Green Gown Awards 2016 – Student Engagement – Students’ Union Uni. of Greenwich – Finalist

A Student Hub for Sustainability & Employability

The Greenwich Sustainability Hub (Hub) is a student-led and staff-supported project based in the Students’ Union in partnership with the Sustainable Development Unit at the University of Greenwich.

The Hub utilises sustainability as a tool to provide key knowledge, develop skills and offer opportunities for students to gain experience valued by employers through employment and volunteer opportunities including delivering practical sustainability projects, events and campaigns. Students employed or recruited as volunteers are trained to implement projects such as Green Impact in local enterprises, or gain the skills to deliver workshops to educate children in primary and secondary schools.

Since 2013 eighteen student Green Ambassadors have been hired, each with part-time contracts and gaining vital work experience alongside their degrees. The Hub also recruited 164 volunteers, who contributed over 1,500 hours in total to various events, projects and campaigns. Skills developed included leadership, project management, communication, diplomacy, problem-solving and creative thinking.

Top 3 learnings

1 Link activities to programmes of study and create partnerships with targeted faculty members and/or student clubs and societies to enhance attendance, engagement, and impact.

2 Create specific job descriptions with tailored action plans and milestones for each employment and volunteer position advertised

3 Look for opportunities to become financially self-sufficient and concentrate your energy on revenue generating projects.

CO2t Savings: 42
Actual/Estimated: Estimated
No. of yrs: 2

Videos

• A Student Hub for Sustainability & Employability (click to hide)