This year, University of Manchester students have delivered a range of engaging presentations to pupils at Medlock Primary School in Ardwick. The initiative forms part of an ongoing partnership with the school, which is located just ten minutes from campus, and aims to strengthen connections between university volunteers and the local community.

Through these sessions, students share their cultures, passions and educational journeys. For the pupils, this provides valuable opportunities to learn about new topics and perspectives. For the university students, it offers meaningful experience in planning and delivering presentations, developing public speaking skills, and building confidence while engaging with the local community.

The project began with a Christmas session in December and has continued this semester with a range of sessions. One highlight has been our Aspirations sessions, where university students spoke about their routes into higher education and the degrees they chose to study. These sessions aim to present university as an achievable and exciting pathway, while also introducing the pupils to courses they may not have previously considered. Between 16-27 March nine students spoke about degrees ranging from aerospace engineering to law.

One student at Medlock Primary School reflected; “It is good to see different courses and learn about all the clubs you can join – there are so many! I would join loads of them!”

Reflecting on the sessions, one of our student volunteers told us; “I found it quite challenging to explain my field to young children. However, I managed to do that, and they asked me a bunch of questions that I found very endearing and creative! I personally love this experience quite a lot, and I think everybody should take this project if they have the chance to do so.”

For more information on this project or to find out more about our volunteering offer in general, please visit our website.