Taking on a challenge with Impact 24

Student Simone Campo on why you need to join Impact: 24, an amazing initiative organised by the Students at the Heart of Knowledge Exchange (SHoKE).

Impact: 24 is a 24-hour challenge event where students from all faculties form an ARU volunteer team aiming to identify potential solutions to societal challenges posed by Cambridgeshire and Essex county councils.

Why should you apply?

Social impact – make a difference to local communities

Let’s imagine yourself at the end of day, thinking about your team and you working on a current societal challenge. It’s an exciting thought, right? During this Impact: 24 project, you have the opportunity to actively brainstorm and think about solutions that can have a real impact on our local communities. This is not a test where you must spot the answers. Rather, this is the chance to meet with your peers, to discuss and propose your ideas and an opportunity to create real change. As you know, everything starts from an idea so do not be scared – get involved!

Showcase your skills

Among other things, being a university student means spending time acquiring new knowledge. Now, what is better than putting into practice what you have learnt so far during your lectures and seminars? In your career, you are going to face a wide range of different scenarios and you must be able to develop the skills required to overcome varied tasks. This project can help you with this by taking you one step further than the competition, especially if you learn from the scenarios proposed by local councils. Impact: 24 is a great way to add work experience to your CV!

Boost your employability

Obviously, everyone must look for a job at a certain point of their life and, as you probably already know, the taught knowledge acquired in university is not all that recruiters look for in a candidate. In addition to academic skills, a successful applicant will need the soft skills necessary to make a real difference to any business. Skills such as team-working, leadership, communication and problem solving are all key, and you can demonstrate them by taking part in Impact: 24. Who wouldn’t spend 24 hours on one task to improve your CV dramatically? This opportunity is a free and accessible way to boost those skills that will help you to get your dream job.

Grow your network

One of the most important things that I learnt as a student is that even small events provide chances to meet new people and build new relationships. I did my first ‘Hackathon’ when I was finishing the first trimester of my first year at ARU and, despite my total inexperience, I managed to learn new things, to have a lot of fun and to meet amazing people, some of whom I’m still in contact with. Therefore, do not worry if you are not an expert or you don’t feel qualified enough to take part in Impact: 24. The whole point is that this is an opportunity for you to gain experience and try something new whilst having the opportunity to network. Everyone must start somewhere and the sooner you do, the sooner you get the desired results. Why not break out of your comfort zone and sign up?

Sign up by 17 May

Now that you know why this is an incredible opportunity, do not miss out! The deadline to sign up is 17 May 2021 and is first come first served due to limited spaces. Go to http://arul.ink/shoke or email the SHoKE team at [email protected]. Feel free to contact the SHoKE team with any questions you may have.

When you’ve completed the challenge and need to update your CV and LinkedIn profile don’t forget all the tools available to you through the Employability Service Career Centre and individual advice through [email protected].

By Simone Campo, BSc (Hons) Computer Science student and Employability Activator

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Our Employability Service works with students throughout their time at ARU and after they graduate. The Service offers careers advice, online resources, and help with job searches, applications and interview preparation. Our Employability & Careers Advisers may mention some of these resources and services in their blogs, to give you an idea of the careers support that's on offer at ARU. Some of these resources sit behind a log in and can only be accessed by current students.