Celebrating 16 years of Vandu!
Vandu associate conference 2015
On Saturday the 28th of November Vandu hosted its annual conference at Eastbourne town hall; marking 16 years of Mebrak’s hard work, determination and passion towards Vandu. With a great turnout, full of our freelance professionals and guest speakers, it was going to be a day to remember.
Once everyone had taken a seat the event was opened by Jean Gould, a Community Care Lawyer who spoke about tough case studies during her role. Discussing real life stories about those who face challenges on a daily basis struck a chord, empowering the audience to recognise and understand the rights of individuals they are potentially interpreting for. If they then felt more support was required, it would be their responsibility to refer them to a bilingual advocate who would then deal with the case.
Formally welcoming everyone to the event, Mebrak then thanked everyone for their support and dedication to Vandu over the years. Particularly expressing how we should be collaborating as a c
ommunity to achieve greater influential results.
This was followed by Nadege Richard, a French speaking volunteer who has recently worked in Calais at the refugee camps. Expressing her thoughts and feelings from her recent trip to ‘The Jungle’ sparked great debate on the topic and plenty of audience participation. You could see the compassion and humanisation from everyone in the room, showcasing the business’ core values and ethics and why Mebrak set up Vandu 16 years ago.
‘I thoroughly enjoyed listening to our associates’ opinions on the topics that were being discussed and it was great to see everyone interacting with each other.’ – Olivia, Vandu service manager
A short coffee break allowed everyone the chance to network. It gave the interpreters a chance to find common ground with one another, discuss their jobs and bond over differences and similarities in their day to day routines.
‘It was lovely to see so many interpreters at the conference, to finally meet face to face and to listen to the speakers at the conference.’- Amy, Administration co-ordinator
The break also gave everyone a chance to look at the vibrant displays put in place, from promoting race equality and mental health services to a stool selling Aloe Vera based skin care and beauty products, which had a prize draw giving anyone who signed up the chance to win a selection of the goodies.
Mebrak then continued discussing Vandu’s successes, improvements and future goals. With everyone in one place and keen to tackle any issues, Mebrak opened her questions up to the audience who got the freedom to raise any concerns or ideas they had about the business.
The BSL (British Sign Language) community told their own story. When a new company threatened to cut their wages, through the help and power of social media and a sense of camaraderie, they managed to overrule this decision. Not only was this a victory in a sense that the BSL interpreters won their basic rig
hts but a leading positive came from this in the form of a Union.
In further conversation with a BSL member who fought for this campaign they said, ‘A couple of freelancers started this because they were fed up of the squeeze and threat to our terms and conditions. Now approximately 30% of freelance interpreters are members of the NUBSLI (National Union of British Sign Language Interpreters) they are making a difference.’
All of the freelance professionals were inspired to set up their own Union; this would allow them the opportunity to discuss any issues, stick together in the event of any injustice, all the while creating an active social group.
Again, lunch was a great opportunity to move around. Delicious homemade falafels and humus were enjoyed, whilst the room buzzed with collaborations, idea sharing and everyone gaining new contacts.
Ze Zook, a Digital Marketing lecturer at the London Metropolitan University gave the final presentation of the day. It highlighted the powers of marketing and how a business can maximise its potential by using a variety of social platforms, employee collaboration and the correct marketing strategy for the business. Ultimately giving confidence and guidance to those who are unfamiliar with social media to try it for themselves.
As the day drew to a close it was time to reflect on the day’s events. Everyone came away with a re found confidence,proud knowing that what they were achieving was having a massively positive impact on their profession.
“It’s great that so many thought-provoking topics were covered at the event, however for me personally I saw it as a morale booster for us and our associates. It’s reassuring to be updated on what’s going on and how everyone can be involved”- Fletcher Davies Translation Coordinator
“Inspiring speakers, great interaction from the audience and good food!”- Alejandra Gonzalez
(Top left; Ahsan, Mebrak and Olivia, top right; Jean Gould)
(Bottom right; Ze Zook, bottom right; Interpreter group picture)
Vandu Language Services is based in Lewes, Sussex and has been helping organisations overcome the language barrier since 1999. We provide interpreting, translation, bilingual advocacy and cross cultural training for when you need to communicate clearly across cultures.
