September has flown past and we are well and truly in Autumn now. Along with falling leaves, spiced treats and beanies, the Student Hubs team has been bringing in the season with all of our favourite start of term activities: Welcome Fairs, committee inductions and getting ready for our programmes to begin.
Welcome Week
Each of our Hubs have been celebrating Welcome Week this month. In Winchester, Hub Manager Liz, and the student committee, had a brilliant day welcoming people to their newsletter, and chatting about Woolly Matters, Schools Plus and all of their other exciting plans for the year.
The Bristol Hub Freshers Fair is a two day event. Sorcha, Elle and the student leaders are planning on supplying sweets (orange flavoured of course) and encouraging attendees to let them know what social issues they are most passionate about in the city.
New Members of the Team
This September we have welcomed new student leaders into the Student Hubs team, as well as two members of staff.
Each of our Hubs have a committee who support the staff team to reach out to students and deliver programmes. At the beginning of the year we get to welcome lots of new faces to our committees and induct them into the Hub. This year inductions have included an introduction to finances and fundraising, preparation to pitch the Hub at the Welcome Fair, setting goals for the year and discussing wellbeing.
Meanwhile, in the staff team, we are so excited to introduce to you Toby Pallatt, our new Cambridge Hub Manager and Farah Nehmé, our new Kingston Hub Programmes Manager. Toby will be delivering LinkAges in Cambridge, as well as supporting the Hub to grow. Farah will be delivering youth programmes in Kingston, including Schools Plus tutoring and Empower mentoring.
Return of the Webinars
After taking a break over summer, September saw the return of Student Hubs’ webinars. To kick off the 2021-22 series our Partnerships and Development Director, Fiona Walsh, delivered a session on Reaching and Engaging University Student Volunteers. The webinar gave the low down on all things student volunteering including tips about how to connect with students, effectively and accessibly communicate your opportunities and support the students you work with.
Coming up in October we have a similar session on Supporting and Managing Volunteers, this time aimed at student leaders. We also have an Accessible Programme Design Workshop for professionals in the higher education and charity sectors, being delivered by Laura Bea, part of Student Hubs’ Diversity and Inclusion team.
You can see all of our upcoming webinars on Eventbrite.
In the Spotlight
This month we want to put Engage for Change, and Luisa Deragon in the spotlight. Luisa is a finalist in the Green Gown Awards, recognising sustainability excellence in extraordinary times. Luisa has been shortlisted for their Engage for Change project, RE.USE. As part of this initiative, Luisa has introduced reusable containers to be used for takeaway food at the University of Cambridge.
What to Look Out For
- Calling all Student Hubs alumni and all current students, we want to hear your thoughts on our work and our potential direction for the future. This will inform our strategy moving forward. If you have 10 minutes please share your reflections via our questionnaire
- Come and join us for our first staff and alumni Lunch and Learn! Cambridge Hub Manager, Toby, will be delivering a session on British Sign Language on Wednesday 27 October from 12-1. Sign up to join the session
- Our Alumni Ambassadors are facilitating a live Q&As in the Alumni Network Facebook Group, answering all your questions about being a Student Hubs Ambassador. Join them on Wednesday 29 September at 6pm. If you aren’t available then, you can also read more and apply to be an Alumni Ambassador online
- There is still time to apply to the Southampton Hub Project Officer role, taking the first step in your social action career. If you are interested find out more and apply before Sunday 3 October