INTO This Week 80

The conference will be "Delivering the Student Experience in 2012", which will allow staff from across the network - from teachers to administrators - to learn from each other's expertise. The conference will allow staff to present workshops on the topic based on their knowledge and experience, and also hear from some VIP speakers. It will be a two day event on April 13 and 14 2012.

The Staff Conference has built an impressive reputation for allowing staff from around the network the opportunity to come together at one of the INTO centres and share best practice and new developments. Last year's conference, at INTO University of Exeter, was the largest yet.

Next year's event will be the first time it's been held outside the UK, offering INTO OSU the chance to show off their fantastic new center and all of the rest of us the chance to visit INTO's first US partner to see how it's done in the Beaver State.

Amy McGowan, Center Director at INTO OSU, looks forward to welcoming staff from the rest of the INTO family to Oregon. "We're delighted to be hosting the conference next year and look forward to holding another awesome event. Our new center will be a great venue and we look forward to welcoming you to OSU for a successful and productive conference."

As in previous years, all staff are encouraged to submit proposals for workshops. If yours is selected, you will be able to present it at the conference for other staff to attend. Workshops should be about something you think will be interesting to share with colleagues, be based on the theme of the conference and last around 45 minutes.

It's not as daunting as it sounds - we all have something interesting and different to contribute. Why not take a look through last year's programme to see some of the workshops that were presented in Exeter? (Just remember that keeping it original is also important!)

The call for workshops closes on December 16, and the form can be downloaded here. Once you've put your proposal together, you should email it to amy.mcgowan@oregonstate.edu.

As with the previous conferences, INTO will cover the cost of travel to the conference and accommodation for the two-day event. However, since it's a considerable journey to Oregon, there will be restrictions on the numbers of staff from each centre/office who are able to attend. Submitting a great workshop proposal will increase your chance of being able to attend what is sure to be a fantastic conference.

Nicola Burness-Smith: There's been huge interest recently in INTO Giving by staff in our centres and the partner universities in the US. We have initiated the first steps towards setting up INTO Giving as a registered charity in the US and senior academics at these centres are very keen to work with INTO Giving and set up collaborative projects that will have a significant impact on education for disadvantaged young people.

We would like to thank staff for all the effort and time they have put in to organising a magnificent and successful range of fundraising events.

The highlight of the year so far has been the INTO University of East Anglia (UEA) ArtBall, which took place at the Sainsbury Centre at UEA. Forty-six pieces of artwork were donated by predominately local artists, including Maggie Hambling, Gerard Stamp and Bruer Tidman. The evening was a great success raising over £17,000 from the silent art auction, the live auction on the night, a raffle and sale of photos. INTO UEA also held their third annual Golf Day, a popular and fun day out on the green for local business teams.

The Brighton Admissions team put on a brilliant INTO Giving Comedy Night in the heart of Brighton's Lanes and have regularly collected donations on their 'dress down Fridays'.

The first cohort of students on the INTO China summer school took part in an INTO Giving Volleyball and Table tennis tournament and HQ staff in London had fun raising money on their Thirsty Thursday Pool Tournament night. Staff at INTO USF have also got together to fund three orphans in Zambia.

All the money raised from these events has gone to our partner charity, I-CCO, for the Orphans and Vulnerable Children's Centre in Lusaka, Zambia. As usual, all the funds raised by staff, their friends, families and colleagues will be matched by INTO Chairman Andrew Colin. I-CCO cannot thank you enough.

As a result of all the fundraising the OVC Centre is almost finished - 80% of the roof is on, 95% of the wall plate is finished and the trainee builders are working on the plastering, painting, ceiling board, plumbing and electrical wiring. Two water reserve tanks are being installed underground and the area will be landscaped. The centre has both electricity and running water and I-CCO are thinking about using their water and electricity as income generating activities.

The administration services are already installed in the first stage block and children's gatherings, caregivers meetings and mini-workshops are now being held at the centre. The board has recently set up a selection process for taking on more orphans and is also advertising for qualified teachers.

If you'd like to help get the OVC Centre over the line, there are loads of fundraising events coming up for you to get involved in. Anna Rushbrook from INTO Manchester is organising the Three Peaks Challenge for next spring and hopes to have at least one team from each of the centres or departments. Adam Rains, from Brighton Admissions, is putting on two gigs in aid of INTO Giving (10th December in Guildford and another in Brighton). INTO University of Exeter staff are planning a Halloween event for students. Jim Jamieson at INTO OSU is looking at a cycling event or a team running event in Oregon next spring. If you'd like to get involved in one of these events, either helping to organise it or participating, please get in touch with the organisers!

INTO Giving also has 10 Brighton Marathon 2012 places (three of which have already been snapped up) so please email me as soon as possible if you're are interested in running. As a previous participant I can highly recommend the Brighton Marathon as over half of it is along the coast.

A huge thank you to everyone who has made this a fantastic year for INTO Giving and, in particular, for those orphans in Chawama, Lusaka, who will benefit from their new school and community centre.

Andrew Colin, INTO Chairman, adds, "These are challenging times! There is so much going on and everyone is more than busy at work so I am particularly grateful for everyone who has gone that extra mile for INTO Giving this year. As our organisation grows so too should our ambition to help disadvantaged young people around the world."