the cusp of taking its Brighter Futures Programme to scale throughout Ghana and beyond and I am excited to be a part of this journey.
Hayley Gryc Class of 1998 Structural Engineering and Architecture MEng, Sheffield University Associate, Arup I am an Associate Development Consultant at Arup, a global consultancy design firm, in the International Development Group where I lead our work in social and sustainable infrastructure. My career began as a Structural Engineer at Arup in the Building Engineering London team, working and managing high profile projects with some of the best architects in the world such as the 2012 London Olympics Copper Box and the Maltese Parliament building. Since being part of the PHAB team at St Helen’s, I have been inspired to support people doing charitable work. It was this experience that helped me to be selected to assist in constructing houses in a remote Indian village. Following this trip I continued to carry out pro-bono work in parallel to my day job. Then about ten years ago I lead a team to design a modular, scalable and sustainable kindergarten school for Ghana, in partnership with the Sabre Charitable Trust. Working closely with the local community, we created a model for rolling out appropriate, sustainable kindergarten schools across Ghana that could also be adapted for other countries. To date ten of these award winning kindergarten schools have been constructed in Ghana.
Amy Keegan Class of 2009 BA (Hons) International Politics and Conflict Studies, Queen’s University Belfast. MPhil International Peace Studies, Trinity College Dublin This project fuelled my interest in international development work and I decided to change my career path. I am passionate about using my skills to help others develop theirs. I strongly believe that structural engineering is more than using technical expertise to design buildings – but also supporting and giving people the tools they need to design safe and sustainable buildings to improve their lives. I am incredibly fortunate that my work enables me to travel the world including South and South East Asia, Sub Saharan Africa, Pacific Islands and the Caribbean, providing technical and strategic advice to governments, the World Bank, UN agencies and international and national NGOs. It also involves work following major natural disaster events. After the 2015 Nepal earthquake I supported the World Bank and Government of Nepal to develop an investment plan for the reconstruction of around 8000 schools within the damage affected area; I worked in the Turks and Caicos Islands following Hurricane Ike in 2008 to update their Building Code; evaluated shelter programmes following the Haiti earthquake 2010 and Tropical Storm Washi in the Philippines in 2011. The highlight of my work is meeting and working with the local clients, partners and communities, who have different and challenging priorities to that of the commercial sector. I would advise anyone interested in the International Development sector to gain as much experience as possible, usually by volunteering to really understand the challenges of the environment, whilst developing their technical skills in their chosen career.
Policy Officer – Monitoring and Accountability, WaterAid, Advisory board, Attacked Not Defeated I love working in international development; it’s full of challenges and is constantly changing. Every day I’m learning about a new country context or technology and using emerging research. My career path has been defined by taking advantage of a series of seemingly random opportunities. When I left St Helen’s I knew that I wanted to make a positive change in the world, but I had no idea how to do it. At St Helen’s we were always encouraged to get involved in extra-curricular activities, a tradition I took with me to university. I joined the Raise and Give society and spent the next three years fundraising, volunteering and advocating for charities I cared about. I chaired the organisation in my final year and got the opportunity to represent students at the Northern Ireland Assembly and climb Mount Kilimanjaro twice.
advice I received was to obtain a postgraduate degree, get some experience in the field and then search for any good opportunities. So I completed my masters and then gained the opportunity to work in policy for UNICEF in New York. This was followed by a job in project development for a small regional NGO in South East Madagascar. I then spent a year in a beautiful, remote town called Fort Dauphin working in water, sanitation, sustainable livelihoods, environmental conservation and education projects. If you want to work in international development my advice is to go for every opportunity that is presented to you. Applying for jobs way outside my comfort zone led me to working in Madagascar. You never know what risks or opportunities will determine your career path. I’m now based in London in WaterAid’s global policy team collaborating with people all over the world to improve global access to water and sanitation. It’s pretty good motivation to get out of bed in the morning!
Through travelling to Tanzania I became engaged with the international development charity, Childreach International. I loved their work and after graduation I took a job as a student volunteer manager with them. It was then that I realised I was in the right sector but the wrong role, as I wanted to work in policy or programmes. After seeking career advice from people working in the sector, I found that there is no clear career path in international development. The main
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Alumnae
Facilitating Social Change
Amira Chilvers (née Tharani) Class of 2000 Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Balliol College, University of Oxford. PGCE, UCL; MPhil Education, University of Cambridge Consultant, National Council of Voluntary Organisations, NCVO Charities Evaluation Services I have to admit I didn’t think I’d end up supporting charities of all sizes to describe and measure the difference that they make. When I was at school, I didn’t know anything about monitoring and evaluation, although I did always want to work in the not-for-profit sector, making a positive difference to people’s lives. I think some of that is down to the emphasis on supporting charities and generally helping others that was such a feature of life at St Helen’s. I’ve got here by a rather roundabout route, having worked as a Religious Studies teacher and then, after some further study, moving on to educational consultancy. My Masters’ degree got me excited about doing research, but I knew I didn’t want to be an academic. Five years later, when the job at NCVO came up, I jumped at the chance to work for an organisation where I could use my research skills for good. My job involves training and supporting charities to describe and measure the difference that they make, as well as carrying out evaluations for charities or funders. I absolutely love both parts of my job and the variety suits me really well. My favourite part of the job, though, is our training with really small charities, including those that receive BBC Children in Need grants. Often these small, volunteer-led charities are struggling to make ends meet, so if Children in Need didn’t pay for them to get training from us, they wouldn’t be able to afford to develop their skills. Seeing people’s faces when they understand how measuring their impact can help them, or when all the obscure jargon suddenly makes sense, is brilliant – I guess it appeals to the teacher in me.
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There is a much greater variety of jobs out there than you might think, so if you’re not sure what you want to do, it’s worth exploring a bit – the right job for you might be one you don’t even know about yet! I would also strongly recommend doing lots of volunteering, it’s a brilliant way to make a difference, develop your skills and meet amazing people.
Sofia Bustamante Class of 1989 Masters in Chemical Engineering, Imperial College Freelance Facilitator, Conflict Resolution Specialist, Coach and Therapist I have designed a career grounded in a vision of healthy collaboration and community by designing tools to help shape development. Essentially I am an inventor of social processes – of better ways of working together and I have won awards for the design of social innovations which have led to better real world outcomes for people. I have always loved maths and sciences and went on to study engineering at University. During my time at university I quickly realised that I actually wanted to apply my technical skills to the domain of people and more specifically to the field of living systems, where I could work out how to create good outcomes for people in a more reliable way. I went on to train to be a conflict mediator and, whilst working as a Programmer at British Airways, I undertook further training to facilitate social processes and it wasn’t long before I left the corporate world to go my own way. I retrained again as a Life Coach, and then, combined with my experience as a mediator, coach and facilitator I freelanced, running all kinds of workshops and experimenting with lots of different ways to motivate and inspire people to work together. In 2012 I set up London Creative Labs, a social enterprise designed to enable more people to
participate in the economic system. I did this by designing social processes inspired by nature, through which people empower each other, share ideas and identify and act on opportunities. My aim was to prove a hypothesis – that increased participation would lead to a richer economy. My hypothesis worked and I was recognised as a London Leader by the Mayor’s Office for my innovative approach to creating a sustainable London economy. After the Brexit Vote, I founded The Listening Movement and run Listening Cafes once a month enabling people to have a good experience of conversation and to better understand how to disagree respectfully, which has been met with a great deal of support. My greatest motivation is to help people to be happy, by being all that they are and by designing ways that society can bring out the best in people. I think this stems from my time at St Helen’s and the genuine care and belief that Miss Leader had in me. She always said that our highest aim should be happiness. Although I realised later that this was not always so simple, but I think that this affected me deeply. What brings me great fulfilment is that I am now coming full circle – helping other women to step into what I call their graceful power. What I love about the non-profit sector is that there is more freedom to focus on what genuinely helps society and that I meet people who are driven by a deeper calling. I think my main piece of advice would always be to invest time in understanding our deeper calling as knowing what this is guides us in our career, like a compass for life. www.sofiabustamante.com
Amrita Bhohi Class of 2007 BSc in Biomedical Sciences, King’s College London. MA in Economics for Transition, Schumacher College Programme Leader, Spiritual Ecology Youth Programme, St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, London I have a love for the natural world and my work and sense of purpose is driven by a deep concern for the accelerating global environmental, social and economic crisis, alongside a deep rooted responsibility to contribute to the well-being of the collective and to make a positive difference in a world that needs it! I believe that the challenges of our time are symptomatic of an economic system and culture governed by values of consumerism, exploitation and separation and I am passionate about the need to develop radical alternatives rooted in a recognition of the interconnectedness and interdependence of all life. My interests led me to study for a Masters in an emerging field called ‘New Economics’ at the innovative Schumacher
Becki (Rebecca) Overton (née Vesey) Class of 2006 Biological Sciences with Spanish, University of Birmingham Programme Associate Manager, The Challenge Unlike many of my fellow St Helen’s students, I didn’t leave school with a clear idea of what I wanted to do. I decided to study Biology and Spanish at university simply because those were subjects I had enjoyed at school; I have followed my heart ever since and it has worked out pretty well! I knew as soon as I started my degree that I didn’t have a career in Biosciences ahead of me so I decided to just do what I enjoyed until I worked out what my career would be. I continued volunteering with children (something I’d been doing since I was 13) and then in the summer of my first year of university I was offered a rare paid internship with Girlguiding UK. The project I was working on was called ‘Changing the World’ and that’s exactly what I was given the chance to do!
College, Devon, exploring how to create low carbon, high well-being and resilient economies. Since then, I have been working at a small charity in the heart of London, St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation, where I lead their ‘Spiritual Ecology’ strand of work, which includes teaching, facilitating, designing and hosting public events and workshops for young people on environmental and social change that integrates the values of interconnectedness and reverence for all life. What I love most about what I do is the feeling of meaning and fulfilment that comes from work that is not just about earning an income. I get to meet inspiring leaders and teachers and when I am with them, to believe in the possibility of a more beautiful and fulfilling world for all. My time at school nurtured in me a sense of inner confidence in my ability to participate and influence the world around me. For those who may be interested in a career in the not-for-profit world, my advice is to follow your heart and find a place where you feel that you are making a contribution. Most charities depend on support from volunteers so this is a great way to gain experience and sometimes even a job. We recently had an old girl, Jess Brown, intern with us which was a lovely surprise when we both realised we studied at the same school!
That summer changed everything for me. There was a whole world of new careers and opportunities out there that I had never realised existed and I found my passion: youth programmes and events. Throughout my studies I continued volunteering and had two part-time jobs in the university student volunteering department. It wasn’t easy but in 2010 I graduated with a BSc(Hons) and a full-time job as a Volunteer Manager. My first job allowed me to travel the world recruiting volunteers after which I tried a few different roles. Then in March this year, I returned to a charity I had previously worked for, The Challenge, who deliver the NCS (National Citizen Service) programme. The Challenge is a social integration charity and I have the immense satisfaction of knowing that my work impacts thousands of people in my community every year. The not-for-profit sector is a really special place to work. Whilst each organisation is unique, the people are all there because they care, they want to make a difference and they are passionate. Everyone works just as hard as in any other sector (if not harder, because organisations are often vastly under-resourced) but the work environment is definitely more relaxed. My “dress-code” is a staff hoody and nobody would bat an eyelid if I wore my slippers in the office!
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From our Students
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Encouraging responsible citizenship Every year the St Helen’s community raises impressive sums of money for charity. Led by the Sixth Form Charities Prefect, the girls throughout the School take part in a wide array of fundraising activities, from bake sales and nonuniform days to competitions and tournaments. All of these activities support charities which the Junior and Senior School Houses have chosen to adopt as their own each year, within an overarching theme.
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Over £24,000 was raised in 2015-16 for ‘The Environment’ and this year we are raising money for charities which focus on ‘Health’. Engaging children through charity work creates awareness in a young person that they are part of a community and that this entails a certain amount of responsibility. When fundraising, children learn to appreciate what they have and to understand that they have the ability, even from a young age, to help others. Children who raise money from a young age are more likely to continue to do so in adulthood. This in turn can help them to have a greater sense of self-esteem and self-worth which can lead to better life choices overall. Mrs Ange Arnot, Head of Charities
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Phab Week and Phab Club
Even at a young age it is important girls learn the significance of generosity as the morals we learn at school last a lifetime. One thing I have learnt at St Helen’s is that not only are monetary donations useful, it is just as valuable to donate your time. Lavana Chrishanthan, Year 13 Outgoing Charities Prefect
I am very excited to be taking on the role of charities prefect this year and I am eager to organise charitable events that will bring our school community together, whilst raising money for deserving causes. Annabel Connah, Year 12 Incoming Charities Prefect
In Junior School the choir sing at Erskine Hall, a local care home and our Junior School Community Officers enjoy playing board games with the residents. They play Scrabble and bring along some games of their own – a particular favourite is Bingo!
This year we celebrated 60 years of Phab UK as well as 45 years of the residential Phab week at Merchant Taylors’ School where girls from our Sixth Form along with boys from Merchant Taylors’ raise the funds for and run a residential week for teenagers with disabilities. This year’s Phab week was an amazing success with amazing people coming together to make new friendships and demonstrate what can be achieved when we all work together. In addition this year we have launched Phab Club, a brand new immersive youth club experience for guests who have disabilities. Phab Club is run after school fortnightly on Friday and offers a unique opportunity for guests with disabilities to hang out and relax with people of their own age. The Club is a co-curricular option offered to Year 10 and 11 and the team consists of around 28 girls and boys from St Helen’s and Merchant Taylors’. Mrs Andrea Cawthorne, Head of Phab, Junior School Teacher and Alumna (Class of 1990, née Croad)
TOTAL
Mrs Liz Sami, Deputy Head of Junior School
raised fo r Phab th year wa is s in exc ess of:
£15,000 Charity Committee Events 2016-2017 Calendar Sale – December 2016
£9,621.94
Fun Run for the Sick Children’s Trust – October 2016
£8,303.81
Mufti Days
£2,764.03
House Charities Week
£1,466.68
Junior School Fundraising
£1,674.94
TOTAL raised by Charities Committee this year
£23,831.40
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Supporting Together This year we launched the Development Fund in support of our Vision and to mark the 120th anniversary of St Helen’s in 2019. St Helen’s is an exceptional school where our girls are encouraged to be anything and everything they want to be. The range of choices and opportunities available and the support given to them as they explore their talents and passions will enable them to become leaders in their future profession and communities. If 20 people donate £20 a month for a year then we will be able to upgrade one classroom in Senior School through the provision of a new and appropriate teacher wall.
St Helen’s School was not founded with an endowment and does not benefit from any government funding. The majority of the School’s income is generated from fees, and this is supplemented through some modest profits from the School’s trading arm, St Helen’s Enterprises, which directly supports our bursary programme. For us to achieve all that we have planned, we need to enhance our income through the Development Fund. So far this academic year we have achieved support in excess of £50,000 for the fund. £10,000 has been used to support the following projects: • the purchase of a new baby grand piano for the music department
for Years 7 and 8 – The Accelerated Reader is a piece of software provided by Renaissance Learning that has enabled our girls to record their independent reading history and rigorously test their understanding of a text. We are three months into the trial of the Accelerated Reading Programme and we are all very impressed with the results that we are seeing. • the purchase of a new 3D printer for D&T • the purchase of Carnegie Award winning books for the library £40,000 was received through a very generous legacy, which will be used to enhance the facilities in our new School of Music.
This summer a team of recent leavers will be calling members of our community to find out more about the St Helen’s experience, gain an insight into how we can strengthen our relationships with our network, whilst also seeking financial support for our Development Fund. We appreciate that not everyone will be in a position to make a regular or single gift to our Development Fund, but a direct debit made over a period of time is an attractive option for many donors and the School as it enables the cost of the gift to be spread over a number of years, whilst enabling the School to predict future donation income with a high degree of certainty.
• the implementation of the Accelerated Reading Programme
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Carnegie Books and Book Club
Baby grand piano
JSH Teacher Wall
We will be seeking support to enable us to: • upgrade our Senior School teaching environment to a level commensurate with the facilities in the new Junior School; and • increase the number of bursaries available. Funds raised to upgrade our Senior School teaching environment will support: 1. improved Senior School classroom teaching facilities to incorporate state-of-the-art Teacher walls. Teacher walls are tailor made to suit the requirements of each classroom as well as being configured to meet the technology and practical requirements of any learning space. They have made a tremendous difference to the learning environment in Junior School. The provision of new high specification Teacher walls will also enable us to standardise the teaching and learning experience for students. There are over 70 teaching and learning rooms in Senior School and it is estimated that each new state-of-the-art teacher wall will cost approximately £5,000.
2. an update of the D&T equipment available to our students through the purchase and installation of a new laser cutter and appropriate software for the D&T department to the value of approximately £20,000. The provision of a new state-of-theart laser cutter will enable the girls to learn more about different materials as well as gain greater exposure to ‘real world’ manufacturing processes here at St Helen’s. 3. provision of high specification music equipment and instruments, including new pianos, for our new School of Music due to be opened in September 2018. Funds raised to increase the number of bursaries available through our Student Support Fund will enable us to attract and support the best and brightest students, regardless of their backgrounds and enrich our school community through the enthusiasm for learning which those on bursaries bring. There are a number of different bursaries available at St Helen’s including Hardship and means-tested entry bursaries to enable girls whose families would not otherwise be able to afford the fees to benefit from all that a St Helen’s education has to offer.
“Receiving a bursary enabled me to stay on in the Sixth Form and finish my studies with the peace of mind that the financial side of my education was taken care of. I was able to finish my A Levels with the support of teachers who have known me for most of my life. As a result, I am now at the University of Bristol, the university I always dreamed of going to and I am studying the perfect course for me, Experimental Psychology. I am so thankful to the School for allowing me to explore all of my options and become the person I am today.” Yass Rad, Class of 2016
Quite simply, bursaries have the power to transform lives, instilling ambition and opening doors to future careers that otherwise would have remained closed. As we continue to invest in the School and its development we hope to be supported in this by our community of alumnae, parents and friends of the School. We have ambitious plans for our School, its development and our students but we cannot realise our Vision alone. We believe investing in today, is investing in our tomorrow, so we thank you for your continued support. For more information on the Development Fund and how to support please contact the Development Office or visit our website via www.sthelens.london/support-us
If 70 people donate £20 a month we will be able to support one student with a full bursary for the year.
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From the Development Office Zoe Baines
St Helen’s Profile magazine and the Alumnae Community What exactly is it and how is it relevant to you and me? I must confess that when I saw the first issue of the St Helen’s Profile magazine, I did wonder where I fitted into this sophisticated, 21st century, concept. For some reason I never considered myself as an ‘alumna’ – more just an ‘Old Girl’! I always thought that the word ‘alumnae’ only applied to academics – definitely not OGs like me. However, thanks to Zoe Baines in the Development Office and a very enjoyable evening at the School in January – I think I have now ‘got the picture’! It is extraordinary how the School has developed and evolved since I was a pupil over sixty years ago. Of course we all have fond (or not so fond) memories of our school days at St Helen’s, but the world is a very different place now and education has moved on in unbelievable ways. To start with, girls in the Sixth Form are no longer ‘girls’ – they are mature and sophisticated young women who are serious about carving out careers for themselves in a very competitive world that has largely been
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Thalia Cassimatis
dominated in the past by men. It is essential that if these young women are to compete equally and successfully in the modern world, they need the facilities and education that will prepare them for this emergence. So, here is where the alumnae community, the Profile magazine, you and I come into the equation. Most of us have had careers of one sort or another, and accumulated years of experience and made numerous contacts. It is this experience and those contacts into which the School would like to tap, to gather information and assistance from its past pupils in order to set up a database from which it can draw information and contacts who might be able to help, guide and inspire the school leavers in their preferred direction. In short, these young women need an ‘Old Boys’ Network’. In case you have any doubts about whether the ethos of the School has changed or been sacrificed in the quest for academic excellence, I can assure you that the provision of facilities for the learning of music, drama, sport and the arts are as outstanding as the facilities for the academic subjects and
Sarah Goldman
Mira Meisuria
are second to none. One could not fail to be impressed by the new swimming pool, gym and sports complex and I felt further assured when Zoe explained to me that the School’s outstanding facilities are rented to local individuals and organisations and that the proceeds of this arrangement (some £260,000 last year alone) is then channelled back into bursaries for children in the community who would benefit from becoming a pupil at St Helen’s but whose families would be unable to afford such an education. I have to confess that my initial thoughts on the subject of the development of an alumnae community were somewhat cynical and I suspected that there would most likely be a financial involvement of some sort. However, whereas financial support is always greatly appreciated, it is our experience and contacts in the business world that are of an even greater value – one of the few advantages of growing old! If you feel that you can offer any help to this alumnae network by giving lectures, offering work experience, introducing contacts or advising on specific careers and professions please do contact Zoe Baines in the Development Office. Anthea Hartley née Castell, St Helen’s Old Girl and Alumna, Class of 1966
Leah Green
Alumnae V Girls
Netball Old Girls’ Day
ork e Industry Netw Arts and Creativ
Old Girls’ Day
Alumnae V Arts and Creative Ind
ustry Network
Girls’ Netba
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Inaugural Alumnae Ambassadors Dinner
Old Girls’ Day Old Girls’ Day Futures Evening Ca
reers in the City
Guest speakers Thank you to Leah Green (Class of 2003), Olivia Cappuccini (Class of 2009), Sarah Goldman née Cohen (Class of 2003) and Thalia Cassimatis (Class of 1994) for coming back to St Helen’s to speak to the Sixth Form as part of the Sixth Form Lecture Programme. Leah, who currently works as a Girlswear Designer at River Island, spoke about the design process from the initial trend concepts all the way to the shop front; while Olivia, as Founder and Director of Scenes of Reason a production house making content of a social and political nature, spoke passionately and very informatively about the media and its impact. Sarah, a Director at Savills, provided a very eye-opening insight into the world of real estate; and Thalia, now a Freelance Arts Manager, Facilitator and Consultant, shared her passion for and career in arts education.
Olivia Cappuccini
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Alumnae in the news
Nina Goolamali Congratulations to Nina Goolamali (Class of 1991), who was appointed Queen’s Counsel in the 2017 selection.
Carys Watford Congratulations to Carys Watford known at school as Carys Williams (Class of 2006), who has written and directed a short film, ‘Theatreland’ which premiered at the Oscarqualifying Cinequest Film and VR Festival in February 2017 and screened in competition at the Oscar-qualifying Athens International Film and Video Festival (Ohio) in April this year. Carys has worked front of house in a theatre for the past few years whilst pursuing her filmmaking ambitions and could not wait to make a film bringing light to the Front of House life. ‘Theatreland’ takes a thoughtful and darkly humorous look at the lives of a group of actors forced for financial reasons to take jobs as ushers in a West End theatre while they wait for their dreams of becoming professional actors to take wing. Exposing the wasted talent that exists front of house, ‘Theatreland’ questions what it takes to be an artist. www.theatrelandshortfilm.com
Nina Goolamali QC is a Barrister in Chambers at 2 Temple Gardens (2TG) in London. She is a graduate of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University (MA Jurisprudence) and a Harmsworth Scholar of the Middle Temple. She has a very well established practice in substantial catastrophic injury and sports-related litigation and is well known for her ability to defend in sensitive multi-million pound cases arising in the context of employer’s liability, public liability and motor/ sports accidents in the UK and abroad. Nina is acknowledged in the legal directories as “one of the most knowledgeable and personable barristers around”, who has an “unwavering tenacity and determination to get the right result for the client.” Nina leads the 2TG Sports Law Team, holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Sports Law from King’s College, London and is on the Editorial Board of LawInSport, a leading international online sports law publication. Nina is a Director of Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund (BMIF) and an accredited Advocacy Trainer for Middle Temple. She is also part of the Inn’s practitioner team which trains new Pupil Supervisors.
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School news HRH The Duchess of Gloucester officially opens St Helen’s Junior School On 28th March Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester officially opened the new Junior School. This was particular apt as her mother-in-law Princess Alice, the former Duchess of Gloucester, visited St Helen’s in 1990 to open The Mackenzie Building in the then Junior School and the Rowland Brown Hall in 1959 before that. On arrival, The Duchess of Gloucester inspected a Guard of Honour formed by cadets from St Helen’s School and Merchant Taylors’ School’s Combined Cadet Force, which comprises one of the largest CCF groups in the country. Dr Short gave the Duchess a tour of the new building, which included demonstrations by the girls, after which the Duchess was treated to a performance by the Junior School Choir (of a song which the girls helped to write) and a recitation by the winner of the ‘Prose & Poetry’ competition. The Duchess of Gloucester said, “I know that the new building will aid the girls greatly in their learning and prepare them well for the move up to the Senior School, and I wish the whole community the very best for the future. I would like to thank all the pupils, staff and guests for a wonderful morning and inviting me to officially open the new Junior School at St Helen’s.”
Mrs Janet Parker Outstanding Inspection Report for St Helen’s St Helen’s School has been given an outstanding report by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) following their inspection visit in November 2016. The quality of the pupils’ achievements and the quality of the pupils’ personal development were both found to be ‘excellent’ by the ISI inspectors, which are the highest possible judgements for the inspection of independent schools.
St Helen’s was particularly praised for promoting social responsibility among the pupils and inspectors commented that “pupils play a full and active part in the local, national and global community, and show high levels of commitment to their charity work and service to others.” The inspectors were also impressed by the sense of community which they found at St Helen’s, commenting “Pupils are exceptionally accepting of others. They respect their peers, valuing the diversity of faiths, cultures, backgrounds and ethnicities within their school and they form friendships without regard to these differences.”
Sadly Mrs Janet Parker passed away on Sunday 19th February 2017. Janet was a much-loved and highly-respected teacher, colleague and friend who as Deputy Head worked tirelessly to promote the very best interests of all the girls at St Helen’s. Janet joined St Helen’s in 2006 from South Hampstead High School and, from the start, threw herself into the life of the School. Janet will be sorely missed by the whole School community. On the 28th June we held an event for our entire school community to celebrate together Janet’s contribution to St Helen’s.
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St Helen’s School Development Office Eastbury Road Northwood Middlesex HA6 3AS +44 (0)1923 843327 development@sthelens.london www.sthelens.london Registered Charity No. 312762.