The Outstanding PLUS Awards launched this year, celebrating Bristol PLUS Award achievers in 8 different categories for going above and beyond and making outstanding contributions to their PLUS Award activity.
We received an outstanding 109 nominations across the 8 categories, and our judges were impressed by the breadth of activity and skills of the nominees. Whilst there can only be one winner per category, the judging panel awarded a number of Honourable Mentions to nominees who also submitted outstanding nominations! So, allow us to introduce you to this year’s Honourable Mentions…
Better World
Brief: Tackle global challenges in a local or global context, making a better world in a big or small way
Anthony Salandy
Anthony co-founded Fahmidan journal as well as Fahmidan Publishing & Co which publishes work by writers of colour and women exclusively, to address underrepresentation in literary publishing.
Change Maker
Brief: Create positive change in your community or workplace, by solving a problem or improving a process
Kourosh Shirkoohi
Kourosh noticed a need for additional coding skills support for students, so used his platform as a Bristol Futures student advocate to set up and run Coding Club – which is accessible to students from any background and has offered over 150 hours of support so far. The club builds students’ confidence with coding and programming, thus offering a vital support for their development.
Civic Superstar
Brief: Make a positive difference to the people you serve, by being a community hero in your neighbourhood
Marah Alassaf
In her job as an interpreter (English to Arabic), Marah works alongside vital services such as the NHS, social services and child protection. Working with refugees, Marah goes above and beyond as an interpreter and cultural mediator, enabling refugees to access support systems and build their life in a new country.
Georgina Mcdonald
Georgina worked with the Brilliant Club’s Scholars Programme. Georgina exceeded expectations to make sure her students had access to IT services, and made a positive difference by helping secondary school students from underrepresented backgrounds progress into university.
Diverse Partnerships
Brief: Collaborate with diverse groups to design inclusive solutions to problems
Shahid Khalid:
Through his work as a mentor and teacher, Shahid aimed to increase the amount of BAME students undertaking STEM courses and careers, and to educate and encourage more students to undertake sustainability initiatives. He collaborated with diverse stakeholders to create a presentation which he delivers in schools, colleges and universities.
Everyday Hero
Brief: A reliable team player, inspiring others by bringing energy and enthusiasm to your work
Elizabeth Mcgechie:
Elizabeth took on a student leadership role, as coach for the UoB Netball teams. Her energy and enthusiasm led her squads to success, and she also took part in the Game Changers programme, achieving her England Netball level 1 qualification.
Innovation
Brief: Develop a new idea in response to a real-world problem
Anna Booth:
The bookshop Anna works in part-time was faced with new challenges during the pandemic. Anna responded by developing innovative new ways to keep the business going, including developing the online shop, using Instagram, and a bike delivery service!
Resilience
Brief: Demonstrate inner strength in overcoming personal challenges in pursuit of your PLUS Award
Rosie Buntin
Rosie was faced with personal challenges when she went through an estrangement from family in her first year of studies. Her volunteer work helped her get through this tough time. By volunteering with hedgehogs, children and nature charities, she learnt that her life experiences added to her capacity to have compassion and understanding for others.
Rushali Bhat
Before she started in her part time job as a teaching assistant, Rushali had concerns that her own mental health could hold her back in the role. She found out that her own experience with mental health issues made her more empathetic and helped her to connect with her students. Her resilience helped show her that she enjoys working with children and teaching.
Wellbeing Champion
Liam Taylor:
Brief: Improve the student experience or wellbeing of others in your community or workplace
Liam wanted to raise awareness of young people’s mental health, and help improve the wellbeing of young people within his community. He coordinated the Clifton Crusaders rugby team he captains to organise a fundraising walk, run and cycle, raising over £1200 for Young Minds.
Well done!
Well done to everyone who took part in the nominations for this launch year of the Outstanding PLUS Awards!
The Awards will be open again next academic year; check out the Bristol PLUS Award webpage for more information.