Hear from Memona who volunteered in her community
Published on 14 February 17
Memona Shahid
"Since high school I have enjoyed volunteering in different projects in Manchester. As I had decided to live at home whilst studying, I naturally wanted to continue to be involved in my local community. However, I wanted to lead and deliver my own project focused on GCSE and A Level support, as this was a service that local libraries and community services were struggling to provide whilst I was at college and high school.
Access All Areas provided this opportunity and supported the initial set up of LIGHTSS: Longsight Study Support. In 2015 this project won the Manchester Student Homes Community Award at the Students’ Union Celebrate Week and has been nominated twice for the Great Places Community Star Awards.
Learning more about other projects that were supported by this division of the Students’ Union led to my involvement as a committee member and this year I will be taking the position of chair of Access All Areas.
It is incredibly motivating to be part of a student community that care about access to education and that have such a positive impact on those they work with. In my family, my generation have been the first to attend university therefore access to higher education is a topic that I strongly believe in.
As chair I hope to lead the committee to build a supportive network for project leaders and volunteers. I would also like to hold an event that will raise our profile amongst other student unions that will also provide the opportunity to share good practice.”