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Blog

August Digest

August 25, 2023

Welcome to the 2023-24 academic year! As this introduction is being written, it’s A Level Results Day, an exciting but nerve-wracking time for students up and down the country. We’re sure many of you remember the emotions of receiving your results, a moment often highlighted as the first step of a transformative journey through university.

This time of year is certainly a great opportunity for reflection before we begin looking forward to September. With that being said, here are some of our highlights from August:

hub holiday

Earlier this month, the team travelled to the beautiful countryside setting of Shoreham, Kent, to spend a few days resetting ahead of the new year. Hub Holiday is an annual break from our normal working pattern to connect as a team in a new environment and reflect on our priorities for the year. 

We all took part in sessions devoted to reflecting on and improving our work, as well as team-building activities. Some discussion topics included our new strategy, workplace culture and our own social issue passions. We also had plenty of time to bond as a team, with Taskmaster games and a scavenger hunt facilitated by staff members. We even had a visit from Kingston Hub mascot, Hubby! 

A group of people share a meal at a large wooden table. They are in a barn with brick walls and red drapes hanging from the ceiling.
Someone in a T-Rex costume stands in a grassy field in front of some trees and bushes.
A group of people having a discussion. Part of the group is sat on a blue sofa facing away from the camera, and a small group is sat on a sofa opposite, facing the camera. Two people are sat on the floor, one at either end of the space between the sofas. The ceiling is low and there are fairy lights hanging from its wooden beams.

branch up residential

This week, Southampton’s Branch Up programme enabled groups of 7-11 year olds to spend time outdoors learning new skills. The children took part in forest school sessions where they built dens (and tested their waterproofing!); hunted for bugs and made clay models of their favourites; hung hammocks; honed their wood-chopping skills and lit fires. The chance to put some of these skills into practice by whittling sticks to toast marshmallows over their fires was a particular highlight!

The children who take part in Branch Up have often experienced significant challenges or responsibilities at a young age, so being able to support them to enjoy a day of learning, socialising and confidence-building is always incredibly rewarding, and a real reminder of the value of our programmes.

Two children and an adult kneel around a fire pit in a forest, under a tall wooden structure. They are toasting marshmallows.
Two children are chopping a piece of wood. One has placed an axe on the end of the wood and the other is ready to swing a mallet on top of the axe.
A child puts the finishing touch, a flag, on the corner of a shelter they have built in the forest. It is made of tarpaulins stretched between tree trunks.

new website

We’re very excited to be able to share our new website. We hope it will make it easier than ever for students, alumni partners and universities to learn about our work. The Alumni page captures some incredible insights from our wonderful alumni network: in 2020, 95% of you felt that you could make positive change in the world. This is something we’re really proud of, and you should be too!

in the spotlight

In the spotlight this month is Bristol Hub. This LinkedIn post about Bristol Hub’s impact really highlights what we hope to achieve as an organisation. In particular, we were thrilled to hear that 94% of student volunteers at Bristol were more likely to tackle further social challenges as a result of their engagement. You can read more about Bristol’s success in the Bristol Hub Impact Report 2022-23. This is testament to the fantastic work done by the Bristol team, and the commitment of the volunteers who engage in their programmes. Well done!

what to look out for

Student Hubs Book Club

  • Our Book Club choice for September is Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors. Join our Discord Server here. We’d love to hear your thoughts on our pick!

alumni wrap-up

  • Check our instagram stories for our usual biweekly alumni wrap-up for more news and opportunities.

nine day fortnight

  • As of this month, we have begun our nine-day fortnight trial. We are all looking forward to adapting to a new way of working, and finding interesting things to fill our free Fridays with. Student Hubs will be closed every other Friday starting on August 18th, so please be patient if you would like to get in touch.
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Amy Bond

Amy Bond is Student Hubs' Operations & Activities Manager, and also leads on Alumni engagement. If you have questions or want to get in touch you can email her at amy.bond@studenthubs.org.

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July Digest
Joint statement from Student Hubs and Kingston University

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