On January 29 2024 the Changemakers team geared up for an extraordinary event. They set about constructing a space where members of the Cambridge students’ community were able to interact with local charities to learn about their important work and find out how they can contribute and support them.
In the second run of the Changemaker's annual: “Change in the Community” event, the Changemakers team were delighted to have the following charities on board:
- UniArk
- Make-A-Smile
- St John's Centre
- Cambridge Science Centre
- Cambridge Sustainable Food
- Cambridge Refugee Resettlement Campaign
- Andysmanclub
The event started with each charity introducing their missions, followed by “speed-dating” style 15-minute discussions in small groups. This allowed each person to ask questions and delve deeper into the intricacies of each organisation.
There was an immense amount of positive energy in the air, with the students being able to be taken outside of the insular academic bubble and recognise how they can contribute significantly to causes within their community. The charities involved also voiced how impactful it was to have an opportunity to talk to Changemakers in order to understand how they can facilitate the process of student involvement and support during their time in Cambridge.
Rupert Baines, who is kindly supporting this initiative, commented in response to the positive energy evoked during the event:
“It is inspiring to see how the students get out to support the community. The cliche of Stanfords is He that are in a bubble: this event is the opposite with so much energy and so many good results”.
Following this event, some students have decided to continue working closely with the charities to help through volunteering, curating programmes and utilising their resources to help construct change in our community.
Homerton students can also apply to a fund to assist in their volunteering projects with the charities at the event. Find more information on how to apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScl_3y87qx53y-IA6olv8olcgefHbmBAtqLtLfmqm7NhYYfgQ/viewform
Many thanks to all the charities that attended, to all the ambassadors who helped the event come to reality and to Rupert Baines for supporting this initiative.
Find out more about the charities here:
