Strathclyde students skydive for charity
Six Strathclyde students who have been working with the Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity (GCHC) over the past six months as part of their undergraduate Management Development Programme are set to carry out a sponsored skydive to raise funds for the charity.
The students - Neve Cassidy, Emma Barclay, Caitlin Buttery, Rachel Watt, India Alexander, Eve Rafferty - are on the MDP Social Responsibility pathway. The Management Development Programme is a core element of the undergraduate degree programmes in Strathclyde Business School. The programme is three years in length and provides students with a learning environment through which they develop business and commercial awareness, with a focus on corporate social responsibility and sustainability, alongside graduate employability skills.
The students have undertaken three projects so far. The first involved an analysis of the charity’s TikTok to maximise engagement with a younger audience - this has been a great success as the charity’s account has since gained over 5000 new followers.
The second of these projects involved the development of a fundraising proposition for gamers in Glasgow and the West of Scotland. The students played a key role in the brainstorming process and the charity is now set to go ahead with the fundraising campaign ‘Games for the Weans’ this summer.
The final project involved developing potential concepts for a Facebook Challenge, a virtual time-bound fundraising event on the social media platform. The students produced the idea of challenging Facebook users to complete 15,000 every day, a figure which is representative of the number of steps paediatric nurses average in one shift. The team at GCHC decided to take up this concept which will launch on Facebook for the month of May.
One of the students Emma Barclay said, “We are all incredibly grateful to Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity and the MDP Social Responsibility Pathway for providing us with such a unique opportunity. This has been an enriching experience both professionally and personally, during which we have been able to meet many of the brilliant people who contribute to the transformative work that the charity does.
“The team at GCHC welcomed us with open arms and embraced the fresh perspective that we bring to every meeting. It has been very special to see our ideas come to fruition and even more so considering the positive impact this will have on the lives of Scotland’s children. Our time with the charity has inspired us to give back and so we thought… What better way to do this than to skydive, a challenge which really is nothing compared to the adversities faced by the 500 children who receive life-changing care every day.”
Iain Mitchell is MDP3 Social Responsibility Pathway Lead at Strathclyde Business School and said, “The MDP3 Social Responsibility Pathway is an opportunity for our students to develop their employability skills while giving something back to their local community through working with a range of charities, initiatives and widening access programmes.
“It’s been our absolute pleasure to have students support Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity since 2015-16, working with the Marketing, Community Fundraising and Corporate Partnership teams on a number of campaigns.
“This year’s students have shown an impressive dedication and enthusiasm, working closely with the Marketing team who have given them several exciting tasks that have allowed them to develop their skills and see their ideas directly applied in real-world contexts to support the charity’s work. We are delighted to see how positive this experience has been for everyone concerned and that the Strathclyde Business School can continue to support the work of this wonderful charity.”
Kirsten Watson, CEO, Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, said, “Each year, we eagerly anticipate the arrival of the MDP students who choose to support Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity. It’s a testament to the strength of the programme that we committed to working with six students this year. Their dedication, generosity and heartfelt enthusiasm is invigorating for the whole team, and the projects they deliver create genuine value for the charity.
“This year’s group is particularly special, and it has been a pleasure to welcome them into our team. Not only have they created new fundraising propositions that we have incorporated into our strategy for 2023-24, they have also demonstrated their commitment to the cause by taking on this epic challenge.
“Whilst a petrifying prospect for some, the students have proven time and again that they can work exceptionally well together as a team. I have no doubt that they will support and encourage one another all the way and would like to thank them all again for their generous support.”
Published: 29 March 2023
