IntoUniversity

The Council’s It Takes All of Us campaign is designed to highlight the benefits of volunteering. Sarah Havens talks about her voluntary work with IntoUniversity, a charity based in North Kensington.

What are IntoUniversity’s aims?

The charity focuses on providing educational support to disadvantaged young people, although this is in some ways a means to an end. Above all we want to encourage young people’s aspirations, since children from homes where academic success is not expected tend to perform less well.

Our ultimate aim is for young people to make the most of the opportunities that are out there. We encourage them to think about their own aims and how to fulfil them, whether that’s by going to university, taking on an apprenticeship or starting a career. We set high expectations and want the young people we work with to have high expectations for themselves.

How did you start as a volunteer?

I became aware of IntoUniversity in its early days through my involvement with the Clement James Centre. My first role was in fundraising and development, but earlier this year I also began helping with the educational, hands-on side of the organisation. I am very glad that I made the decision because I enjoy regular, supportive interaction with children and building relationships.

What do you do at IntoUniversity?

I work with primary school children at IntoUniversity’s North Kensington academic support sessions. The children sit in groups and do their own homework or a project set by IntoUniversity, perhaps creating their own Olympics event or tackling a maths problem, but tailored to their specific educational needs.

My role is to support and encourage them, maintain discipline and acknowledge hard work and good behaviour. I also get the opportunity to talk to parents if I feel their child deserves particular praise. It’s important to let the children know that their efforts are recognised. By 5pm I am normally exhausted but always looking forward to the next week.

Do you see changes in the children?

Yes, it is sometimes hard to prove that kind of thing, but looking at SATS results and hearing feedback from parents, children and class teachers shows that we do make a difference. Many of the children do their homework more regularly, are able to focus more and achieve better grades, but most importantly they also have higher expectations about what they want to do with their lives. I’ve seen this happen as a direct result of our sessions. I worked with a quite challenging boy, but when I showed him respect and trust by giving him some responsibility for the younger children on my table, his behaviour changed significantly. It’s incredibly rewarding.

Could IntoUniversity use more volunteers?

Always. We currently have around 200 volunteers at the North Kensington centre in variety of roles across different programmes. As well as academic support we have mentors who are matched with young people in our programmes and they meet regularly to help with homework, go on outings and encourage their educational aspirations.

We normally recruit undergraduates from London universities for this but we can find a role for anyone who is interested in improving these children’s futures. IntoUniversity began in North Kensington but has spread to five other centres throughout London, so anyone keen to join in should find a place somewhere!

Find out more

To find out more about volunteering with IntoUniversity email elena@clementjames.co.uk or visit the IntoUniversity website.