St John Rigby

What have you and your ambassadors been working on this year?

This Girl Can [TGC] - Students have led their own this girl can sessions, 6 weeks of touch rugby, and 6 weeks of self-defence. They have also then led another 6 weeks of self-defence for our LGTBQ+ students. TGC ambassadors arranged a fundraising event in order to raise money for a TGC climbing trip. They made scrunchies from scratch and bought over 100 pairs of Primark socks. They then tie-dyed all the scrunchies and socks and sold these around college. They attended the 'She's only gone and done it' event at Bolton Stadium. They are currently planning a kayaking/paddleboard trip for after exams.

Mental Health/Wellbeing Ambassadors - arranged a winter walk event and raised money for a local charity. They attend weekly peer supporter sessions, as part of this group they have also planned for a green room at college (an area filled with plants). They have also worked closely with our TGC ambassadors and helped with our tie-dye fundraisers. They also helped with arranging a college Christmas market and painting pebbles sessions.

From this work, what has gone well?

The tie dye fundraiser was great at engaging others, students would volunteer to help us tie dye and then become part of the TGC group. Receiving further funding from AoC has helped keep our students engaged in the programme, without this we would have had limited opportunity for further sessions whereas now they are excited about planning further events. Students will actively stop me in the corridors asking when the next TGC event is.

Our mental health ambassadors have worked more with our Student Support and Wellbeing Officer. This has worked really well, the students have been much more engaged than in previous years, they have a strong relationship with the Student Support and Wellbeing Officer, and have managed to get involved with many more non-sport specific projects.

What have been your biggest learnings from things which might not have gone to plan?

Leaving things too late in the year. It would be great to get things up and running in early September.

Loughborough College

What have you and your ambassadors been working on this year?

Working with a football charity to donate boots and kit to Africa.

Inclusion ambassadors have helped deliver a sports activity session each week in collaboration with SENSE College.

This Girl Can ambassadors have been working on a female-only gym session.

Mental Health Ambassadors have been collaborating with our MH Coordinators to promote MH and wellbeing around college.

From this work, what has gone well?

Ambassadors have made an impact in their community, whilst helping to get people active and changing lives.

What have been your biggest learnings from things which might not have gone to plan?

Keeping students engaged throughout the whole academic year. Giving students roles within a project.

Kingston College

What have you and your ambassadors been working on this year?

Our Mental Health ambassador is only in college one day a week and work as an apprentice so they do not have lots of spare time. They primarily help with our table tennis and basketball sessions we run on Tuesdays as well as taking part in the Mind 27 in 27 challenge in March and raising over £250 for charity.

Our This Girl Can ambassadors also aid in running our main sessions and supporting the advertising of the sessions by encouraging others to take part and spreading the word. The main project the ambassadors worked on is their female only football session that they ran in late March. The session they ran had two sides with beginner-level activities as well as matches on the other side. The ambassadors helped to organise, run and market the session.

From this work, what has gone well?

Our main sessions that all the ambassadors have helped contribute to have gone really well this year and have had an amazing turnout across the board.

The This Girl Can event also had positive feedback as all that attended the session had a really good time and we are looking at making this a permanent and frequent session moving into next year.