Students making a positive change all over Oxford

Oxford Hub was founded by a group of Oxford students who wanted to make the city a fairer and more connected place. As a result, students remain an integral part of what we do. It’s incredible the positive impact you can have by getting involved with social action at university, even through low-commitment or one-off activities. But don’t take my word for it, hear about the experiences of these wonderful students!

Yannis, OxUnboxed Committee member:

I’m Yannis and I just finished my undergraduate degree in History & French.

I was super excited to get involved with OxUnboxed, as I’ve been on various committees (Keble Freshers Week, Keble Ball, OU LGBTQ+ Society), where I tried my best to improve our environmental impact, but it never quite felt like the number one priority. So, when I was accepted as one of the new project coordinators for the shop, I was happy to finally be on committee that had sustainability as its core mission. In my role I’ve been able to help increase the shop’s footfall and assist our head coordinator in her efforts to open the shop more often in the week. The role comes with a lot of random little tasks — such as washing aprons and locking up the shop — but it is so worth it when I think about the fact that it means we can provide a less expensive alternative to single-use plastics!

Jigyasa, who volunteered at our Summer School:

Volunteering on the Blackbird Leys Summer School run by OxHub was one of the highlights of my year. The summer school runs every year to provide children from local schools with a jam-packed holiday activity programme that they may not be able to access otherwise, as well as free lunch! My role was in helping the class of Year 5s. Days with the kids ran from 10am till 2pm, and consisted of musical statues, football, table-tennis, reading, playing on the outdoor climbing structure, chalk drawing, and lots and lots of laughs. We even had a few excursions to a nearby swimming pool for swimming lessons which everyone really enjoyed!

It was so easy to get signed up; all the mentors were so welcoming and helpful, and the whole process couldn’t have been smoother or more enjoyable. OxHub was also able to provide accommodation for the extent of my stay in Oxford over the summer.

Taking part in the summer school has been a highly rewarding experience for me. Being responsible for the children pulled me out of a horrible summer slump. Enjoying the smaller things in life with them left me feeling grateful and happy each day. I would highly recommend the summer school to other potential volunteers. It enabled me to get the essential Crankstart Scholar hours I needed, and was a great experience through and through.

Ellen, Schools Plus Tutor:

Hi everyone! I’m Ellen, an English student at Keble just going into my third year. I volunteered with Schools Plus for about four months in my second year (during the pandemic) and had a wonderful experience! I was tutoring one Year 10 in GCSE English Language and had two half-hour sessions with them every week.

Before starting out tutoring, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to or not. I’m not the best at explaining myself, had forgotten lots of GCSE content, and already struggled with time management a little. But I’m so glad I did. Memories from my GCSEs flooded back to me, and as someone who’d relatively recently taken the qualification myself, I knew my insight could help my tutee in a uniquely helpful way compared to textbooks and teachers alone. Not only was I giving my tutee one-on-one time that they may never have had in a conventional school setting, but I could also remember what was and what was not useful from my own learning experience.

I personally tutored for a subject that I’m now doing a degree in, but after seeing how quickly I got to grips with content that I thought I’d forgotten, I can definitely see how tutoring a subject that is no longer your speciality could work.

Giving subtle and personal feedback on someone’s thought process, boosting their confidence to say their ideas out loud and follow their convictions, and gently prompting someone to use their own knowledge to reach conclusions are such important lessons that unfortunately many disadvantaged pupils will never receive. Through only a small amount of time every week, less than you’d spend preparing food or on TikTok, you can give this instruction to someone who will remember it not just for the next qualification, but for the rest of their life. It’s hard to overestimate the value of just being listened to and respected.

It’s also surprising how much having to explain concepts clearly and effectively to someone in a demographic you maybe don’t interact with often improves your own confidence and presentation abilities. Speaking clearly and concisely are skills you’ll always be grateful for.

I was most nervous about fitting in tutoring around my studies. Studying, relaxing, and doing practical things like going to the shops and cleaning take up a definite amount of time each and none of them (especially relaxing!) can be skimped on. University is a BIG lesson in time-management, and one of the most important things you learn there. Of course we all have some idea about that from school, but learning to be strict with yourself on when to start and stop studying, how to give yourself time off, and how to fit in extra-curriculars is essential. Having some high intensity and some low intensity ways of spending your time outside of studying is a great way of staying motivated, building up your CV, and — if doing something like Schools Plus, or any OxHub programme — doing something good for other people.

Overall, I’d really recommend getting involved as a tutor. It’s really daunting at first, I won’t lie — it’s a lot of interaction and there’s the responsibility to tutor well! But having your first big dose of responsibility while you have a wonderful team behind you who are always happy to give advice and any help you could possibly need is, in my opinion, the best way to begin.

Thank you so much to Yannis, Jigyasa and Ellen for sharing your experiences and for all the positive change you’ve made on our programmes!

We hope you feel inspired by these students to start your social action jounrey with us. Sign up to our newsletter here to keep up with our many exciting opportunities, just like these!