Successful second year for the Marjon Change Makers project

Released: 01.07.21

Plymouth Marjon University’s Change Makers Project has come to an end for the academic year.

This is the second year the project has run, with seven students participating. Each Change Maker developed their own project, focusing on improving the student experience at Marjon. Mentored by a staff volunteer, each student’s work became something that can make a change at the university.

Head of Digital Marketing and Change Maker mentor, Laura Bell, said: “It’s great to be able to work in so much depth with the students on the things that really matter to them. They bring big, exciting ideas and lots of passion. As mentors we’re there to help them make things happen. Being a mentor is really flexible, you help the mentee in the ways they need, sometimes just as a sounding board and other times by feeding back on the things they’re doing.

“I’ve been a mentor to two Change Makers now and it was rewarding to see both students grow in confidence as they progressed. It’s also great to know the work they put in will continue to make a positive impact on student life at Marjon long after their projects end.”

Jade Bain, Marie Bradwell, Simon Walker, Lucy Branton, Paula White and Georgianna Gomery completed the Change Makers programme earlier this term. Their projects evolved into great things including a male teacher support group, a new web page and posters for PhD students, and a comprehensive student mental health survey.

There was a virtual event held earlier this month to commemorate the end of this year’s project and celebrate the student’s hard work and successes. Each Change Maker was assigned 50 hours paid work to plan, research and deliver their project.

Bsc (Hons) Speech and Language Therapy student, Lucy Branton, said: ‘My passion for mental health was a big driving factor in my involvement with the Change Makers project. It was an opportunity to really push myself in a way I never had before.

‘There was a moment just before I interviewed for the job where I seriously doubted my ability to create and manage a project that would bring about meaningful change. In hindsight, I wish I had so much more faith in myself. I am so happy with the practical changes that my project was able to bring about, and the prospect of impact at Marjon for years yet to come.’

Pro-Vice Chancellor for Student Success, Katy Willis, said: ‘Marjon Change Makers is such a positive project to be part of. These students are passionate about making a difference in the world, and ready to challenge themselves to do it.

‘They have discovered so much about how we can make the student experience at Marjon even better and brought about changes that will have a lasting legacy.’

The Change Makers project is set to run for the third time in the 2021/22 academic year.

Marjon is ranked third in England for student satisfaction, according to the Complete University Guide 2022. Explore all the courses offered by the university here