EMSAG – Making an impact
by Adam Taha

Ethnic Minority Student Achievement Grants (EMSAG) was established in November 2002. Funded through Sheffield College and the Black Community Forum it was established because a high percentage of students from the Black and Ethnic Minority communities are not achieving.

Four Student Support and Outreach workers from the Yemeni, Pakistani, Somali and African Caribbean communities were appointed at Sheffield College to support 16–19 year olds with achievement, retention and recruitment.

EMSAG ran the first Black and Ethnic Minority Parents’ Education Awareness Day at Sheffield College – with parents coming to ask questions, raise issues and concerns. Speakers gave detailed statistics, community leaders spoke of future visions in education and students shared their experiences, the challenges they faced and successes with parents and tutors. Interpreters for each community were available.

Peer Mentoring has been established to pave the way for new leaders. For example, students joined in with the Outward Bound Peer Mentoring activity and also enjoyed climbing and canoeing. A colour newsletter – Inspire – was launched to celebrate students’ efforts, diversity of achievement and success.

Students have also been involved in ‘On the Mic’ where they worked with the finest producers, musicians, songwriters and DJs to write their own lyrics, recorded their song called In My World. They were professionally photographed and filmed and this film will be shown at the Showroom later this year. Students have also performed on stage at the Non-Stop Foundation’s 3Dom event on 24th August – a remarkable experience for the students.

2INSPIRE, a 24 hour music workshop event at the Nelson Mandela Building, where the EMSAG team liaised with Musical Works and students experienced and performed rapping, beats and rhymes, samba, steel pans, video making, street- and break-dancing, graffiti. So Solid Juniors and Punjabi Hit Squad talked on education, inspiring others and performed on stage.

EMSAG has already made a serious impact with students and the community and this is just the beginning. For further information call the team on 260 2448.