The Community Scholarships programme, previously known as Medway Community Scholarships, was opened to all students registered at both the Canterbury and Medway campuses in 2018-19, from all stages, disciplines and modes of study. Thus far we have received 100 application pack requests this academic year with the following breakdowns:
Campus
Medway = 16
Canterbury = 77
Not currently registered = 7
Degree level
UG = 60
PG = 33
Not currently registered = 7
Twenty one percent of students who requested the pack submitted an application form for consideration; two of which were successful in the autumn term at obtaining the full reward and two in the spring term, with all four students being based at Canterbury.
The two scholarships awarded in the autumn term were Art at Heart and Music for Change.
Grace Lau, a first year Psychology student manages the project, Art at Heart, a series of ten art and craft workshops for year 3 and 4 pupils at Pilgrim’s Way Primary School with learning difficulties and/or low confidence. The workshop objectives are to improve emotional wellbeing and self-confidence of the pupils through art making, introducing alternative ways for them to express themselves.
Aida Sharaf, a second year Drama and Film student is organising a concert called Music for Change that aims to raise awareness of mental health, domestic abuse, drug abuse and social inequality/discrimination through the lyrics. The hope is the “concert will give a platform of expression to people who are struggling with issues that are not discussed as much as they should be. Many students and young adults struggle with mental health, abuse and social inequality/discrimination but sometimes can feel like they are trapped. I have found that art allows people to be expressive which can be an outlet for a lot of these suppressed issues.” Music for Change is looking for a new venue due to emergency maintenance being carried out at the Gulbenkian Theatre in March 2019.
Our successful scholars in the spring term, thus far, include the projects From the Cubby and the Keynes Sustainability Scholar.
Joe Spence, a postgraduate in his second year studying for a PhD in Social Anthropology, will be using current footage to create an ethnographic film, From the Cubby, that will be screened later this year, to raise awareness of homelessness and resettlement in Canterbury. The film “will explore some of the problems people experience when they become housed, and are faced with the prospect of untangling themselves from social networks associated with homelessness and addiction“, with the aim being to “foster dialogue across organisations, bringing stakeholders from a variety of backgrounds together to discuss the policies and practises associated with homeless resettlement programmes.”
Jane Zhuk, a first year Biochemistry student was awarded the Keynes College Sustainability Scholarship project, the first of its kind, which was initiated by the Master of Keynes College, Chloe Gallien and Emily Mason, with the objective of initiating, engaging and supporting sustainability actions at Keynes College.
The Community Scholarships is closed for applications for 2018-19 and will re-open in September 2019 for the academic year 2019-20. Special circumstances may be given for small-scale projects. Please contact Debbie Worthington, Student Activities and Scholarships Officer, communityscholarships@kent.ac.uk for further information. In the meantime you can read about the scholarship on our website: https://www.kent.ac.uk/studentservices/studentlife.html