World mapChanging lives worldwide

Thanks to your donations University students have led projects which make a global impact with the support of a Cascade grant. Here’s a snapshot of how your support has helped make a difference.

1. USA - Sutton Bonington Singers

The Sutton Bonington (SB) Music Society is one of the most vibrant musical setups on campus, welcoming not only students, but members of staff and the local public too. One of its four ensembles, the SB Singers, was asked to perform in ‘The Music of Will Todd’, held as part of the Distinguished Concerts International New York’s concert series at the prestigious Lincoln Center.

Thanks to your support, the SB singers were able to take this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They joined 22 other ensembles from around the world under the guidance of Dr James Meaders, a renowned conductor and voice coach, to perform in the 3,000-seat capacity concert venue in the Big Apple.


2. Portugal - The Barnard Effect

Thirty years ago, Professor Chris Barnard from the School of Life Sciences set up an innovative module called Behavioral Ecology at a field centre in Portugal. It is now one of the longest running bird ringing studies in the world, carried out collaboratively by University academics, students,and representatives from a Nottinghamshire bird ringing group.

The legacy of Professor Barnard, who died in 2007, continues to this day, as every year the school sends students to Portugal to carry out research.Thanks to your support several students joined the study to document the research and share with the wider world – a fitting tribute to the work of Professor Barnard, who strongly believed in the value of a hands-on approach to scientific studies.


3. South Africa - Project Myemela

For a number of years students and staff from the Department of Architecture and Built Environment have made it their personal mission to support communities in Limpopo, South Africa – one of the poorest, least developed parts of the country.

In this time, they have overseen the construction of 10 buildings, changing the lives of thousands of people. One example is Project Myemyela, which saw 38 students help construct a nursery in the village of Lephepane, creating a bright, clean and safe environment to teach basic skills to children from birth to the age of seven.

It also provides employment for local women who teach in the crèche, cook meals and sing and play with the children, as well as somewhere for the village community to both come together and have a sense of ownership of.

Learn more about Cascade

Since 2007 dozens of student and staff-led projects have been able to use a grant from Cascade to help transform lives both here in Nottingham and across the world.

Discover more

 

 

4. Ukraine - Chernihiv Archaeological Expedition

With the support of a Cascade grant, four Nottingham students studying Viking age history have participated in an archaeological excavation in Chernihiv, Ukraine. The students recovered archaeologically significant artefacts, shedding new light on the Viking fort. The project includes joint publications with a Ukrainian team, which share valuable knowledge and learning gained from the diverse archaeological excavation methods.


5. Sri Lanka - Project Hope

Four politics students completed a three-week long internship with the Rosie May Foundation, a charity from Nottingham which runs orphanages and women’s refuges in Sri Lanka. Its mission is to empower young girls and women in underprivileged circumstances and to strengthen families in crisis through education.

The students spent three weeks in Sri Lanka to evaluate the effectiveness of the Rosie May Foundation’s Project Hope, a family strengthening programme, by visiting the homes of families supported, spending time first-hand to assess their living situation. The project was an exciting opportunity for the students to engage with, and make a direct, positive, long-lasting impact on communities in Sri Lanka.


6. Australia - Bamboo and Digital Fabrication Techniques

Your support has enabled four students from University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) to attend workshops, continuing a collaboration in which students from China and Australia work together remotely to creatively address sustainability issues.

The students learned how to combine traditional bamboo construction with digital design and fabrication techniques to produce innovative building and product solutions for low-income communities in China and Australia.

UNNC and University of Western Australia staff are planning to attend the World Bamboo Conference in Taiwan and co-author journal publications based on the outcomes of the project.

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