Tag: Birkbeck

Alumni Volunteering goes online!

Andy Stirups, from Birkbeck’s Development and Alumni Team, talks about how the alumni volunteering programmes are adapting to life online

I think it’s fair to say that the rate at which our lives have significantly changed over the last few weeks has caught everyone off guard. As we adapt to a world of social distancing, virtual coffees and staying at home, the way in which alumni are helping and support our student community has also changed to ensure that we can continue the great work that we have been doing.  

Pictured: Birkbeck’s four main volunteering programmes. Over 300 individuals typically volunteer each year.

Just before the Coronavirus pandemic, we were about to start up our Get Talking programme for this year. Get Talking pairs alumni with a prospective student or Foundation Year student, to chat through any concerns they may have before starting or continuing with university. These meetings have largely taken place in a coffee shop close to Birkbeck, but over the last couple of years we’ve also been, somewhat helpfully given the current climate, trialling these meetings over Skype for prospective students outside of London or those with access restrictions. We found that last year, meetings over Skype were just as successful as those which were conducted face-to-face. All Get Talking meetings for this year, will now take place via video call to ensure that we are still able to run this important programme and so that prospective students can still gain an invaluable insight from someone who has gone through the Birkbeck journey.  

Similarly, our Mentoring Pathways programme has also gone online. Mentoring Pathways sees alumni and individuals from some of our corporate partners matched with final year students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level so they can help these students with their career decisions as they approach the end of their Birkbeck degree. Over the course of the academic year, we’d expect mentors and mentees to meet six times. The remaining meetings are now due to take place online and we look forward to hearing feedback from our mentors and mentees in due course. 

And our Careers Clinic programme, where alumni review CVs and conduct mock interviews, is also in the process of moving to the virtual world, so watch this space! 

We recognise that these are not just potentially anxious times for our students, but also for our alumni community. Although the Development and Alumni Team are working from home for the time being, we are more than happy to have a chat with you at any point so do not hesitate to get in touch. 

With all that is currently going on in the world I want to thank our volunteers for being so flexible and supportive. More than ever, your work is incredibly vital, and we truly appreciate your levels of commitment to Birkbeck and its community. 

You can contact Andy Stirups at a.stirups@bbk.ac.uk, or if you would like to speak to the Development and Alumni team more generally, please email alumni@bbk.ac.uk  

Mentoring Pathways: Reflection of a Mentor

Written by Anna Wesson (Occupational Psychology, 2012)

“Why do you want to be a mentor? Do you know what’s involved?”

These were the words that echoed in my head as I went into the training for the Mentoring Pathways programme. The blunt answer was no. I had some fuzzy ideas about making a difference, but beyond that, I wasn’t clear about what to expect.

As an alumnus of Birkbeck, I have first-hand experience of the magic of the place. The Master’s course I completed in 2012 overhauled my life, causing me to alter my perspective on myself and my career. For me, there was one piece missing. Going through the educational process, I wanted the opportunity to explore how to embed my learning into my life.

Fast forward six years, and I came across the mentoring programme by accident. I realised that this was my opportunity to support someone having an experience like mine all those years ago.

Mentoring was a fascinating experience and one with unexpected consequences. In working with my mentee, I was forced to get clear on my story, why I had made the choices I made, what served me, and what I would counsel against. It forced me to get under the skin of some of the commercial decisions I have made and justify them, which I really enjoyed.

My mentee and I spent time discussing her academic work, and in that, I discovered new writers and texts, and enriched my practice in unexpected ways.

I had expected to enjoy supporting a student in a way that allowed them to think about things differently. What I had not expected was the breadth of learning for me and the richness that it offered.

I can wholeheartedly recommend being part of the mentoring programme. As well as being run exceptionally smoothly, it offers a development opportunity for both mentors and mentees. I strongly encourage you to sign up next year.

–Anna Wesson is an executive coach, working with emerging leaders in professional services.

The Mentoring Pathways programme offers Birkbeck graduates and corporate partners the opportunity to mentor a current Birkbeck undergraduate or postgraduate finalist.

The programme aims to support students’ career aspirations and expose them to professional networks, by bridging the gap between academic learning and workplace practices.

Applications have opened for the Mentoring Pathways 2019/20 intake, find out more about becoming a mentor.

Birkbeck’s Telephone Fundraising Campaign – meet the 2019 student callers

The Birkbeck Summer Telephone Campaign 2019 has now begun. A team of passionate Birkbeck student fundraisers will be contacting alumni over the next five weeks to fundraise for College priorities.

Alumni gifts provide financial support to deserving students, and this support can often be the difference between being able to complete their studies, or not. Relieving some of the financial burden for a student enables them to perform to the best of their ability by minimising the stress induced by monetary pressures.

Not only do alumni gifts provide assistance to these deserving students but they can also have an impact on life at the College, ensuring that future generations of students have the best facilities, support, advice and career guidance during their time at Birkbeck.

Tara Millington, Regular Giving Officer at Birkbeck has said: “the telephone campaigns are a wonderful testament to the Birkbeck alumni community. Alumni often feedback about how much they enjoy speaking to a current student. Whether it’s financial support, providing work placements or volunteering to be a mentor, our alumni continue to contribute to make Birkbeck such special place to study.”

The Summer Campaign will run between 4 June and 6 July – if you’d like to receive a call from one of our students, please get in touch with Tara Millington (t.millington@bbk.ac.uk).

Birkbeck’s Telephone Fundraising Team:

Aaron, Msc Criminology

“I wanted to be part of the telephone campaign so I could contribute to Birkbeck’s ongoing success. I chose to study here because it was an evening course with a diverse range of students and interesting course content. I’m most looking forward to engaging with alumni and engaging with people outside of my department”.

Alex, MRes Comparative Literature

“I chose to study at Birkbeck as I believe it has a friendly and fair ethos. Fundraising for Birkbeck is important as it enables further research, and I’m really looking forward to engaging with alumni and learning more about how funding has an impact within academia”.

Alexander, BA Global Cinema

“During the campaign, I most look forward to the conversations I have – I enjoy hearing about difference courses that alumni studied. I’m passionate about raising money to support Birkbeck students, it is a unique place thanks to its range of courses and it’s flexibility with evening study”.

Ayelen, MPhil / PHD

“As a scholarship recipient myself, I like the idea of giving back some of my time to Birkbeck and being part of the Telephone Campaign team – plus I enjoy speaking to people! Fundraising for Birkbeck is important as it gives future generations of students the opportunity to pursue tertiary education. I chose to study at Birkbeck through my admiration for the lecturers here.”

Charles, MA Text and Performance

“I wanted to join the fundraising team so that I could be part of something that was a fulfilling and meaningful way to make a difference at Birkbeck. Fundraising is important to continue the support and services that Birkbeck offers to students and stay true to its original vision. I’m most looking forward to hearing interesting stories from alumni and seeing what they’ve been up to since graduating.”

Edwin, MA Text and Performance

“I wanted to participate in the Telephone Campaign because Birkbeck has contributed significantly to advancing my knowledge and skills in my chosen field (Theatre & Politics). Bursaries are immeasurably useful to me, and so I believe fundraising is crucial. I enjoy having a chat with alumni who have shared my experience, and hearing their stories”.

Fran, MA Museum Cultures

“Birkbeck is known for its amazing support, and I want to be part of that by fundraising to help students achieve great things! My favourite part of being a student fundraiser is having nice conversations and hearing alumni’s motivations to give back.”

Janelle, MSc Public Policy and Management

“I chose to study at Birkbeck as I wanted to learn alongside fellow mature students who have had work experience. I want to reach out to alumni in the campaign and strengthen their relationship with Birkbeck.”

Jed, BSc Biomedicine

“I’m looking forward to having interesting conversations with alumni, and seeing if they have any advice for me as a current Birkbeck student. My course is of great teaching quality and I’m looking forward to raising money to help support future students.”

Joseph, MSc International Development

“I am developing my career in the 3rd sector and wanted to gain some fresh and relevant experience. Raising funds for Birkbeck is important as it is becoming increasingly difficult for universities to access government funding. I’m looking forwards to having some lovely conversations with Birkbeck alumni!”.

Luke, BA English

“I like the fact that Birkbeck offers evening study, which worked better for me. I am looking forward to being part of the call team so that I am to learn about the experiences of previous students. It is great to be able to support Birkbeck and connect with a wide range of alumni.”

Natalie, BA Linguistics

“I applied to be part of the call team as I found the nature of the job interesting, I like conversing with people. What I enjoy the most about the role is the sense of personal achievement and growth, raising money to contribute to future developments at Birkbeck” .

Oliver, Certificate of Education, Economics

“Fundraising is important as it gives students who may not be in a fortunate financial situation an opportunity to fulfill their dreams. Being part of the telephone campaign will be a good experience to improve my communication skills, which I will be able to apply in my future career.”

Shakeela, BSc Social Sciences

“I wanted to take part in the Telephone Campaign as I like to speak to alumni and find out about their experiences. It was also a way to meet a variety of students I wouldn’t have met before. I feel fundraising for Birkbeck is important as it encourages continued support for the projects here, some of which I’ve benefited from myself.”

Shuvashish, BSc. Social Sciences

“Working as part of the Telephone Campaign team is a step towards fulfilling my long-term career goal to work within the charity sector. I’m looking forward to interacting with alumni and having the satisfaction of raising crucial funds for Birkbeck.”

Alumni Help to Secure Birkbeck’s Future

Many alumni and supporters choose to help secure Birkbeck’s future by remembering the College in their wills. No matter their size, gifts in wills make an enormous difference to the College and to students who may otherwise be unable to continue their studies. Every year, more than 2,000 deserving students receive bursaries to help pay for books, travel, childcare and other study expenses. Much of this support comes from gifts in wills.

This spring, Birkbeck students spoke to more than 300 alumni about the positive impact that gifts in wills have on the College. The students had the opportunity to thank alumni who have already remembered Birkbeck in their wills and to share information with those who are considering giving in this way. The callers shared stories of students like Helen Dunbar and Željka Oparnica who both received financial assistance to study at Birkbeck from gifts in wills. This support made a huge difference to both Helen and Željka.

Helen Dunbar and her son Max enjoying Graduation 2018

As Helen shares, ‘Without the scholarship, it would have been impossible for me to finance my studies. The Scholarship enabled me to achieve my goal of postgraduate study and push myself to a higher level of academic study’.

Kara McMahon, Trusts & Legacies Officer at Birkbeck, was delighted by the success of the campaign. ‘Gifts in will make a tremendous difference to individual students here at Birkbeck, and it is a pleasure to work with growing numbers of alumni who choose to support Birkbeck with gifts in their wills. I often speak with alumni who tell me how Birkbeck changed their lives, and they want to make sure that future generations of students have these same opportunities and experiences. The telephone campaign has been a wonderful chance for our current Birkbeck students to hear these stories and say thank you’.

You may also want to hear from alumnus Malcolm on his decision to remember Birkbeck in his will:

If you would like to know more about leaving a gift in your will to Birkbeck, please get in touch with our team by calling Kara McMahon on 020 7380 3187 or emailing k.mcmahon@bbk.ac.uk.

Alumni Profile: Amer Anwar (MA, Creative Writing)

Amer Anwar graduated with an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck in 2010. His recent novel Brothers in Blood was featured in The Times Books of the Year 2018, Guardian Best Books of the Year 2018, Crime Time Best of the Year and was the winner of The CWA Debut Dagger award. We spoke to Amer about his time at Birkbeck and what he’s been up to since graduating…

Photo by Steven Joyce

Your time at Birkbeck…

I had a great experience at Birkbeck. I started out doing an Introduction to Writing Fiction course through Hammersmith & Fulham Adult Education. It was my first attempt at writing fiction since the beginning of high school and I really enjoyed it. The course was Birkbeck affiliated and the tutor said, if anyone wanted to pursue it further, to apply to Birkbeck, which offered a range of further Creative Writing courses. That’s exactly what I did, enrolling on a 2 year, Certificate in Creative Writing (which is now the BA Creative Writing, I believe) and then onto the MA Creative Writing too. It was in the second year of the Certificate Course, when I’d chosen to continue with Fiction, rather than the Poetry or Drama options that were also available, that I wrote and workshopped the first chapter of my novel – the chapter that would go on to win the CWA Debut Dagger and secure me a literary agent.

Throughout my time at Birkbeck, I was working full-time, so there was no way I would’ve been able to do a normal full-time course or even a part-time one that required a full day or two at university, so the fact that Birkbeck offers such excellent courses that are available in the evenings, was essential for me to be able to fulfil my ambitions. And I really loved everything about it. The standard of teaching was second to none and the breadth of age and experience in the classes meant that there was a much more diverse range of fellow students to learn from and with. The whole atmosphere was informal and comfortable but everyone was there to learn and work, which was a very enriching experience. It was also fun and enlightening to socialise after class and talk about writing and books with everyone. All in all, it was a fantastic experience.

Your experience since leaving…

Life since graduating from Birkbeck with an MA in Creative Writing has been a bit of a rollercoaster. All through the MA, I was working full-time, studying part-time and also working on finishing a novel. As I was already working on the novel when I started on the MA, everything I learned was geared towards helping me write and complete it, so I was very focused on what I wanted from the course. Even after I graduated, I took everything I’d learned and applied it directly to my work. I continued to learn and tried to improve as a writer.

After I left Birkbeck, I was very focused on finishing the novel. It took 8 years, all told, to finally finish it, and then a further 2 years to land a publishing deal. My debut novel, Brothers in Blood, was published in September 2018 and I am currently working on a follow-up, which is due out at the end of 2019.

Brothers in Blood by Amer Anwar was published in September 2018 and is available to buy on Amazon.

Alumni wisdom…

General advice would be, if you’re thinking about undertaking a further course of study around a full-time job, seriously consider applying to Birkbeck. That’s exactly what it’s set up for and it will be such a rewarding experience – academically, personally and socially.

For Creative Writing students especially, I’d say, have an idea of what you want to get from the course when you go into it. That way you can gear your learning towards helping you realise your end goal. For myself, it was to write a crime thriller. I knew that from the outset and so I was able to use everything I learned on the course to further my progress with that novel. In the longer term, finish your first draft. It’ll be hard and a long slog at times, but once you finish it, whatever shape it’s in, you’ll have a complete draft of a novel. That’s a real accomplishment. Once you have that, you can edit and improve it. And, perhaps most importantly, if writing is what you really want to do, never give up. Keep working at it and you’ll get there. If I did, so can you.

If you would like to provide an alumni profile and be featured in our e-newsletter and blog email alumni@bbk.ac.uk. 

Knowledge Transfer Opportunities for recent graduates and business leads

If you’ve recently graduated you could kick start your career…

Or you could transform your business…

…by taking part in a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) managed by Innovate UK.

These partnerships connect recent graduates with academic or research institutions and a UK business or not-for-profit. The three-way collaboration aims to solve a real-world issue that the business is facing.

KTPs are designed to help UK business’ stay competitive by encouraging them employ talented graduates while also keeping up with the latest industry innovation by taking advantage of advice and support provided by the academic partner.

The academic or research organisation partner (knowledge base) will help to recruit a suitable graduate. They will also act as the employer of the graduate, who then works at the company for the duration of the placement.

The scheme can last between 12 and 36 months, depending on what the project is and the needs of the business.

Benefits…

Graduates:

  • Fast track your career.
  • Competitive salary.
  • Enhance your project management and business strategy skills.
  • Take part in one of the largest graduate schemes in the UK.

Business:

  • Develop your business.
  • Obtain academic expertise that you don’t have in-house.
  • Improve your business performance
  • Help you to become more competitive and productive.

Applying…

Graduate opportunities can be found at:

  • KTP vacancies online
  • an academic or research organisation’s dedicated KTP office
  • university departments
  • career offices
  • recruitment websites
  • local newspapers

If you are part of a business with a problem that you think the College could help you solve, use our expert database to find a possible academic partner for a KTP project.

Costs…

A KTP is part-funded by a grant. You will need to contribute to the salary of the Associate who will work with your business, plus the cost of a supervisor who will oversee the scheme.

The amount you will need to contribute depends on the scale and length of the project. It will also depend on the size of your company. Typically:

  • small and medium-sized enterprises contribute around £35,000 per year, about one-third of the project costs
  • large businesses contribute around £55,000 per year, or half of the project costs

For more detailed information visit – http://ktp.innovateuk.org/

 

 

 

 

Sources:

https://www.manchester.ac.uk/collaborate/business-engagement/knowledge-exchange/transfer-partnerships/graduates/

http://www.ncub.co.uk

Information gathered from https://www.gov.uk/guidance/knowledge-transfer-partnerships-what-they-are-and-how-to-apply#lseans and used in accordance with the Open Governance License for Public Sector Information.

PhD Psychology Student Wikus Barkhuizen gives an inspiring speech at Birkbeck’s An Evening of Thanks 2018

Wikus Barkhuizen who received a fully funded scholarship spoke at last night’s An Evening of Thanks. Wikus described how the studentship transformed his life and enabled him to undertake important research linking smoking to mental health issues in young people. Read the full speech below. 

Good evening,

It is a real honour to be here tonight to tell you about my Birkbeck journey and the real difference that your donations make to students like me and to the research we do.

From a young age I knew that I wanted to spend my life helping others. My parents instilled in me a strong culture of the importance of giving back. So after school I decided to do a degree majoring in psychology and genetics.

But things did not go as planned and I had to take a break from my studies to work full time. And as I soon discovered, opportunities in South Africa where I grew up were few and far between without the right contacts or qualifications.

But I got a second chance. A good friend and her mum lent me the money for plane tickets and a visa application so that I could come to the UK to save money to finish my degree.

When I arrived, I worked as a care worker for people with dementia. I also volunteered at a drug service and six months later got a job as a case worker helping people to overcome their addictions. I loved that I could do something for a living that I found fulfilling and that helped others.

Several years later and I had settled in London. I was managing the drug service where I initially started as a volunteer. But working for front line services, especially after several waves of funding cuts, was not a long-term plan. The “more-for-less” culture started demanding too much. Friends and colleagues were burning out around me. Luckily, I had a plan.

You see, Birkbeck is all about second chances. For 4 years I rushed from work to attend evening lectures and finally got my psychology degree.

After graduating from Birkbeck, I was accepted to do a master’s degree at Kings College London researching early interventions in psychosis. While doing my master’s, a good friend from Birkbeck encouraged me to apply for a fully funded PhD studentship on adolescent mental health using genetic methods, supervised by Professor Angelica Ronald at the highly rated Department of Psychological Sciences.

It was perfect for me. And thanks to my experience working in clinical settings with people affected by mental health and substance use difficulties, and my academic background in early interventions, I got the studentship!

If it was not for the generosity of the Birkbeck alumni who funded the Camara-Rijvers David studentship, I would not have been able to dedicate three years of my life to researching a topic I am deeply passionate about.

So let me tell you a bit about my PhD research:

We all know that smoking tobacco is bad for you. If I ask you “What are the risks associated with tobacco use?”, what comes to mind?

Most people think of lung and heart disease and cancer, right? But I am guessing that not a lot of you knew that smoking may also affect your mental health, particularly in young people.

We can measure experiences that resemble psychotic symptoms, like paranoia and hallucinations, in the general population. So in people like you and me. We call these psychotic experiences. Psychotic experiences have been linked to an increased risk of developing mental health problems later on.

Tobacco use is linked to psychotic experiences in adults, but very few studies have been done on adolescents, which is key because it is during adolescence that most people start to smoke and when psychotic experiences often emerge.

So I wanted to know if there is a link between tobacco use and psychotic experiences after taking into account other factors. For instance, if a young person who smokes tobacco is more likely to feel paranoid, is this related to tobacco use or is it rather because they have also experienced more stressful life events or smoked cannabis?

My findings showed was that regular smoking during adolescence was associated with psychotic experiences and this was not just an artefact of other risk factors.

So there is a link. But why? To find out, I ran twin models that compare identical and non-identical twins in a sample of thousands of twins called the Twins Early Development Study. And what these models showed was that in most part, tobacco use and psychotic experiences are associated because of the same genetic influences.

What does this mean?

Finding shared genetic influences do not tell us anything about causality, and it is not to say that smoking and psychotic experiences are predetermined by our genes. What it does tell us is that if we want to understand why tobacco use and psychotic experiences are related, it is important to look at our DNA. And this is what I am currently looking at in my PhD.

Thanks to the opportunity to do a fully funded PhD I have just published the main findings from my first year in a leading adolescent mental health journal. I have developed research skills and got my foot in the door for a new career. This will put me in a good position this time next year when I apply for research positions as a post doc.

My funders not only supported my PhD but a future career that I believe will allow me to continue making a difference, and I could not have done this without their support. Thank you!