Category: Salford Advantage Fund

The Creative Encounters 2024 Project engaged 129 students from three schools in Salford, offering them experiences in four creative disciplines: Art, Design, Photography and Textiles. Most groups participated in three online sessions led by Lead Artist, Jack Brown, who collaborated with independent creatives from across Manchester. Jack has supported the programme and watched it grow over the past six years, Jack has said:

‘I really enjoy building long-term working relationships with the different arts departments and their teachers. I’ve been working with some teachers for over six years now, and we’ve built a trusting partnership that allows for more experimentation and risk-taking. This has led to exciting innovations within the project. For example, a last-minute date changes once prompted me to create an impromptu ‘DIY lighting’ photography workshop, which, unexpectedly, became one of the best workshops I now run.’

The programme also included an in-person visit day, featuring a workshop hosted by one of the university departments, a guided tour of the degree show and a student life session with Student Ambassadors. In cases where an on-campus visit wasn’t possible, students participated in an online careers’ session instead. Jack has said some of the benefits of going online have been, ‘the Q and A’s between students and arts professionals work better online that they did face to face, it feels like students have more time to prep questions, everyone feels less self-conscious and the artists/creatives give better answers too.’

Students who participated in the programme were asked, ‘what extra knowledge did you gain through this activity?’ and they were met with a flurry of positive feedback:

‘University is not just working but gives you an opportunity to make connections’

‘The programme made me think more about my future’

‘I gained some new ideas while I was checking other artwork’

‘There is a lot more ways to express my ideas in exhibitions/displays’

Teachers were asked about whether their pupils that took part in the programme now have learnt about the benefits of higher education. The improvements that teaching staff have seen in their pupils since taking part in the Creative Encounters project have been quoted as:

‘Pupils have had a creative burst, many thinking about skills learnt in sessions and applying them in class’

‘Confidence when discussing and creating ideas. Students have spoken about careers in art’

‘Some students used the work created in the sessions to support their coursework’

To see how the programme has developed over the years, check out the Encounters web page.

We hope you are inspired by what you have read today. Funds like this help to support our students to enhance the student experience, academic developments and the University’s environment. Projects the Salford Advantage fund has supported in the past has included improving student facilities, creating new opportunities and have fostered community engagement. Every gift makes a difference in our students’ journeys. Learn more about our causes and donate here.

The Salford Business Schools’ student-led Business Society recently hosted the ‘Business Career Connect: Insights and Networking Event’, which was made possible by philanthropic donations to the Salford REVIVE grant. The event was designed to give students invaluable insights into diverse business sectors and to foster essential networking opportunities.

Around 30 students representing the Business School, encompassing disciplines such as business management, law and marketing, actively participated in the event. Guest speakers came from various careers, such as, finance, accounting, marketing, sports, HR and sales, including successful alumni speakers. These sectors were represented by organisations such as Deloitte, Waterfall Marketing, TLT LLP and Imprint Films. They shared insights into their fields, detailing how they entered into their respective careers and gave advice to attendees about how they can follow their career paths, whilst also helping students from different disciplines understand their available career options. Following the panel discussion, attendees had the opportunity to network. which enabled them to connect individually with speakers. Students indicated that several of them have established LinkedIn connections with the speakers, developing their networks and providing opportunity for future learning and employment opportunities, demonstrating their enthusiasm for exploring various career paths.

‘Business Career Connect: Insights and Networking event emerged as an indispensable platform facilitating students’ professional growth, encapsulating the essence of collaboration between academia and industry. The event’s success was made possible through the support of the Salford Revive Grant, covering essential aspects such as hospitality, venue adornments, and potential speaker and travel expenses, the event epitomized professionalism and efficacy in execution, accentuating its significance in nurturing future business leaders’ – Ahmad Ali, L6 BSc Business Management student, Salford Business society

Thank you to the generous contributions from the Salford REVIVE grant, the event contributed to Salford Business School’s calendar of extracurricular events, and as a student led event, it provided enhancement to the student experience. This is now being considered as annual event for the Business Society.

If you are inspired to help fund projects like this one or want to know more about a variety of different causes, you can find out more here. However you may choose to support us, your donation will make a big difference to what we can achieve.

Get ready to be dazzled as the School of Arts, Media, and Creative Technology at the University of Salford presents Univision, a collaborative entertainment showcase like no other! Inspired by the legendary Eurovision Song Contest, this electrifying event brings together students from diverse disciplines to ignite the stage with an explosion of talent and innovation.

At Univision, it’s not about competition; it’s about collaboration. Students unite to produce a spectacle that transcends boundaries, featuring captivating, diverse performances from music, dance to mesmerizing animations. With expert support in costume design, lighting, technical theatre, and media operations, the New Adelphi Theatre transforms into a hub of creativity, engaging audiences in an unforgettable experience.

But Univision is more than just a showcase—it’s a journey of professional development. Students step into leadership roles, navigate strict budgets, and innovate in their fields, gaining invaluable experience for their future careers. This extracurricular endeavor emphasizes accountability and prepares participants for success in the dynamic world of creative industries. This technical exploration is paving the way for future large-scale projects and sparking interest in new collaborative initiatives between the music and media departments.

Mark your calendars for Wednesday 22 May, and witness the magic unfold at the New Adelphi Theatre, University of Salford. Doors open at 7:00 PM and don’t miss the afterparty, where we’ll celebrate the hard work and achievements of all involved, fostering a spirit of community and camaraderie.

Tickets are available from Wednesday 8May, so grab yours here.

Special thanks to the Salford Advantage fund for their generous support in making Univision possible. Let’s make this night one to remember!

Rachael Magwaza, a lecturer in our School of Science Engineering & Environment (SEE), secured funding through the Salford Advantage Fund last year. The impressive project was to engage ‘SEE PGT cohorts in tailored training to connect and motivate pre-16 pupils from selected Greater Manchester inner-city schools.’

The programme began with a workshop which involved specialists from Johnson Matthey and Pharmakure discussing STEM career paths with our Postgraduate Taught (PGT) students. The specialists conducted workshops centred on careers plans, CVs and cover letters which enhanced the self-confidence of PGT students.

The students were able to attend the ELRIG drug discovery conference in Liverpool in 2023, this provided enriching experiences that fostered their academic and professional growth.

What was the impact of the project?

The purpose of the project was to ‘equip PGT students with language, public speaking, and leadership skills, promoting cultural integration, self-confidence, belonging, and employability’. Then, in turn, school pupils were able to gain early exposure to STEM-related careers and access to inspiring role models.

The project aimed to reach out to schools in communities with low participation neighbourhoods to stimulate interest in STEM careers. Rachael arranged a visit to the Albion Academy in Salford. The visit concluded with a STEM showcase event, featuring scientific speeches by postgraduate students and an array of interactive scientific tasks. Many pupils were unaware of the existence of STEM career opportunities besides ‘being a science teacher’ said by Mrs Elli Scott, Head of Science at the Albion Academy. After interacting with our PGT students, a considerable number of pupils acquired a newfound understanding of STEM careers, one pupil saying, ‘The workshop helped in preparing me to start thinking about my career aspirations’.Students displayed a heightened curiosity for STEM and associated careers, ‘I am now considering STEM careers when I finish school’. As a result, pupils now perceived these careers as accessible to them, having relatable figures as role models positively influenced their perspective about STEM careers.

This project had a profound influence on the public speaking and leadership abilities of the postgraduate students which is evidenced by these quotes from participating PGT students.

‘The project has inspired me to become a mentor, educator, or advocate for STEM fields’.

‘The project has helped solidified my interest in future STEM public speaking engagement’.

‘One thing I look forward to in the future is to collaborate with more high schools for this type of interaction with students’.

Thank you to alumni, friends, and supporters who made this project possible.

Our supporters’ donations make a big difference to what we can achieve. For further information on how you can support our students and read about the causes you can support, please visit our Salford Giving web page.

One of the fund recipients for 2023 / 2024 was awarded to Oli Hurst, who is the company director for Red Brick theatre company. Red Brick is a group of University of Salford graduates from the Theatre and Performance Practice degree. Red Brick were commissioned through the Salford Advantage fund to direct students and recent graduates in a two-night gig at The New Adelphi Theatre.

Since graduating in 2021, Oli has been working with the Young Vic as a member of their Fresh Directions 2023/24 cohort. As part of this programme, he will be part of the team developing and directing a new play Bad Moult (Winner of the Cambridge Creatives Playwrighting Award) by Robin Cantwell.

In addition to this, Oli is currently Assistant Directing David Thacker in a revival of David Mamet’s American Buffalo. His recent work also includes the first professional UK revival of Simon Stephens’ Pornography and he’s about to start directing The BBC’s First Homosexual as part of BBC100 celebrations, for a national tour.

The project started with some introductory workshops which allowed students to understand the project, learn about the process; from workshops, auditioning and then rehearsing for the shows. Students had to audition for the performances and received some mock audition training to help ease them into the process.

Once the cast was formed, rehearsals began! Students from Technical Theatre were also included and supported the production, from lighting and sound, so simple set management.

One of the Level 5, Theatre and Performance Practice students, Lucy Ryan, has said, ‘I really enjoyed “Brick by Brick” it was a really useful experience to work with Oli and Tilly. They were both brilliant, I really liked their way of working, such as ‘mining the text’,  their dynamic ways of playing with scenes, and their use of fun warmup activities in the workshops. The talks on working in the industry were also really helpful, particularly the tips they offered. This experience was so helpful’.

An unforeseen plus on this project was that we were also working with a 23-24 graduate scholar, and she was able to support the performance as part of her own scholarship project, which is another great way to get our current students thinking about all the opportunities open to them post graduating.

Thank you to alumni, friends, and supporters who made this project possible.