Monday, 03 October 2022
Lilian Greenwood MP has met staff and students at the University of Nottingham as part of a visit to find out more about a new initiative to provide help and support to the local community.
The new Student Community Engagement Ambassadors initiative will see 12 student ambassadors proactively patrolling zones in Lenton and Radford, close to the university’s University Park and Jubilee Campuses.
The scheme is aimed at building positive and longstanding relationships in the community between all residents, including students, promoting respectful behaviour and raising awareness of living as part of a mixed and diverse community.
The ambassadors will also raise awareness of sustainability among students through better household recycling and litter picking, in support of Nottingham’s Carbon Neutral 2028 ambition.
They will work in partnership with local partners such as Community Protection Officers (CPOs) and Police and will help to improve neighbourhood safety for all residents through a variety of crime reduction initiatives and campaigns.
With each ambassador working up to six hours a week, the initiative will culminate in more than 4,000 hours of additional support for the community over the course of the academic year.
Our Community Engagement Ambassadors are all current University of Nottingham students living in and around the areas they are tasked with patrolling and improving. We have recruited an enthusiastic, dedicated and sustainably-minded team to undertake this exciting new project.
He added: “We want all residents to benefit from this additional support as we aim to maintain Nottingham as a clean, green and great place to live, work and study. This project will evolve over time and we welcome any feedback from local residents by contacting our department with suggestions.
“Working closely with partners such as Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire Police, local residents groups and the Students’ Union will ensure we have a service that can adapt and respond to the needs of our mixed and diverse community.”
Lilian Greenwood, MP for Nottingham South, visited the university’s Jubilee Campus on Friday 30 September to meet some of the ambassadors taking part in the scheme and to chat with them about their new role in the community.
She said: “I was delighted to meet the new Community Engagement Ambassadors, who will work proactively with their fellow students and longer-term residents to develop good community relations, from ensuring bins are managed correctly to helping their peers understand their rights and how to access local services.
“The start of term provides a perfect opportunity to promote the good habits and neighbourliness that will benefit both students and longer-term residents in our city.”
Pablo Larius Vasquez, a Spanish and International Media and Communications student, is among the new Student Community Engagement Ambassadors.
He said: "The interaction between the student community and the wider community is pivotal in order to have local harmony. Lilian's visit will help to drive and create the ties that will be essential for that equanimity.”
The University of Nottingham Community Engagement Team can be contacted via email at offcampus@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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