Givology - give to learn, learn to give

School Renovations

In 2016, the Tea Leaf Vision Centre for Professional Development in Sri Lanka, will be moving to a newly renovated building! Our thanks must go to the local supporters for funding the purchase of the premises and to you, the Givology community, for supporting us with the renovations over the last five months.

To date;
1. 7 new classrooms have been built with cement bricks (rather than plastic divisions),
2. The upstairs and downstairs floors have been tiled
3. We have put in new and more functional bathrooms for the young men and women attending Tea Leaf Vision
4. Provided a dining and staff room for our hard working team
5. Got all wired up
6. Fitted the new building with new and more secure windows, doors and glass fittings

It is a significant step forward for Tea Leaf Vision to have a place it can call its own. Not only does this equate to increased financial sustainability by reducing running costs, it also offers more stability to the Centre by not having to work on relatively short term rental leases.

The new building is only a ten minute walk from Maskeliya town, which makes it easily accessable for both staff and students, who either live in and around the town or travel by bus to the town. There is also a small but functional outdoor space that students can use for activity days (A one day programme held once per term that focuses on team building activities), Business Fair (A two day fair students host for the public in which they sell various products and services they themselves have funded, planned for and executed) or even for playing cricket and relaxing.

While great progress has been made, there is still a need for final renovations and we are short of our total. Any further support you may be able to offer would be so gratefully received. The list of things still to do in terms of renovations includes:
Waterproofing of the school roof
Paint and painting of the outside of the building (inside to be done by community volunteers)
Construction of upstairs bathroom facility
Signage in local area to encourage visitors to the school

Tea Leaf Vision Centre for Professional Development was established in 2010 as a response to the lack of opportunities, particularly around education and employment, for young people from in and around the tea estates in Sri Lanka. The Centre offers a free, full-time one-year Diploma in Professional Skills, Employability and English to unmarried and unemployed 18 to 24 year olds from every culture, ethnicity and religion. It serves 150 young adults of over 30 remote and deprived tea estates. Lessons are delivered in: English Grammar; English Speech; Business; I.T.; and Success and Ethics , all conducted in the English Medium. It's focus is on two areas:

1) Professional Development: The Diploma supports youth to develop skills for the labour market so that they can enter the workplace as confident individuals, capable of making a valuable contribution to the companies they work with, and society over all. It focuses on English language proficiency, public speaking, basic I.T skills, an understanding of the business environment and professionalism. Structured programmes are delivered to enable students to put into practice what they have learned, such as the Business Fair and the Speech Conference.

2) Personal Development: There is a strong focus on supporting students to develop their self-esteem, self-awareness and on promoting ethnic cohesion. Emotional Health lessons raise awareness about common problems, such as addiction and depression, with the aim of strengthening positive coping strategies. Success and Ethics places strong emphasis on serving the less fortunate in their communities. The students are engaged in many activities aimed at making them Change Agents' such as a group and individual Service Project and the Community English Programme.

The Centre also offers a Diploma in Professional Skills, Leadership and English. This free, full time one-year Diploma is offered to 20 graduates that had shown an aptitude and passion for teaching during the Community English Programme, and dedication during their first year of study. Its focus is on teacher training and key soft skills essential to the working world, including management, communication and leadership skills. The subjects taught are; Advanced Grammar, Advanced Reading and Speech, Liberal Arts, Advanced I.T. and Teacher Training.

The programme was developed as a response to the lack of suitably qualified teachers in crucial subjects, such as English. It's designed to ensure a practical learning experience for Interns' to teach in the English medium and engage with students in a positive and supportive way. Interns must complete a teaching placement with the Centre and also support staff with management of all key events and programmes, playing a vital role in the Centre's day-to-day operation. The Advanced Diploma ensures sustainability for the Centre as it enables Tea Leaf Vision to employ teachers who understand our ethos.

Tea Leaf Vision engages thousands of children a year through both the 1) Community English Programme, which sees the students being trained to teach basic English to school children aged 9 and 11, and 2) A Children's Summer Activity Programme, which focuses on English, nutrition and health for children aged 6 to 17.

Since opening in 2010, Tea Leaf Vision has had over 700 graduates from both diplomas and over 14,000 children participate in the Community English Programme and Children's Summer Activity Programme.

Tea Leaf Vision is run by young people for young people. Our goal is to provide opportunities for young people to progress, and we believe this should be realised at every level of the organisation. The teaching staff are all alumni from the local tea estates, and so not only act as role models, but also have a more adept insight into the lives of the students they teach. They provide an informed local view to the Centre's work. In order for the Tea Leaf Vision Centre to be effective in what it does, it is vital there is a deeper level of understanding, respect and empathy between the staff and students.
Tea Leaf Trust provide strategic support to the management team of the Centre, visiting three times a year. Each manager is linked to a trustee from the Tea Leaf Trust Board according to their area of expertise, who acts as their mentor. They are also supported by a voluntary consultant development professional from our partner Empowerment for Development (E4D) and through our very successfull volunteer programme.