"The best thing during the challenge was getting to work with people from so many different cultural and academic backgrounds"
Mya is a first-year student studying Human Sciences at UCL. She took part in UCL's first ever Charity Consultancy Challenge, which ran over the course of one-week back in June. She told us about the skills she gained from it and how she and her team managed to create a period pad from water hyacinth in such a short time!
UCL offers such an amazingly wide range of volunteering opportunities, which not only allow you to help others but also to develop yourself as a person.
In addition to Emma Bunting’s PhD in Neuroscience, for which she researches Huntington’s Disease, she’s been an active volunteer throughout her time at UCL. Recently, she took part in the inaugural UCL Charity Consultancy Challenge; we caught up with Emma to find out more.
So, if you are thinking about doing it, make big pros and cons lists, and the pros will always outweigh the cons.
I spoke to the lovely Amrutha, who is in her fifth year in medicine, Anisha, who is in her third year of medicine intercalating in global health, and Humza, who is in his second year studying medicine, about their Project Leader roles in the Student-Led Project,
"Children know they will be having a lot of fun (and volunteers too!), so they look forward to the session during the whole week."
Lou Baigneres is an incoming second-year Economics with a Year Abroad student doubling as a Volunteer Sports Coach with KEEN London. KEEN London supports children with disabilities, such as autism spectrum disorder.
SDG#8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
IMF is predicting an equal or worse recession than that of 2009 citing the pandemic-induced economic crisis as the worst since the Great Depression. Amid the rising cost of living and this post-Covid economic crisis we turn towards Sustainable Development Goal #8, Decent Work and Economic Growth this August.
"These people are struggling. They have been through a lot and with a little effort we can make a huge difference to their lives."
Shuan is a first-year International Social and Political Studies student specialising in anthropology. She works as a project leader for the Student-Led Project Impact Initiative, a project founded to aid the English learning of Afghan Refugees in London.
"As an exchange student, this was the easiest way to get to know the community and meet new people."
We had the chance to speak to Tanya Gligorovici about her volunteering at the EFG London Jazz Festival! Tanya is an exchange student from Paris studying Modern Languages and Business at UCL. Read on to find out more about her experience!