The City Challenges programme was launched in September 2021, with 70 students taking part in this bespoke opportunity over the academic year.
Category: Volunteering
Aamir: Barista, Volunteer, Bristol PLUS Achiever!
This year, 1,700 students signed up for the challenge of the Bristol PLUS Award, giving their CVs a boost and reflecting on the value of their extra-curricular experiences.
We caught up with Aamir Mehmood, 2nd Year Biology BSc, who achieved his PLUS Award back in January, to find out how he built up his 70 hours experience!
‘I have found out I am a lot more resourceful and resilient than I thought. I’m proud to have discovered this through my PLUS award experience’
Aamir achieved his 70 hours through working a part time job as a barista, and volunteering at Brandon Hill as a gardening volunteer.
‘I wanted to volunteer locally and find something where I could really make some difference, helping other members of my community keeping Brandon Hill pristine and looking its best was the most fun opportunity I found.’ (more…)
International Womens Day 2022 – 5 stories of women working hard to #breakthebias
“Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women’s equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias. Celebrate women’s achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality.” – tagline for International Women’s Day 2022
Happy International Women’s Day (IWD)!
We LOVE hearing your stories, and get to hear so many of them through the various activities and programmes that we run here at the Careers Service; The Bristol PLUS Award, SME internship scheme, Bristol Mentors, New Enterprise Competition and much more.
Today, we are taking the opportunity to highlight and acknowledge a handful of brilliant female students and graduates who have helped to #breakthebias by exemplifying the missions of International Women’s Day through their various projects, start-ups, and volunteering activities. Prepare to be inspired!
IWD mission: To shine a spotlight on activity uplifting and inspiring women to pursue goals without bias or barrier
Arooba Hameed, Year 3 Cancer Biology and Immunology (BSc)
Arooba completely embodies this mission and recently won £1000 of funding in the Development Stage of the New Enterprise Competition for the non-profit community group she founded, Higher Education for Asylum Seekers & Refugees (HEAR). HEAR aims to support refugees and asylum seekers in accessing educational opportunities through guidance, training, mentoring & advocacy. (more…)
City Challenge: Student volunteers help to launch Hartcliffe City Farm cut flower farm.
For the most recent City Challenge, University of Bristol students helped local organisation Heart of BS13 to come up with ideas to promote the opening of a new cut flower farm, focusing on sustainable growth, soil health, and biodiversity.
Student Volunteering Week
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Student Volunteering Week is just around the corner, with a jam-packed week of events around the themes of Health, Education, and Environment.
City Challenges – Your opportunity to create lasting change in the community!
Students have been engaging in a variety of problem-solving activities to help local charities in the Bristol area. So far this year, students have worked with local charities including Brigstowe, Talk Club, and St Werburgh’s City Farm.
Ten tips to make the most of your winter vacation!
Now that the holiday season is upon us, have you considered how you might spend the break from University? If you want to make the most of the time, this can be a good opportunity to continue your careers and employability journey.
Have a look at our top 10 tips to help you maximise the break from University:
Get involved in local community outreach!
Students have been engaging with older community groups in Bristol by running a series of showcases and activities at Parkway Methodist Church in St Werberghs on Monday afternoons. Not only are these experiences a great way to give back to the local community, but they also develop planning and presentation skills, and it looks great on a CV!
We caught up with Kayleigh, Katie, Lillian, and Darya to hear about their sessions: (more…)
City Challenges: Students Provide Solutions to Real-life Problems
The City Challenges are an exclusive programme of events which provides you with the opportunity to engage with Bristol’s charity sector, gain informal work experience, and develop your skills through working on real life challenges posed by local community organisations.
The first City Challenge involved piloting a problem-solving session focusing on reducing HIV stigma within the medical community, which was supported by the Brigstowe charity and the Careers Service Community Engagement team.
A total of 10 students took part, developing their teamwork, communication, and decision-making skills to create presentations in which they gave details of how Brigstowe could approach raising awareness in the medical community of unfair and untrue beliefs around people living with HIV.
This City Challenge allowed students to explore their interest in community outreach as well as learn about how they can be aware of and actively combat their own biases around their attitudes to people who are living with HIV. They explored issues such as how General Practitioners and students can destigmatise their work when dealing with people living with HIV. Brigstowe will now be able to use these ideas for possible future funding bids, marketing campaigns and training sessions.
The next City Challenge will be based ask the question ‘How can we encourage male university students to talk about their mental health?’ and students will be working with Talk Club and the Community Engagement team. This challenge will be eligible for the Bristol PLUS Award and held on Wednesday 27 October from 11.30am to 5pm and you can sign up on myopportunities.
6 Top Reasons to do the Bristol PLUS Award…according to PLUS achievers!
1. Get involved with extra-curricular opportunities
Maximise your time at university by gaining skills and experience alongside your studies. The Bristol PLUS Award recognises your commitment and personal development in extra-curricular activities such as part time work, internships, student leadership roles and society committees.
‘At the start of my postgraduate degree in Bristol, I was keen on engaging in as many extracurricular
activities as possible and honing my employability skills. The Bristol Plus Award provided just the right motivation for me to do that.’ – Babatunde Osho, Climate Change Science and Policy MSc
2. Stand out to employers
You’ll make your CV stand out from crowd with the Bristol PLUS Award. Less than 5% of the student population achieve the award each year and it is endorsed by employers, who you can read about on our website!
3. Make progress with planning your future
The Bristol PLUS Award can help you kick-start your future plans. Evidence shows that PLUS achievers are more likely to make positive progress in their career planning than students who do not take part: 37% of PLUS achievers record a positive change in their career planning progress compared to 27% of non-award students.
‘It has been a fulfilling and positive experience, which has given me a much deeper awareness of my future.’ – Katie Ingram King, Sociology BSc