As we head into spring, here is a round-up of our latest impact and spotlights on some of our local programmes. Grab an Easter egg and have a read…
Students at our 10 Hubs are continuing to lead and develop initiatives that positively impact their local communities. Since January, a huge range of activities have taken place across our network, including the launch of new local projects and the annual Student Volunteering Week. In the past term:
– 1,083 students volunteered with 218 community projects
– 239 student consultants worked on projects for 42 Social Innovation Programme host organisations
– 42 projects were incubated
– 29,674 students received our local newsletters
– 12,000+ students at 120 universities and colleges took part in Student Volunteering Week, with the hashtag #SVW2016 reaching more than 12 million Twitter users
– 2 of our volunteers – Jess from Southampton Hub and Sophie from Bristol Hub – were longlisted for the Student Volunteer of the Year Award
– Our #IVolunteerBecause campaign kicked off, encouraging students and others to share their social action testimonies on Twitter, Facebook and our blog
Thank you to our national and local partners for their ongoing collaboration and support.
Local spotlights
LinkAges – Winchester
Having launched through Oxford Hub in 2013, LinkAges was piloted in Winchester in September 2014. Since then, student leaders have have grown the programme, with 13 students now volunteering on a weekly basis. These volunteers currently work with 4 community partners: Brendoncare, Winchester Live at Home, Flowerdown Nursing Home and Godson House Sheltered Housing Tenants. On average, the students spend time with 50 older people each week.
During Student Volunteering Week, 21 students volunteered at a one-off Tea Party for 30 older people from the local area. The group enjoyed tea, cake, scones, clotted cream and plenty of dancing. One resident from The Valley Sheltered Housing Scheme said: “The event was thoroughly enjoyable, with a lovely spread. We didn’t realise the students were involved in so much […] Thanks to the students for all their hard work.”
Find out more about LinkAges and our other volunteering programmes.
Social Innovation Programme – Bristol, Cambridge, Kingston, SOAS
The past term saw another successful round of Social Innovation Programme placements at our Bristol, Cambridge, Kingston and SOAS Hubs. In Bristol, 39 students worked on consultancy projects for 11 socially impactful organisations. One team of students researched and suggested viable social enterprises that One25 (a charity supporting vulnerable women affected by poverty, homelessness and street sex work) could use to provide employment and qualification for their service users.
In Cambridge this year, 72 students have taken part across 18 challenges. Read one student’s perspective on his project with the social enterprise chocolatier Harry Specters here. Through Kingston Hub, 37 students have worked on 9 projects, with further successful projects also completed at SOAS. A SIP participant at Kingston University said it was “an amazing opportunity to gain insight and experience, as well as develop skills – everyone should know about it.”
The SIP will continue in the summer term at Kingston and SOAS, skilling up more students to help organisations tackle pressing social issues. If you’d like to host a consultancy group now or in the autumn, get in touch with your local Hub.
Find out more about our Skilled Placements.
Coming Up
We’ve got plenty going on in the next few months including ongoing programmes, student committee recruitment and planning for 2016/17. Here are some opportunities you can get involved with:
– Tour des Hubs: from 10-15 April, a team of our staff will be cycling 392 miles between our local Hubs to raise funds in support of our work. Please sponsor the team today and get in touch if you can provide any food, gear or accommodation for the ride.
– Social Impact Internship Scheme: back for 2016, our Internship Scheme connects students to meaningful summer placements with charities and social enterprises. If you’re interested in hosting an intern, find out more and apply.