Welcome to the July issue of Alumni Digest, and the final one we’ll be sharing in this format. Read on to find out what’s next for the series as we enter the next phase of Student Hubs’ closure (spoiler alert: you will definitely want to check it out!).
For now, although it may be bittersweet, we’d like to highlight what’s gone well this month and share the silver linings of our final weeks together as a team. We have managed to have lots of fun as we wrap up our work, and can be really proud of what we’ve managed to achieve this year along with our wonderful student volunteers.
Staff awards
After we’d all cast our votes on election day, the team met up in London for our annual staff awards. We spent the day at the lovely Art4Space in Vauxhall and did lots of creative thinking and crafting to make awards for our colleagues. Split into two teams, we reflected on what the other half of the group had brought to Student Hubs this year, thinking about their strengths and how they’d developed as individuals. It was lots of fun and great to see the staff team receive the following awards:
- Sim – The Radical Roarer
- Sophie – Kind at the Core
- Fiona – Riding the Wave
- Amy – The C-Queen
- Sorcha – The Uplifter
- Luka – Inquisitive Constructor
- Stephen – Captain Creative
- Charlie – Innovative Connector
We think celebrating one another in this way was the perfect activity to round off our final year of delivery, and we’d definitely suggest it as a great way to celebrate any teams you’re a part of!
Impact, impact and… more impact!
As with any year at Student Hubs, we have lots of fantastic feedback and statistics from our programme delivery to share. Bristol and Southampton have published their annual impact reports, and Cambridge’s will follow soon along with a national summary. The challenges that have lead to our closure certainly didn’t take away from what our Hub teams were able to achieve this academic year, and we encourage you to take the time to read their reflections and join us in celebrating the fabulous staff, volunteers and partners who have made everything possible!
The evolution of alumni digest
As we’re no longer delivering our local programmes, we felt that it was time for Alumni Digest to come to an end… but only in its current format! We’ve loved having this channel to update our Alumni community on goings-on each month and celebrate the work of our Hubs, and didn’t want to lose that connection in the final months of the organisation.
As such, we present to you… the Closure Diaries! The wonderful management team of Sim, Fiona & Sophie will be taking the reins as they wrap up our legacy work, sharing their learnings and reflections in the context of closing down a charity. You’ll get to hear what their work looks like and how you can get involved until January. There will undoubtedly be lots of good reads recommended, too! If you’re not already signed up to the newsletter, you can do so at studenthubs.org/alumni.
in the spotlight
This month we want to put our local teams in the spotlight, as well as the wonderful author of your monthly digest – Amy. With Student Hubs due to close our doors in January 2025 the end of July marks a goodbye to our local delivery, and the amazing individuals who make that happen. This academic year has been hugely impactful across Bristol, Cambridge and Southampton with our team supporting 491 students, working with 54 partners and reaching 1023 community members.
This simply would not be possible without the passion, energy and expertise our team brings to their work every day. A huge thank you, congratulations and good luck to Sorcha, Luka, Charlie, Stephen and Amy. You will be missed but I don’t doubt you will continue to shine in your next steps.
Student Hubs Management Team
What to look out for
Keep an eye on our social media channels and newsletters to stay up to date with our legacy work. For example, we invite you to have your say on your experience with Student Hubs in our Alumni Survey. We want to use the next six months to capture our magic, and spotlight the value of active citizenship. And honestly, there’s no one better to contribute than you. As well as supporting Student Hubs, you will have the opportunity to enter a giveaway for a £50 voucher. What’s stopping you?
We appreciate the news of our closure may have come as a shock, so we’d love it if you used it as a reason to reconnect with your Hub friends and reminisce on your time with us. If you have any stories you’d like to share, please do get in touch with info@studenthubs.org or share via our legacy form. We’d love to hear from you!