February/March

Upcoming Events

Film Night : Monday 10th February

"Les Miserables" at the Gimle Theater in Frogner at 2030
Cost is 100 NOK per ticket
If you wish a bite to eat beforehand, then a group will meet for dinner at Schiller s Tapas Bar. Please contact icon.oslo.vicepresident@gmail.com for more details and send an email with confirmation no later than 2200 on Sunday night if you would like to join.
Cash for cinema to Alair on the evening of the film, who has kindly offered to purchase tickets in advance online!

Members Meeting: Tuesday 11th February at Frognerseteren at 11am

Enjoy coffee and tea and the most fabulous view over the Fjord..... and for the more adventurous of us...after coffee, our Vice-President has offered to lead a Sledging group (Also known as SLEDDING) on the fun run next to Frognerseteren. Don`t forget to dress for the occasion!  Sledges and helmets can be hired at the venue! Please meet Alair after coffee if you wish to join the team!!

Coffee Morning: Tuesday 26th February

 

Jacobs Aal in Akerbrygge 
from 11am. Please join us for coffee and a chat!








Explore Oslo: Friday 1st March

The next visit is to the Viking Ship Museum on Friday 1st March, with Mr Roberts: if you would like to be added to the mailing list for this and future visits please contact janet.maybank@gmail.com

What's Been Happening!

Our first "Meet the Partners" Cocktail Party was a huge success.
We had a super turnout and everyone enjoyed sipping on copious amounts of champagne and enjoying delicious canapes. Thank you to Ali and Cheryl for all their hard work and to everyone who attended and contributed to make this evening so special. 

"Thank you for the wonderful party you organised on Friday night.  It was a great success and a great turnout!"... 

"It was a lovely party and a lot of hard work for you both. The venue looked gorgeous - and the driveway - with all the candles"...

"Thank you so much for hosting the LOVELY event last night.  We both had a great time. The food was delicious and the presentation superb. You have an unbeatable talent for decor!" 

 

ICON will be organising another event in the spring.... So.....Watch this space!

Explore Oslo

Eleven ladies in the "Explore Oslo" group had their first visit of 2013 on Monday to the Rådhus, Oslo City Hall .  Mr Roberts, their excellent guide, introduced them to the history of this unusual building which opened in 1950. The ceilings and walls in the grand ceremonial hall and the other rooms were decorated by many Norwegian artists, depicting many scenes of life in Oslo and Norway over the centuries.  Mr Roberts pointed out many scenes in the paintings which they may not have noticed theirselves and brought the history alive.  They finished the tour with a walk around the exterior in the snow, seeing the sculptures both on and in front of the building.

Activities Update


X-country skiing

This group meets every Friday from 10am until done (about 2hrs)
It is suitable for intermediate to advanced skiers.
Each tour will be based on the ability of the group and snow conditions
Contact: krass@chd-kk.com

French conversation group

This group meets every two weeks, alternating Mondays and Tuesdays for coffee and light lunch/snack at a member's home. It is relaxed and informal ... chatting in French with native French speakers.
Contact: pgeorge@online.no

Charity

Thank you everyone for all the wonderful donations you have given for the raffle and for being so generous in your purchase of tickets. Every NOK raised goes towards helping the children of our three chosen charities. We will hold a raffle at Frogneseteren next week. Please contact icon.charity@gmail.com if you are able to contribute this month.

Also thank you again to those who have been volunteering at the retirement home. You are truly giving the residents a wonderful day and your time is greatly appreciated.



Service Project Pune India

A service project in Pune India supporting the education of children in surrounding villages.

OIS has raised 35,000 Nok to date for the Service Project in Pune.
Students (29 students and 4 adults) involved in this project will be travelling to Pune India in March to help support this project.
We are excited to hear all about this trip in May.

News from The Ecole Franco Arabe Mademba Primary School in Dakar, Senegal.

Ecole Mademba Franco Arabe

Dear ICON Members,

In December my husband and I traveled to Thiaroye Sur Mer, Senegal to visit "your" school and do a little research. I am writing an article for a conference on Comparative Education. The article examines why the parents of Thiaroye are increasingly choosing private schools, such as Ecole Mademba rather than the government school. After interviewing the parents of children attending Mademba and two other private schools,distinct patterns emerged.

Despite family hardship, parents will go without essentials or borrow money from relatives to send their children to Mademba. Financial means determine whether a child can attend a private school (enrollment and monthly fees can be as much as 10-20% of household income). Government schools require an enrollment fee but no monthly fees. No one living in Thiaroye would be described as middle income, but there is a range of lower income families. 

Dr Horan with some of the children

Parents site three major issues as driving their choice of school: constant teacher strikes in government schools, quality of private schools, and security. Government teachers receive two years of teacher training beyond high school. Attaining a post with the government in Senegal generally guarantees lifelong employment at a comfortable salary. But increasingly teachers have aligned with unions favoring one or another political party. Politics as well as a desire for higher salaries has increased the number of days government schools are shut down. Private schools are more dependableand offer longer hours. Parents enjoy the fact that private schools have longer working hoursand rarely shut down. 

Streets of Thiaroye Sur Mer

When I asked about the quality of schooling, I was surprised that few answers involved academic achievements. Quality of school seemed to be judged by infrastructure (the maintenance of the building, existence of a working toilet, etc.) and class size. The fact that private school teachers were hired based on being a friend or family member of the school owner did not seem to matter. The teachers were deemed qualified merely because they had finished high school.

Kindergarten

Class size in private schools is half of the government (45:100 per teacher per class). However, lack of enough students to fill a grade forces private schools to put two grades in one classroom rather than hire another teacher.
Finally, the word security kept coming up in our conversations. I was puzzled as when I think of school security, coming from the USA, I tend to think of weapons in the school or fights among students. 

The Classroom ICON paid for

For the parents of Thiaroye sur mer, security means knowing their children are locked within the school and not wondering around the town. They are comforted by the thought that an adult is supervising their child. In contrast, the government is an open campus and children will come and leave as they want. One father of a child in government school complained that his son had to leave school and walk home every time he needed the toilet.

Visiting our school, Ecole Mademba renewed my admiration for the teachers and the daily challenges they face. The charity money raised from ICON has enabled the school to build and grow. ICON relieves some of the pressure to increase the number of students in a classroom in order pay teacher salaries, rent, and operating expenses. Mademba now serves 198 children, a feat impossile with ICON's help.
Some 35% of school aged children in Thiaroye sur mer remain unschooled. Many of their parents find no value in education and send them out to fish, the traditional way to earn money. Private schools such as Mademba are not the panecea of Senegal's education challenge. But, Mademba offers parents hope and tools to a better future for their children.

Thank you ICON for making a difference in a place of need.

Best wishes,
Dr Julie Horan

ICON's donation helps to support the basic educational needs of this Primary school. We are the only financial support this school receives.

Watoto, Uganda

An  organization that cares for orphans and vulnerable women in Uganda.
ICON's yearly donations go directly to help the orphans and women of Uganda.

ICON Community Service Program

Members who wish to volunteer any amount of  time to support the elderly with cookie baking, crafts, walk abouts, companionship and a lot of happy moments just a few areas that the volunteers of this service provide.

Should you wish to volunteer please contact Gro Larsgard through  icon.oslo.charity@gmail.com

Hospitality

Thank you again for those who brought a dish to the "Whole New You"
meeting in January.  The next meeting in Hovik will be in March. (February is at Frognesteren) If you are able to bring anything to the March meeting,or would like to help out on the day, please contact icon.hospitality@gmail.com

We look forward to seeing you at all or some of the above events. Please don't forget to check the member's only  ICON group Facebook page for helpful info from our members for our members. 
Please contact icon.president@gmail.com to request to join the group.