Lazy Students? You won’t find them here.
Student delegates at the Students for Kids International Project (SKIP) conference in Newcastle.
“The national conference is the setting for inspired debate and idea sharing between extremely motivated and passionate healthcare students. It’s an electrifying atmosphere to be in”.
On the 7th-8th of November 2009, over 100 students from all over the UK met at the University of Newcastle campus to discuss their work for Students for Kids International Projects (SKIP). SKIP is a healthcare-student led UK-based registered charity (1099804), which supports child welfare in communities throughout the developing world. The work focuses on health promotion, water and sanitation, nutrition, education and facilitating the enablement of disabled persons. Branches from Barts, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, HYMS, Newcastle, Oxford, Southampton, St. Georges and UCL came together for a series of reports, workshops, lectures and ideas cafes to improve their independently run projects in Belarus, India, Moldova, Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana, Thailand, South Africa, Malawi and Madagascar.
Chris Lander, the Assistant Coordinator of SKIP National said “The national conference is the setting for inspired debate and idea sharing between extremely motivated and passionate healthcare students. It’s an electrifying atmosphere to be in”.
The conference is focussed on topics designed to support these groups in their life changing work around the globe. Branches are also taught about the history and structure of SKIP to put their at separate universities into perspective on a global scale. After being founded in Cardiff in 1999, SKIP has grown to have a dozen branches based in UK universities all working to support vulnerable and impoverished children and communities worldwide.
Students discuss pressing issues regarding their upcoming projects abroad this Summer.
Workshops support committee members in their roles, passing down knowledge and allowing the free exchange of ideas in smaller sessions. Important management skills are also taught, such as effective handovers, facilitation and strategic planning. Project coordinators, responsible for leading their branches, are in sessions discussing the best practice for branches’ interventions and management, and allow them to discuss the important issues facing SKIP at that time, and help guide its direction.
The real stars of the show, however, are the branches themselves. Each branch has time to present their achievements over the previous six months, to keep other branches informed and share what they see as the important challenges and learning points of the last 6 months. This year, increased importance has been placed on the use of the national conference to allow them to share ideas and support each other. So many times, branches have come up against hurdles that others have just navigated, and hopefully, with each other’s help, they can work more efficiently, coaching each other through these difficult situations. Importantly, they seem to agree, Milly West of Barts University thought that the conference was “Really, really helpful for making contacts and learning. So inspiring.”
An emphasis is placed on socialising too, at every conference the different groups don their outfits, picked from the letter of their branch name, this time ranging from Alphabets to Where’s Wallys, and take to the streets of their host town. It’s a great bonding experience, reinforcing SKIP’s sense of fun and humour, an integral part of the charity’s work.
To close the conference the most important points for SKIP’s vision for the year were reinforced:
• Good Practice; using our laws and constitution to act appropriately and effectively
• Expanding Horizons; taking SKIP forward into new areas and opportunities
• Informed Advocacy; using our position as a unique voice in international issues, especially those affecting the countries where we work
After a round of applause the different branches made their way home, certainly tired from a long weekend, but hopefully filled with passion and informed, ready to take on another six months of opportunities and challenges, taking SKIP onto new heights.
Andy Young
SKIP National Publicity Coordinator 2009-10
Students for Kids International Projects ‘SKIP’ is a healthcare-student led UK-based registered charity (1099804), which supports child welfare in communities throughout the developing world.
For more information please visit www.skipkids.org.uk