What is a Changemaker Campus & Why Should you Care?
You’ll probably hear us say “We are a Changemaker university” a lot; but what does it mean and why should you care?
“Changemaking is simply where someone spots a social problem and does something about it.“
Historical bit:
The Changemaker initiative has its origins in the AshokaU international social enterprise scheme (say that 10 times fast).
AshokaU works with universities across the world to foster an environment of social innovation across the campus, helping make everyone an instrument of positive change.
Where we come in:
We wanted to really make a difference in the lives of our students and local community, so we built a Changemaker Hub.
The Changemaker Hub encompasses a range of different sections, all of which allow students to contribute to the community, university and their own personal development e.g. building skills that make them employable (as well as awesome).
But what is on offer? Check out all the Hub’s features below:
Employability Plus
This is a scheme where you build up points that you can “spend” on things you really need.
How it works is this: You accumulate your points through registering and completing voluntary work, internships and various other things. You then trade in these points for rewards such as train fares to job interviews, or tickets to professional conferences (great for additional learning and networking).
The scheme is set up to be as flexible, so if there’s something you feel will benefit your future employability — just request it! Your points will then contribute towards that.
Enterprise Plus
Calling all entrepreneurs! The Enterprise Club assists with support if they wish to set up their own business, including graduate VISA advice and various schemes and routes for funding.There are also business start up awards to help get your business off the ground.
Jobs Plus
It’s all well and good doing social enterprise and unpaid internships, but sometimes you need money for things like clothes and food and music etc. So, Jobs Plus have you covered with paid internships, work experience, consulting gigs and opportunities to help out the University as a Student Ambassador. Good money, good experience, great fun.
Community Plus
Social action, volunteering, community projects, social enterprise. If you want to make a difference in the local, national or international community then this is the place to do it. You can even work towards a Changemaker Certificate by working on a social enterprise venture that aims to solve a problem within a community.
But wait, there’s more!
- Aspire Plus work with students working in local schools and colleges to help young people aspire to be the best they can be.
- Alumni Plus gives you access to our careers services for three years after you graduate.
- Skills Plus can prepare you for study from the Learning Development centre(this is a great one for new students, trust).
Why should I care?
We thought we would round this blog off with a quote from Ashoka UK which sums up why being a Changemaker is not just a “nice thing to do”, it’s essential for a better future (and we couldn’t agree more).
The pace of change is accelerating. Social problems are intensifying worldwide. We believe it is essential for humanity to live and work differently from now on. People, businesses, organisations, communities and nations need to be thinking about innovating for the good of all, all the time, and creating ways for one another to lead change. — UK.Ashoka.org
