Life In A Fijian Community: An Honest Experience

Catherine Gryffenberg has been volunteering in Fiji this summer. Here's what she had to say about adapting to life in a Fijian community and some of the highs and lows of immersing into a different culture:

Catherine's home in Fiji

A Fijian community is the warmest environment I've ever been welcomed into. Upon arriving in my village and being sandwiched into the arms of my Fijian mum, dad and siblings, I could tell it wouldn't take long to for me to call this 'my home'.

Catherine with her Fijian family

The lifestyle couldn't be more different to what I was used to, but isn't that half the charm? The water tank became the social hub in the morning with all the village children bounding over to say "Bula!" (wishing happiness and good health) amidst teeth brushing and water bottle filling. Before long I was spending dinner with my cousins and nephews and introducing the other people in the team to my brothers and sisters!

Student Diary: Volunteering in Sri Lanka

Student Volunteers Leaving NTU For Sri Lanka!

Some of the student volunteers set off to Sri Lanka this week! Here's a diary entry written by a few of the girls on the trip...

Travelling

The group met at Heathrow Airport, ready for an adventure. Our first flight was six and a half hours to Dubai. For one member of our team, it was their first time leaving the UK... ever!

After a plethora of movies, entertainment and (surprisingly) good airplane food, we made it to Dubai International Airport. It's the busiest international hub in the world and that was still the case at 8am!

#NTUDEGREESHOW

Nottingham Trent University is currently buzzing with creative energy as the Art & Design graduates prep their work for #NTUDEGREESHOW!

Last week, the fashion students showcased their work in a series of catwalks which, we can confirm, were as excellent as ever.

Their work is still up in Newton if you haven't yet seen it and we couldn't miss the opportunity to take a few snaps of their unique and inspiring pieces to give you a little taster...

Collection by Natasha Flannery

The Student Becomes The Master

It was only this week that someone commented on how 'heartwarming' it is that so many staff members in the SCCO department (Schools, Colleges, Community, Outreach) have been students at Nottingham Trent University.

Two of our Schools Liaison Officers, Amber and Julian, are keen to share their stories about transitioning from Nottingham Trent students... to Nottingham Trent staff!

Amber Page

"Whilst I was a student at Nottingham Trent University, I studied Psychology with Criminology. I was then lucky enough to be awarded a scholarship for a Multidisciplinary Masters in Business Management.

As part of my Masters Degree, I needed to find myself a short-term placement. 

I was ambitious and motivated so applied for a full-time position within the SCCO department at Nottingham Trent as a School Liaison Officer.

Every Student Can Learn...

It's the time of year where the Students in Classrooms Mentors, Associates and Ambassadors are training ready to go into local schools to support students in their studies.

Although they will be going into schools to help students learn and grow, it is a massive learning curve for them too and they are not without their worries...

    Starting something new can be very daunting. Meeting new people, in a new environment and doing something you've never done before is a big thing!

      

     Offering support throughout is something Students in Classrooms prides themselves on. There is  also support in place from the 'dedicated school coordinator' who is available to help students or Mentors and Associates whilst they are in the classroom.

How we raised £500 each for volunteering

Volunteering overseas gives you the opportunity to experience new cultures and meet new people whilst challenging yourself to develop and share your skills. It's your chance to contribute towards the aims and goals of one of NTUs fantastic projects and the communities you will visit. Enhancing your life experience and being part of a shared goal to help develop the global community you are part will make a great addition to your CV!

Students taking part in our International programmes have to raise money to both cover their personal cost associated with the trip, and also meet a minimum fundraising target which goes directly to the charity they are volunteering with.

The Rosie May Home is a purpose built home in Sri Lanka designed to give orphaned or abandoned girls a chance, to empower them through education, and ultimately allowing them to support themselves and their families in the future.

Lauren, one of this year’s volunteers currently in Sri Lanka, talks about her fundraising experience.

After attending the volunteer day, we all got together as a team to begin planning, some events to fundraise for the Rosie May Foundation. I think we were all feeling a bit apprehensive to begin with as raising £500 each sounded like quite a lot of money!

We all agreed that a cake sale would be one of the easiest ways to raise money so this was the first thing we did. After speaking to the student union and the library, we arranged to have two different stalls. We made sure there would two of us on each stall at all times and were each allocated two hour time slots throughout the day. We all planned to bake different things and each made at least 20, so we would have plenty of goodies to sell! We made cakes, cupcakes, brownies, cookies and flapjacks. On the day, we talked to nearly every student and member of staff who walked past, telling them all about the charity and what we would be doing when we went to Sri Lanka. Some people didn't want to buy anything from us, but after hearing about the work of the charity donated anyway, helping us to raise approximately £200!

Students selling cakes in the front of the Student Union. 

The second event we decided to do was a raffle. The first task was to find companies and businesses who were willing to donate prizes to us. I work at Chino Latino so I spoke to my manager and asked whether it would be possible for them to donate anything, and he agreed to give us a £50 voucher to be used in the restaurant. I spent a lot of time emailing different business asking for donations and googling which companies tend to donate to charities and racking my brains for local businesses who might donate! 

There were a lot of “no’s” and many who didn't reply, but we managed to get a £20 voucher for George’s Fish and Chip Kitchen, dinner for two at Handmade Burger and a free blow-dry with eyebrow threading and tinting at J’adore Hair and Beauty. I had recently attended a Mother and Daughter photo-shoot at Firefly Photography Studios and decided there would be no harm in asking for a donation, who offered us a Makeover and Modelling experience. The final two prizes were from family friends who run their own businesses and were able to donate a set of Younique make up worth £55 and a set of 6 custom design mugs. We raised around £250 from the raffle!

Prizes and information for the fundraising raffle.

Our third and final event was the ‘big one.’ We decided to do a sponsored sleep out in the middle of March – were we mad? We decided to set up camp from 7pm til 7am outside the student’s union and prayed it wouldn't rain. We laid out groundsheets and cardboard to sit on and huddled together under sleeping bags to try and keep warm 'it was freezing'. Like the cake sale, we spoke to anyone who passed by and told them all about the charity and what we would be doing. As it was a Saturday night, there were a lot of (drunk) students around who were heading out for the night and were very generous! We raised £450 on the night alongside any sponsors that were put on our Just Giving pages, which was all match funded by Santander!

Students sleeping outside the Student Union.

We want to ensure all students get equal opportunities at NTU. We understand that sometimes the cost of international volunteering can act as a barrier to some students when applying to take part, but we encourage you to apply for these opportunities as there is some financial assistance available for students from low income households.

Creative content developer

An exciting work graduate opportunity is available in the Schools, Colleges and Community Outreach team from September 2016 for a highly creative and  proactive individual.
Are you the person we are looking for?

If you would like more information on applying please visit: https://vacancies.ntu.ac.uk/displayjob.aspx?jobid=2945

A student’s perspective #Grads4nottm

Part 2 The company

   Log of how the week passed


Day 1

Information pack given

Information pack given

Following some careful navigation to the Boots site, on the outskirts of Nottingham. I was welcomed into a large room with a lot of other students. After a short wait, we were introduced to a manager working at Boots and a recent graduate working in Nottingham. They both gave us a small speech on how they managed to get into their jobs and about the benefits of working in Nottingham.


After these came a few ice-breaker  activities and a small welcome pack before we were introduced to our companies. It was an exciting moment, as we didn't know which company had issued which challenges. [I’m assuming this was probably to stop bias at the application stage as there was a mix between small and large companies and everyone would want to work for a big one.]  The company I was working for was a medium sized logistics company called Prolog, and I wasn’t the only one. After talking to our team leaders, Tim and Matt (Prolog), I found out I was working with a group of people doing other challenges.

 The group was consisted of:

Megan – Project Manager
Ryan, Michael and Sam – responsible for the SWOT analysis
Jason and Kwadwo working on web design
Me – responsible for benchmarking


After our initial face to face and a brief overview of the company, my team and I left after swapping numbers and arranging how to get to Prolog the next day.


 Day 2- 4


Waking up early, at 6 am I prepared myself for a long day. My new team had decided the day before that we would go together to Prolog in Megan’s car early the next morning. [ All participants’ commutes were different, depending on the company they worked with.] Prolog was just outside the city centre so we had a little further to travel and had to plan for this in advance. Arriving at 8 am, we proceeded to have our photos taken for our ID cards. Before filling out disclaimer forms, so we didn’t disclose any information about the company to their competitors.

After being given our photo ID’s to allow us to swipe in each morning, we were led on a tour of the facilities. As it was a logistics company, it was large, covering over 6 different sites and holding products from a variety of different partner companies. We were shown the range of methods used to process products and finally, taken to where we would be working for the next 3 days. Our team had an office to work in, fully set up with pens, paper, a flip-chart and computers. After compiling all our notes on the company we had gathered so far, we started work. As I was working on a bench marking analysis, my work was closely linked to the SWOT analysis. This meant I worked a lot throughout the days with Ryan, Sam and Michael.

The challenge passed very quickly as our whole group were very focused and enjoyed the work. We soon made light work of our challenges, finding lots of different ways to improve the company.

Final part coming soon...

The Presentation

A student’s perspective #Grads4nottm

Part one - The application 

Me and the team

I’m Declan Manning, a third year student on the Business Management and Marketing course at Nottingham Trent University. I recently secured a place on the Graduates for Nottingham scheme or #Grads4notts for short. Graduates for Nottingham is a scheme where students, graduates and businesses such as Experian, Ikano bank and other small and medium businesses such as Appinstitute work together with Boots and the University of Nottingham Trent to resolve challenges facing industry.



Applying for a place on #Grads4nottm

As a third year student  getting increasingly close to graduating I understand the difference varied experience makes to a CV. This was my reason for applying for #Grads4nottm as it gives both a weeks worth of work experience and is a great opportunity for networking. To apply for this scheme, I submitted 250 word document outlining my skills and reasons why I was a suitable candidate for the week long programme. There was over 30 different challenges put forward by 25 different companies spanning from competitor analysis, design work, business & operation development, customer engagement and finally advertising and PR work.

Official #Grads4nottm logo

I chose competitor analysis as I found it best suited to strengths and fit in with the management aspect of my business degree. Before #Grad4nottm started, I was assigned a business challenge that involved completing a benchmarking analysis of the company. For anyone that’s unfamiliar with the term benchmarking analysis, this is an evaluation of the company and its competitors using the same criteria.



Bring on the challenge!

The challenge took place over the course of a week. Our first day was an induction to the scheme at Boots, and meeting the company we would be working with during the week. The following three days involved working on a specific project for the company. Our final day had been allocated to presenting our findings back to NTU and the relevant company. Once we had completed the scheme we had the opportunity to attend a networking session with all of the companies present in #Grads4nottm. This meant that I still had the opportunity to chat with all the companies.

To read part two click here!

Students in Classrooms

NTU Students in Classrooms – gain practical experience with our rewarding opportunities to work in local schools and colleges

Want to get involved in a rewarding scheme but  can't drop that part time job?

If this applies to you why not think about applying for one of our Students in Classrooms schemes!

NTU Students in Classrooms offer a range of opportunities to work with young people in local schools, colleges and here at the University.

There are three schemes:

Students in Classrooms Associates

Associates work alongside classroom teachers in:

•    Primary schools
•  Secondary schools
•   Colleges

The aim of the Associates scheme is to provide positive role models and help to raise aspirations and attainment. Associates work with groups of learners, or on a one to one basis supporting pupils with things such as literacy activities or reading.

Associates may also get the opportunity to assist with some non-teaching aspects such as planning and preparation of lessons.

Students in Classrooms Mentors

Mentors work on a one-to-one basis with students between the ages of 13 - 17 providing advice and guidance on:

• Routes into higher education
• Revision & exam technique
• Planning & self-management skills
• Motivation, self-confidence and much more.

The scheme has an overall aim to help to increase attainment levels and raise aspirations towards higher education. This is a good way to engage personally with students and know you're providing a service that may change lives.

Student Ambassadors

Nottingham Trent University delivers a wide range of activities and events working in schools and colleges, as well as engaging parents, carers and members of the general public.

Ambassadors get involved with:

• Raising awareness of post 16 opportunities and NTU
• Supporting our outreach team with classroom activities out in schools and colleges
• Helping at events such as University Open days & subject taster days

Overall, being a Student Ambassador involves spreading information and acting as a positive role model for the University. Students in Classrooms are looking for enthusiastic students who are proactive and will be fully committed to the scheme they apply for.

To find out more about each scheme, the commitment involved and the rates of pay, please visit: www.ntu.ac.uk/studentsinclassrooms

Please note that interested students must attend an awareness raising meeting to be eligible to apply. The meetings will be taking place across all three NTU campuses at the start of the next term, dates are available on the Students in Classrooms website.

If you have any questions, please contact studentsinclassrooms@ntu.ac.uk.

Make your summer 'AMAZING'

It's very easy to spend your free time during summer watching back to back series of your favourite show, but there's a lot more fulfilling stuff to do...

Travel

Credit: Clipartpanda.com

You can leave behind the doom and gloom of the English weather and swap it with some fun in the sun! Rev up your search engine and look for  some far away exotic country like Barcelona or Rome. There's a lot of cheap holiday deals to be found if you spend a little time surfing the internet! 

Credit: nccoachscorner.com

Work experience and Volunteering

Yes it can be tedious but can also be fun, a lot of smaller companies will expect you to work for free, but it can still be a rewarding experience. This may also be a chance to brush up on your tea making skills. NTU offer a ton of opportunities to volunteer, so start looking!

Start a blog...or Vlog

Starting a blog is very easy, the most popular blog sites are Wordpress and Blogger. It is a great your way to document your fun experiences, it looks good on your CV and its great for reflection. If not you're not the type to blog, you could try your hand at Vlogging (video blogging). It's easy and convenient, all you need is a camera-you could even use your phone. Video blogging has become very popular, you never know, you could be the next internet sensation!

credit: Patreon.com

Festivals

summer festivals tend to sell out early, so grab your ticket while you can! if you missed the early bird rush, then search out local festivals to go to. Sometimes, upcoming performers start their careers at small festivals, you never know, you might discover something new. Plus, the atmosphere is always great

Bucket list 

Why not draw up a bucket list of all the things you want to do before you have to go back to sitting through lectures (or lessons) in the autumn. You might decide to go skydiving, or learn to play chess, heck you can even decide to attend summer schools if you miss school that much.

Whatever you decide to do, make this summer, your best summer!

Author: Siba Munsanje

VLOG: Why Did You Decide to Come to University Later in Life?

When it comes to higher education, age is really just a number. Its a fact that more than 1 out of every 10 students at Nottingham Trent University is a mature student. Our latest Vlog explores some of the reasons why our mature students decided to come to university later in life. Whatever the reason, going to university as a mature student can be a highly rewarding experience!

 

Higher education is not just for 18-year-olds!: 3 University Myths Uncovered

If someone was asked to envisage a university student, most of us would picture a privileged but inexperienced 18 year old, fresh out of A-Levels… As a result, a number of myths have grown around higher education (HE) which are putting many people off finding out more about HE study, causing them then to miss out on the many benefits it might offer them! Here are just 3 common examples:

1.)      ‘Higher education is just for 18 year olds’: The reality is that universities have always had a significant proportion of more ‘adult’ learners making up their student population. Large numbers of students balance full, or part-time work alongside study, have partners and/or children, and even careers already in place which they are either looking to boost through increased skills and qualifications, or to move into a completely new area. Other students have simply decided to take a break from learning before re-visiting the idea at a later stage. University courses are there to benefit people at ANY age.

VLOG: What Is a Mature Student?

Giving up on the 'real world' and heading back to university as a mature student can be a scary and exciting path to embark on. Our guest Vlogger's,yes, you read that correctly, (video bloggers) share how they are finding the experience...