On Thursday 2 March 2017, the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences joined forces with the Volunteer Department of the Students’ Union to deliver a Charity Networking Event for students. With over fifty attendees and eight local charities attending, the evening gave students and charities the opportunity to discuss projects specifically developed to complement the academic and professional development interests of Faculty students.

Feedback on the event was hugely positive, with Beth Morton from Julian House saying: "An excellent event, professional yet friendly with a great format. The best networking event attended all year!"

This event was also supported by the Student Learning Associate programme, which provides students with the funding, training and support to deliver their own projects improving learning and teaching.

To develop the event, student feedback was gathered to help identify their interests. Student staff then worked with the charities to help identify, develop and promote projects designed to complement these interests and develop skills. Charities in attendance included:

The success of this pilot event means the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences and Students’ Union Volunteering department will be working to develop and expand a programme of future events. These will continue to support student employability, develop links with the local community, and to cultivate strong working partnerships between different areas of the University.