An Animal Welfare student from Solihull College & University Centre has overcome her anxiety to educate young people in the region about caring for animals.
Student Fern, 21 from Birmingham, has been delivering online lessons for animal charity Blue Cross. Fern was nervous at first, but received a wealth of support from the education speaker team at Blue Cross and once she felt ready she began delivering the sessions alone to groups such as Brownies and Cubs. The 40-minute-long sessions cover general care for animals and common pets in the UK.
Fern has studied at the college for four years. After starting on a level 2 course, she progressed on to level 3 and is now studying for her degree. Fern states: “Animals have always been my passion. I knew from school age that this was what I’d like to study. I have loved college, it has been the making of me. I previously struggled with confidence so for me to become an educational speaker is a huge step! I’ve always wanted to educate the younger generation about animals but I haven’t felt confident enough to do it. I saw an advertisement for the Blue Cross and I thought I’d apply.”
Fern hopes to go into a career in canine behaviour in the future. She comments: “I would love to work helping rescue dogs with difficult backgrounds and behavioural problems.”
Fern’s tutor Claudine Barnes is impressed with her progress, she comments: “We are very proud of Fern. Speaking in front of people isn’t easy. Fern has volunteered her time to do something that isn’t necessarily comfortable for her – pushing herself out of her comfort zone – with the end goal of educating others about animal welfare.”
