Over the next couple of weeks my colleague Jill Bennett and I will be busy interviewing students who have applied for our Undergraduate Community Internship Programme (UCIP). It’s an enjoyable process as we meet students who want to give their time to local third sector organisations who in return offer valuable work experience.

Over the five years we’ve run the programme we’ve had some outstanding students who have done some invaluable work for organisations that often have limited resources. We are indebted to these organisations for taking the time to work with us to develop a suitable placement and provide support to the student whilst with them. The placements are typically for a day a week between the end of September and the middle of December each year.

Valuable Resource
The internships provide a valuable insight into working with charities and voluntary organisations and leads many students into a fulfilling career in the third sector. Some notable UCIP alumni are Siobhan Randell who was placed with The Children’s Society and is now a Project Co-ordinator with educational charity the Access Project. Another is Laura Richardson who volunteered with POW Nottingham and now works for housing charity Family Mosaic and finally Tui Benjamin who cut her teeth in a communications role for The Renewal Trust and is now a Health Reporter with the Bury Times. It’s fair to say that Tui and the Renewal Trust were truly a match made in heaven as we would receive regular emails from the Trust telling us how fabulous Tui was and the feelings were fully reciprocated. This led to a summer placement for another student, George Maier, who was equally successful and stayed at the Trust on a part time basis for the following year.

Once this year’s cohort have been appointed, I begin my search for placements and would welcome enquiries from any third sector organisations who are interested in being involved. I help to develop suitable projects so it isn’t necessary to have a fully formed idea. It might be a piece of research you don’t have the time to carry out or a marketing campaign that needs looking at from a new perspective; our students have very many skills and lots of enthusiasm. We run other group projects throughout the year so I can discuss with you whether your project might be better suited to that rather than an individual placement.

Contact
If you want to get involved you can contact me by telephone on 0115 951 3718 or email jacqui.storey@nottingham.ac.uk

The post Community Internships appeared first on Access All Areas.

Laura Simpson, Senior Practitioner in Heritage Tourism at Nottinghamshire County Council is our latest guest blogger. Laura approached Jacqui Storey in Community Partnerships in the Autumn of 2014, looking to recruit volunteers from the University to help with the creation of an audio tour. The audio files were to complement a walking trail relating to the history of the Quaker movement which has its origins in the town of Mansfield. Laura tells us more about the project.

Not many people realise that the Nottinghamshire town of Mansfield is the birthplace of the Quaker religion and the site of Mansfield’s new bus station is located where the Old Quaker Meeting House and burial ground once stood. Emerging out of the religious and social turmoil of the Civil War years, the Quakers played a prominent role in the history of Mansfield from the 1640s onwards. George Fox, the founder of the Quaker Movement began to form his first ideas about the religion whilst walking past St Peter and St Paul’s Church in 1643.
There are many places of interest throughout the town linked to the Quaker religion so it seemed fitting to install a memorial plaque to the Quakers once buried on the site of the new bus station and to develop a heritage trail to engage people with this hidden history.

The Process

The students spent an average of 2-3 hours a week carrying out research into the links between the Quaker movement and specific locations in the town and were supported in writing and recording of audio material for the trail by the Mansfield Local Studies Library and Ralph Holt, a local historian. This involved two trips to Mansfield to learn more about the town and its Quaker heritage. The Mansfield Quakers themselves, who have also supported the project, still meet within the town and are now known as the Religious Society of Friends. The Community Partnerships team supported the project by hosting meetings and recording sessions and through an introductory talk on the Quaker movement by Associate Professor in the History of Modern Christianity, Dr Frances Knight.

The Result

The students receiving their certficates

The project resulted in the unveiling of the memorial plaque and launch of the trail at the Bus Station on Saturday 25th April. Around 40 people came to the event and the students were each presented with a framed certificate by Deputy Leader of the Council, Joyce Bosnjak. From my perspective, I benefitted from the positive experience of working in partnership with University and young people which in turn supported the development of the heritage tourism within the county. I saw the students benefitting through real-life project experience, team working in an applied setting, learning audio recording skills and learning more about a local community and escape from the ‘student bubble’.

The post Students contribute to local heritage tourism appeared first on Access All Areas.

The Bulwell Toy Library team with Project organisers Jacqui Storey and Kathryn Wright

Three groups of Computer Science students presented the results of their IT Consultancy to an invited audience of local charities and businesses at our Jubilee Campus on 25th March. The IT Community Consultants project helps to demonstrate the importance of hands-on, real-life experience for students whilst providing valuable support for charities that often lack in-house IT expertise.

First and second year students Dan Jackson, Hamzah Abdullah and Antony Walker worked with Bulwell Community Toy Library on a variety of issues that were challenging the organisation. These included document storage and sharing, internet connectivity and the assessment of the effectiveness of an existing database. The students regularly met with Andy Pedley from the Toy Library and checked out their thinking with mentors who were University staff with IT consultancy experience. Andy Pedley said, “The students asked us some searching questions and made us think about what we really want from our IT.”

Meredita Susanty Alexander Morley and Chris Nicholls worked with Integritas Advocacy to advise them on how to improve data extraction for reporting purposes and how to improve the way they share documents. The final group involved Daniel Allenby, Kaayem Patel and George Tretyakov working with Self Help Nottingham to advise on a new Customer Relationship Management System.
These projects are not without their challenges which is to be expected in an environment where students are learning skills that will prepare them for the world of work. If we started with the ‘finished product’ then I guess the project would have less of an impact on the students. We are grateful to our community partners who give their time in support of the project and also to our mentors who help to ensure the work the students do is ultimately of benefit to the organisations.

The post Students test the world of consultancy and help local charities appeared first on Access All Areas.

The project team with the Vice Chancellor

On a bright afternoon in early February, I found myself having afternoon tea with the Vice Chancellor and the Head of University Security, wondering quite how this had happened and whether I was still in bed having one of ‘those’ dreams. Strange as it was, I quickly realised it wasn’t quite weird enough to inhabit my dream life; it was all part of the Vice Chancellor’s Achievement Award ceremony and I and an amazing team of staff and students were being presented with our own award in recognition of the IT Community Consultants Project.

Joyful Event
Such events can be a little formal and even awkward but there was a genuinely joyful atmosphere as around 40 people from across the University collected certificates and medals for ‘exceptional achievement’ before being served afternoon tea. The IT Community Consultants Project is a truly collaborative project that brings together students from the School of Computer Science with staff from Careers, IT Services and Community Partnerships. The students work in small teams to provide consultancy to local community organisations who often have no in-house IT expertise and no budget to pay for consultants.

The student team – Martin Bounden, Harry Mumford-Turner, Christopher Nicoll, Oyedipo Areoye and Joe Nash. Unable to attend to collect their award were Nathan Bratby, Janos Bana, Zixuan Cheng and Kishan Dosa

Quality Consultancy
IT Services staff act as mentors and technical advisors to the project which ensures the quality of the consultancy. This is further added to by development sessions run by the Careers and Employability Service leading to students completing a Nottingham Advantage Award Module. My role is to recruit organisations and help develop projects that would challenge the students yet provide something of value to organisations.

Rewarding Project
There can be nothing more rewarding than receiving feedback from participants such as the Nottingham Elders Forum who said, “The team were absolutely superb and so professional; we couldn’t have had a better one if we’d paid a huge sum for their services”. Equally, students tell us how much the project has benefitted them. Christopher Nicholl was part of the award winning team and has now graduated. He said, “The project gives me an extra advantage over other candidates for jobs as I now have hands on experience.”

The team would agree that we never set out to gain reward or recognition for the project as seeing the impact it makes is reward enough in itself. However, to be formally recognised in such an enjoyable way does make it feel that little bit more special. Having an opportunity to take tea with fellow award winners, the Vice Chancellor and many other senior staff from the University made it an afternoon to remember.

The post Award winning community project appeared first on Access All Areas.

Nearing the end of January you are probably already wondering where the time disappeared to.  Was it really a month ago that you were saying a cheery Merry Christmas to your friends and colleagues as you made a mad dash to the door to begin your Christmas break?

What next for January?

What happened after the festivities, did you make those New Year resolutions to be fitter and healthier, to save money, to hand in all your work way before the deadline?  Like most of us you probably did, and like many of us you may already be slipping back into those old ways.  Why do you think this is?  Maybe those resolutions just aren’t exciting or appealing enough, maybe you should be looking outwards rather than inwards.

We all know that Christmas is the time for giving and good will, but it doesn’t have to end when the decorations come down.  Look around you and consider where and how your skills and energies could be put to good use.  Numerous organisations need volunteers, not just for helping out in the coffee bar or shaking collecting tins (although these are indeed admirable ways to spend your time) but to offer their specific skills.  It could be helping an organisation with marketing, translation, social media, garden planning, homework clubs, the list is endless.  The Nottingham Skillsbank is the perfect place to look for these opportunities and to register your skills so people can find you.

If you are a student at the University of Nottingham there are opportunities to use your academic related skills, eg research, writing, business planning etc, in a voluntary role through the Community Partnerships Undergraduate Community Internship Programme (UCIP).  This programme aims to share the skills, knowledge and enthusiasm of bright, motivated students with local organisations who in return offer a valuable insight into working in the voluntary sector.  Students develop skills to enhance their employability and the organisations get a talented student to bring in new ideas and fresh eyes to a piece of work they may not have the time or resources to carry out themselves.

University of Nottingham students interested in one-off volunteering or working with a group of other students to create their own project should make their first point of call the Student Volunteer Centre who will be only too pleased to help you find what’s right for you or guide you in setting something up.

Probably the biggest collection of volunteering opportunities open to everyone exists on the Do-It website, where you can submit your own preferences to search the one million plus vacancies. This extensive range covers everything from dog walking, befriending asylum seekers, charity race stewards, museum photographers, there really is no limit to volunteering.

Still not convinced?  Perhaps something more personal and low key is called for.  What about the elderly gentleman who lives alone a few doors down from you, would he like some company for an hour a week?  A cup of tea and a chat could make the world of difference to him.  Or maybe just offer to put his dustbins out for him and pick up a few bits for him on your own shopping trips.  It really is that easy to make a difference.

I think you would be more likely to persevere with those resolutions which embrace helping others.  Not only will you have those people to consider but you really will feel that you are achieving something special and worthwhile. It may be three weeks into January but it’s not too late to add a new resolution to your list, one that will have a much wider impact than on you alone, and I guarantee that you will get as much out of it as the people you are supporting.

The post January food for thought appeared first on Access All Areas.

On Tuesday 14 October 2014 I attended the Nottingham Community and Voluntary Service’s (NCVS) Annual Event at their offices on Mansfield Road.

What a great way to meet with people from various organisations across Nottingham.  The theme of the event was ‘At the Heart of the City’ and it is true that the NCVS has been at the heart of Nottingham’s community and voluntary sector for almost 140 years offering support, training, advice and brokering volunteers to community groups throughout the city.  Organisations were also encouraged to say how they themselves and their volunteers and staff form part of that heart.

The day began with coffee and heart-shaped sweet and savoury biscuits kindly made by NCVS staff volunteers; immensely welcoming after the battle in through heavy rain and very strong winds!  A welcome was provided by Helen Kearsley-Cree, the Chief Executive of NCVS followed by a keynote speech from Lyn Bacon, Chief Executive of Nottingham CityCare Partnership (NCCP), which clarified how the NCCP sits alongside the voluntary sector and the NHS.  An excellent choice of 12 breakout sessions throughout the day ensured there was something of interest to everyone, from how to access volunteers to understanding European funding.

The University of Nottingham was delighted to be able to sponsor this event and also to have the opportunity of speaking to delegates about the work of our Student Volunteer Centre, advising on how programmes developed by Community Partnerships can support community organisations and social enterprises and also what the University offers for mature learners.

It was a very well organised and valuable event.  Thanks NCVS and thank you for continuing to be at the heart of the community and voluntary sector in Nottingham.  Long may you reign!

The post At the Heart of Volunteering and Community appeared first on Access All Areas.

Our guest blog is written by Tamsin Stanger who is a 3^rd year Nutritional Biochemistry student based at the Sutton Bonington Campus. Tamsin took part in a Nottingham Advantage Award Module, Communicating Nutrition, in the Spring of 2014. The module is jointly run by Community Partnerships and the Careers & Employability Service and involved Tamsin working in a team with two other students. They supported Pulp Friction, a local charity that works with young adults (members) with learning disabilities with the aim of helping members develop employability skills. The students worked for around half a day a week over two months looking at how Pulp Friction could extend their range of healthy food and drinks which they sell at events and festivals, raising funds to continue the work of the charity. Tamsin tells us her reasons for taking part in the project and what she got out of the experience.

I applied for the Communicating Nutrition project to gain a deeper understanding of the role of nutrition in the community and to apply my knowledge to these settings. I also wanted to improve my communication skills, not only to large audiences but also to Pulp Friction members. I wanted to contribute to the improvement of nutrition-based issues in the community and utilise my skills to help Pulp Friction diversify its menu. Working on the project was very enjoyable as I gained valuable insight into a charity and developed my passion for community nutrition. I enjoyed developing recipes to suit the needs of the members and equipment available to make the products. It was also a good opportunity to get to know students from other years who I would never have otherwise met. It has been incredibly rewarding and humbling to be involved with a charity that changes the lives of young adults.

The Challenges
At times I found it challenging working in a team where we had differing approaches to our work and to fulfilling the project brief. Balancing course commitments, placement applications and extra-curricula roles with the project was very demanding and became overwhelming at times but with applying myself to managing my time and asking for help, the brief was met and Pulp Friction were happy with the outcome. Since finishing the project I have continued to volunteer with Pulp Friction by providing nutritional guidance and advice through the development of new smoothie recipes and explaining the nutritional content of the products. I have attended charity events with the team including a Good For Nothing event which involved skilled individual volunteers working together for the benefit of a charity, in this case Pulp Friction. The events allowed me to greater develop my understanding of Pulp Friction, get to know its members and to meet new people with a shared passion and drive in helping the organisation’s goals.

Future projects
I’d tell anyone thinking of taking part in Communicating Nutrition next year to do It! By taking part I have gained employability skills that stand out on my CV. In every placement interview I have had I always get asked more about the project and what I continue to do for the charity. You get out what you put in, so be prepared to work hard and you will be rewarded by the significant change that you are able to make in someone else’s life.

Applications from students for the 2014/15 Communicating Nutrition Project are currently being accepted, further details of which are available here http://tinyurl.com/ogvro9n

The post Communicating Nutrition appeared first on Access All Areas.

Welcome to the fifth blog in our ‘get to know you’ series, this time it’s the turn of…….

Name

Chris Holmes

How long have you worked here?

I’ve been in this role since April 2013, so at the time of writing nearly 18 months.

Where do you work?

I’m based in room A20 at the Kings Meadow Campus and have a lovely view of the ponds and fountains.

View from my seat towards the banana plantation!

What do you do?

I’m the Project & Systems Co-ordinator for a European Regional Development Funded (ERDF) project, called Building Enterprise, based within the Access and Communities team.  The project is aimed at assisting socially focused small businesses and eligible 3^rd sector organisations that are based in Nottingham.  The support mainly takes the form of providing a postgraduate student to undertake a specific research and development project with the organisation.  The project is also delivering a series of knowledge transfer workshops covering a wide range of topics from technology to organisational development.

What is the best thing about your job?

I really the enjoy the fact that I am involved in a project that hits two targets with one stone.  We are helping organisations that are in desperate need of this kind of intervention and also giving students invaluable experiences and increasing their employability skills – all in one action!

What did you do before working here?

I started my working life with the National Coal Board, subsequently British Coal, in the late 1980s.  My career with British Coal took me to a range of departments and locations, with my final post being that of Senior Finance Officer in the Management Accounts team, based at the British Coal Opencast headquarters.  I took voluntary redundancy, during the privatisation of British Coal, and started a career within Local Government with Mansfield District Council.  My career in Local Government lasted 18 years and involved working at Derby City Council and Ashfield District Council, as well as a partnership project that covered Bolsover District Council as well.

Most unusual job?

I can’t say that I’ve ever had an unusual job, but I do have some funny memories from over the years.  One in particular comes from a tour underground I had at Linby Colliery, when I worked for British Coal.  It was quite surreal to be 500 feet underground and sitting at the side of an old miner on a ‘man-rider’ train, chatting about the chewing tobacco he was happily chewing, with him occasionally pausing to spit between chews – he said it was a good method of getting rid of all the coal dust from his mouth, there was certainly a lot of coal dust down there, so I never doubted his belief.

How do you relax?

When I get home I paint tiny little blue European funding logos all over my ceilings and walls.

Tell us a joke

See how I relax above.

The post Knowing me, knowing you – part V appeared first on Access All Areas.

September sees the commencement of a new academic year and many of our volunteering projects get underway once more. One long-standing scheme, the Undergraduate Community Internship Programme, starts in the first week of term and I’m busy tying up all the loose ends and preparing for the induction which is supported by the Careers and Employability Service. The programme involves undergraduate students from a range of degree courses volunteering for a day a week in a local voluntary/community organisation. This year’s cohort are a mix of 2^nd and 3^rd years from Geography, Philosophy, Management Studies, Law, English and History.

Particular Skills
I source projects with organisations looking for particular skills such as the ability to conduct research, expertise in social media or policy development. I typically ask an organisation, “Is there a piece of work sitting to one side that you’d do if only you had an enthusiastic, skilled volunteer?” I’m usually met with a positive response and together we create an opportunity that results in satisfied students and organisations.

The students are recruited in the spring via application and interview, giving them valuable experience of the recruitment process. As well as volunteering they will complete a module of the Nottingham Advantage Award which supports them with reflecting on the employability skills gained whilst on placement. Gaining such skills is one of the reasons students give up a chunk of their time each week and it has paid dividends for previous years’ students who tell me how valuable the experience was in gaining jobs after graduation. A survey recently carried out by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) found that employers value work experience and volunteering, especially where students ‘make the experience count’. The Advantage Award supports this with self-assessment tools and reflective practices. Placements also help to prepare students for the work readiness and stamina AGR says employers seek from graduates.

Apprehension
As the students return to Nottingham in the next few days I have no doubt they will be apprehensive about their placement. How will they fit it in with their studies? Will they be able to do what’s expected of them? What if it all goes wrong? Making sure we avoid these pitfalls is my job and the time invested at this time of year in preparing the induction and talking to our partners in the community should help to ensure that our 6^th year is as successful as the previous 5. Look out for a blog later in the year from one of the students during their placement.

The post Interesting Times appeared first on Access All Areas.

Welcome to the fourth blog in our get to know you series.  Today we feature….

Name

Jill Bennett

How long have you worked here?

I have worked at the King’s Meadow campus at the University for 9 years.  During this time I have always been employed with Community Partnerships although my role has evolved quite a lot.

With my colleague Jacqui (that’s me in black)

What do you do?

I am the Information, Projects and Systems Coordinator, which sounds like a very lofty title but really means that I sit as the central administrative person in the team.  I provide support to one of the project managers, have a couple of my own community projects, sort out the finance and just generally encourage everyone to use the office systems I have spent time setting up.

What is the best thing about your job?

The best thing about my job is being able to work with a community organisation and provide them with something that is really helpful and valuable to them.  For instance, I have worked with Estates in donating good quality used office furniture to small voluntary groups who have limited budgets.  Organisations are always grateful as things like desks are necessary but very costly so this kind of scheme is of real benefit to them.

What did you do before working here?

Before working here I did a number of years in other administrative or finance roles.  I also worked for a charity committed to preventing youth homelessness and for a market research company testing pet foods (on dogs and cats, I didn’t taste it myself).  Immediately before I came to the University I was a Funeral Arranger with ‘the Co-op’.  This was probably the most interesting job I have ever had, and although I was only there for about 7 months, I am really glad I did it.

Most unusual job?

My most unusual job was checking hairnets for holes.  Beat that!  Actually it is not as ridiculous as it sounds, you would be surprised how many hairnets develop extra large holes during the manufacturing process.  This was a job I did at home when my children were small and I needed to earn some extra cash, and was probably the least interesting job I have had.

How do you relax?

I relax by reading, watching Eastenders (someone has to) and spending time with my family.  I also love to walk during the autumn and winter, not long walks, just enough to enjoy the damp leaves and the cold.

Tell us a joke

Q. Why do hippos wear red toenail polish? A. To hide in cherry trees.  Have you ever seen a hippo in a cherry tree? No?  Must be working then!

The post Knowing me, knowing you – part IV appeared first on Access All Areas.