Friday 10 December 2010

Free English Classes


Free English classes are starting on 7th of January 2011 and will be held every Friday morning between 9;30 to 11;30 at Limes Farm Community Centre, Limes Farm. This service is made available thanks to the successful partnership working of Integration Support Services with L&Q Housing Group, East Potential and Epping Council. The classes are free and child care facilities are provided subject to bookings in advance.

Please call our office on 01279 639442 to book a place.

Loughton Saturday Club


Integration Support Services is starting a Saturday Club in Loughton, Epping Forest, in partnership with East Potential, Epping Forest Children Centres. This service will start on 15th January 2011 and will aim to reach isolated families from migrant community and other ethnic minority background in Epping Forest area. The club will provide a wide range of play and learn activities for children and parents, opportunities to learn and share experiences, social events, volunteering and many other facilities which will support a sucessful integration in the community.

Monday 6 December 2010

Lord Lieutenant at ISS Annual General Meeting (Harlow Star)

The Lord Lieutenant of Essex attended the recent ISS Annual General Meeting.  A brief article about the event appeared in the Harlow Star on 3 December.  You can view the article here.

Monday 4 October 2010

Harvest Celebration

On the first Saturday of October ISS joined in the worldwide tradition of Harvest and 'giving'. We celebrated with activities for the children who enjoyed making things with vegetables, as well as eating them during our healthy eating lunch.

A very important part of the event was our presentation to Harlow Foodbank of donations of food (and toiletries) by clients and staff of ISS.

The foodbank is a ground-breaking concept designed to help individuals and families in crisis by providing free emergency food until the appropriate agencies are in a position to assist. Tinned and dried food is collected from the public at supermarkets, churches, schools and other local groups and 'banked' in a warehouse. Food is then given to people in crisis using foodbank vouchers via organizations like ISS.

As Harlow Foodbank has helped so many of our clients in so many ways, our clients felt that they would like to give something back. The Harvest Celebration was a way of doing this. Parents and children met with Kevin Tierney from Harlow Foodbank and made their presentation, after which Kevin joined us for lunch.

See the image gallery for some pictures of the event.

Saturday 2 October 2010

East Herts BME Forum

Integration Support Services has become one of the first organisations to join East Herts Ethnic Minority Forum. The forum met on Thursday 30th September at Charis Centre, Bishops Stortford where terms of reference were agreed among all members surrounded by a very warm and friendly atmosphere. The purpose of this forum is to bring a voice of all ethnic minority groups in this region promoting community cohesion and understanding among all cultures. CVS for East Herts and Broxbourne have taken the lead on establishing this forum supported by East Herts Council and many other ethnic groups in the area.

If you belong to any ethnic group in East Herts and you want to represent your community or maybe just yourself you can attend next meeting which is scheduled for 22nd November @ 6pm, Charis Centre, Bishops Stortford, CM23 2JZ.

ISS Joins Epping Forest Hate Crime Panel

ISS has joined the Epping Forest Hate Crime Panel to be able to offer our help to anyone who may be a victim of a hate crime, discrimination or harassment. We are very determined to challenge any behaviour or action which is surrounded by hate and prejudice. if you have been affected by any such experiences at work, school, or your neighborhood please GIVE US A CALL and we will be able to provide you with the right support and guidance.

Monday 27 September 2010

Black History Month 2010

Black History Month 2010
Black History Month launches on Saturday 2 October.  There is a launch event in Market Square, Harlow, from 10am to 4pm.

A full schedule of events is available online here.

Sunday 26 September 2010

ISS Annual General Meeting 2010

The AGM is to be held on Friday, 12 November.  The venue is at Harlow College:

College Hall
Harlow College
Velizy Avenue
Harlow
CM20 3LH

You can find a map here.

Saturday 25 September 2010

New Website for ISS

New ISS Website Design
Integration Support Services is pleased to announce the launch of its new website.  The site, designed by a Trustee of the charity, has been structured to interface with the ISS blog, and visitors can move seamlessly between them.

We have many new features on the site, including instantaneous translation into over 50 languages, a picture gallery of ISS events, feeds from organisations such as the UK Border Agency, and an overview of the services that ISS can provide.

Please visit the new site and let us know what you think.  The web address is www.iss.org.uk.

Tuesday 21 September 2010

ISS Launches New Blog

As part of the imminent launch of a new website, Integration Support Services (ISS) has launched this blog as an additional means of communicating with clients, partners and other stakeholders.

With the new website scheduled for public launch before the end of September, Mimoza Matoshi, CEO of ISS, said "We are excited by the opportunities that this blog will provide for us to keep everyone right up-to-date with the latest developments at ISS, and we are looking forward to adding new information as often as we can."

The blog has been created using Google's Blogger application, and includes the facility for instantaneous automatic translation into around 50 languages, powered by Google Translate.  For technical queries, please contact Andrew Pryde.

Thursday 29 April 2010

ISS Earns PQASSO Quality Certification


ISS has been awarded Level 1 certification under the PQASSO Quality Management System, with enthusiastic support and participation by staff and Trustees.  The organisation is now working towards Level 2.
PQASSO is intended to provide a quality assurance framework for small, medium or large voluntary and community organisations.
You can discover more about PQASSO by visiting the Charities Evaluation Services website.