UCL Union

In the early years of the VSU, a student suggested setting up a project to support refugees and asylum seekers in their transition to British life and in particular,life in this busy metropolis of London. Since then the project has taken on various different shapes and this year was run as a language project with students from the Refugee Advice and Support Centre (RASC) based in West London.

This year as part of the project volunteers and RASC students have gone on educational trips to the Science Museum, and also the London Eye, facilitated discussions on studying in higher education and also discussions on experiences and difficulties surrounding being a refugee/asylum seeker in London.

Volunteers were also involved in raising funds and at the same time promoted awareness to their fellow students of the issues surrounding refugee and asylum seekers by showing two moving and thought provoking films in their Refugee Film Week held back in November last year.

The project has reached it’s climax and a positive outcome is that the RASC students have grown in confidence as a result of the project which ended with a group picnic involving both groups.

The Music Project runs weekly music workshops with children in King’s Cross and Angel. Students help the kids to play lots of instruments from saxophones to sleigh bells, as well as singing. They also do fun activities to learn about basic music theory and different styles of music. Each term finishes with a special concert where the children showcase their new musical skills.

The project was set up in 2005 by medical student Joyce Ngai as a way of sharing her interest in music with children in the local community, and to give other UCL students a chance to put their musical talents to good use. She teamed up with the Calthorpe Project, a local environmental charity and community centre, which provided a venue and identified a group of local children who would benefit from the sessions. Since then the project has gone from strength to strength. In June 2006, Joyce handed over the reins to Sharon Khoo and Katherine Haworth, who expanded it to work with another community partner (GOAL Homework club) as well as continuing the sessions at Calthorpe.

This project was set up by student Edward Din in partnership withThe Soup Kitchen on Tottenham Court Road, which provides food and support to homeless people. The idea of the project was to get a better idea of the support and advice needs of local homeless people. Ed and his team of volunters visited the Soup Kitchen regularly to build up the trust of the visitorsand to discuss what their needs were. Each week, they compiled a report, and fed this back to the manager of the Soup Kitchen.

The Conservation Group meets on a regular basis to conduct a wide variety of environmental activities, working in partnership with the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers. Recent activities have included action days at Sunnyside Gardens, Tower Hamlets Cemetery, and Gutteridge Woods. They also plan to participate in activities that will improve social awareness of environmental issues that surround waste, recycling and pollution as some examples.

The Citizenship and Crime Project aims to give young an understanding of their rights and responsibilities as citizens and enabling them voice their concerns about crime and its prevention. The Project runs school conferences, which are organised to help young people discuss issues of crime and citizenship in a way that is relevant and meaningful to them. The conferences therefore help young people draw on their own experiences and enable them to think for themselves and form their own opinions. They also stimulate young people to take positive action to improve their communities.
The programme includes a variety of activities that are informative and fun. They range from drama, mock courts, discussions, quizzes and games.

This group of students got together after their exams and ran two weeks of fun extra-curricular activities for children in two Camden primary schools. Activities included dance workshops, fencing, martial arts, Quick Cricket, and more - UCL students bringing their interests and hobbies to the next generation!