Students from Solihull College & University Centre have been recognised for their commitment to sustainability and professional development after recently completing 15 hours of volunteering to meet their work experience requirements.
The opportunity was identified by Personal Development Coach Ash Habib who invited students from the Creative Arts and Travel & Cabin Crew departments to support ‘SUSTAIN – The Midlands Sustainability UnConference’.
Some students shared reflections of their experience
Art student, Cindy Chen, commented:
“I really enjoyed the volunteering event and learned many new things that will help me in the future. Attending this event had made me feel more confident when speaking with people. Seeing how everyone supported each other made the event run more smoothly and encouraged me to be more confident in my own role. I learned a lot from observing how others communicated and handled challenges throughout the day.”
Art student, Loren Lashai Ward, commented:
“I am very proud of myself that I contributed to the Sustainability event, being able to help and gain good work experience for myself so I know what I can do to improve myself in the future. This opportunity has made me learn to not overthink negatively and think positively. It has also made me learn to communicate to others clearly and stay calm.”
Media student, Louie Ferguson, who also photographed the event, added:
“I really enjoyed the opportunity and the support I got from Inaaya and the rest of the team. I felt very comfortable and welcomed in that environment.”
In preparation for the event students completed pre-event training and built their professional networks both in person and via LinkedIn, applying skills developed through recent College workshops. The students were awarded with certificates acknowledging their contribution.
Ash extended her thanks to the event organisers and partners including Beate Pesian for founding the UnConference, Harun Rabbani for his work with Young Leaders Nexus, Dave James for MC duties, Birgit Kehrer of Change Kitchen CIC for catering, and hosts and changemakers who helped create an inclusive and motivating environment for students.
The College congratulates the students for their dedication teamwork and professionalism and looks forward to supporting more learners in accessing meaningful sustainability focused experiences.
