The academic term is well and truly underway. In Bristol, Cambridge, Kingston, Southampton and Winchester we are training volunteers and getting projects rolling. Autumn is a time of change and this year we have been flexible and adapted our offering to best support the students and communities we work with. From online training to socially distanced Branch Up activity days, you can expect to hear more about this over the coming months.
Student Consultants
The autumn Social Innovation Programme has launched in three of our Hubs – entirely online. After piloting this in the summer, the programme has been refined to fit the current climate. In Bristol, Cambridge and Winchester, successful candidates have completed the selection process and met their clients at an online launch event. Congrats Sorcha, Isobel and Lydia for doing an amazing job with creating an innovative, collaborative and impactful online SIP. Stay tuned for more updates as the teams work on their briefs over the coming weeks.
In Bristol we also have an exciting new opportunity; Climate Action Bristol. This year long placement sees student consultants team up with local businesses to develop and implement a climate action plan. This month we recruited two student coordinators to lead the project and we trained 15 student consultants who will be supporting businesses with their sustainability journey. Climate Action Bristol is delivered in collaboration with NETpositive Futures and the University of Bristol Sustainability Department
Intergenerational Work
Social isolation and the intergenerational gap have been exacerbated over the past few months. Both students and older people may be feeling isolated and are facing growing ageism in the media. Therefore, the work we do with LinkAges is more important than ever. In Bristol, Cambridge and Winchester students and older people in the community are coming together to share experiences and create new friendships through a variety of activities and projects.
A highlight of this is Desert Island Discs, a new idea (based on the Radio 4 programme) being launched in Cambridge. Student volunteers will have weekly video calls with their partner to share life stories, experiences, and meaningful music. Ultimately, this will be recorded as an informal interview about the participant’s life and the significance of music to them.
The Results Are In…
Thanks again for completing the Graduate Impact Survey. After some initial analysis we wanted to share some of our exciting highlights with you. We are still analysing the survey and have begun collecting case studies so stay tuned for more updates soon.
In the Spotlight
This month we want to put the entire staff team in the spotlight. This time of year is incredibly busy as term starts and projects begin. The energy, motivation and passion the Student Hubs team brings every day is formidable. Here’s a picture from one of last year’s team days.
Thanks for everything Pippa, Sim and Fiona in the national team, Liz and Sorcha at Winchester Hub, Sophie and Catherine at Southampton Hub, Harry, Junior and Ewelina at Kingston Hub, Susana, Isobel and Laura at Cambridge Hub and Lydia at Bristol Hub. Have a well-deserved and spooky Halloween weekend.
What to Look Out For
- Applications are still open for Alumni Ambassadors. If you want to continue your Hub journey and support with events management, social media strategy and fundraising, you can apply here. Deadline: 2 November
- In case you missed it, earlier this month we announced our new CEO
- We are recruiting a Programmes Manager at Bristol Hub. Find out more and apply here
- Aaron, a Student Hubs alumni shared his social action journey on the blog here. If you would be interested in contributing a piece reach out to Fiona, our Sales Director, on fiona.walsh@www.studenthubs.org
- If you work with 7-14 year olds and would like to get involved with our One Community Forum focused on bridging the educational attainment gap that has been created by the impact of Covid-19 in our Hub communities, reach out to Fiona on fiona.walsh@www.studenthubs.org