2022-2023 Cohort

Maverick: My first service learning placement is at a restaurant called Refettorio Felix that provides free meals for the community. Diners can either come and sit down for a while and socialize with others or they can take one of the to-go meals if they do not have the time. During my time at this placement I have really learned how close-knit a seemingly disparate group of people can be. Simply the act of sharing meals with each other has formed a tight community that I am lucky to get to serve. My other placement’s location varies per week but it consists of going into local communities and tending to community gardens in these areas that are otherwise uncared for. Our work ranges from pulling weeds and trimming trees to planting new seeds. Here I have learned the importance of having a bright and cared for environment to live in. Simple things like that can have a positive impact on the people in the community.

Peri: My service learning placement is at the Charles Dickens Museum. The museum itself was Dickens’s home from 1837-1839 on 48 Doughty Street and the location in which he wrote some of his most famous novels to date such as Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby. Today, the building holds a large collection of historical Dickens memorabilia and artifacts from his time at the Doughty house and other prominent locations from Dickens’s life. My title while working with the Charles Dickens Museum is a room steward whose job is to answer questions from museum visitors and make sure the assigned room is under control. The majority of my time while working at the museum is spent with visitors, answering questions and conversing about topics from Dickens’s life. I get to talk about a wide variety of topics with many different people as the majority of the visitors are tourists from other countries. Overall, my job at the Charles Dickens Museum allows for a unique experience in learning about literature and Dickens himself.

Callum: For my service-learning placements, I am volunteering as a football (soccer) coach/assistant. One placement is in the Isle of Dogs, where I help out in free afterschool football sessions for kids between the ages of 14 and 18. I help keep sessions organized and help with refereeing and coaching the kids. I also do similar work with Blackpool FC, a Sunday league football team in Stepney Green, as I assist in training sessions and occasionally train with them.

Kian: My placement is at City Harvest, located in Acton. This charity is a good redistribution center, focusing on the reduction of food waste and providing meals for those in need. I chose this placement hoping for something simple, where I could go in, finish my work, and leave calmly, but was greeted by a community instead. Most volunteers have been with City Harvest for longer periods of time, meaning everyone knows each other, but new people are welcomed as well. The placement is a lot less tedious than I expected, with lots of hard work, but conversation and the variation of tasks mixing things up give the experience a sense of novelty as well as purpose, with the lack of repetition. Service learning has been a really exciting way to be involved with the community around me!

Jillian: The Service-Learning Program has been incredibly eye opening and involving. I am currently working at The Venture Center which is a non-profit organization for everyone in the community. My role is to play with and watch over the kids who come and hang out after school! It is a really great program as a lot of the kids who come in otherwise don’t have access to all the fun things that we do there. We do lots of arts and crafts, drawing, games, and other activities. It’s been really cool to see how these programs give back to the community, as well as how volunteer based the organization is. I feel I haven’t seen as many volunteer driven programs back in the U.S, so I think it is a very special concept that London has. My other placement is at Moorfield’s Eye Hospital where I have been helping incoming patients find their appointments or assist them in getting to where they need to be. This role is another one that is very volunteer based, and I have been able to meet a bunch of the other volunteers that have done this for years. It is really fulfilling to know that I can give back to the community I have been so lucky to be a part of for the past seven months!

Maya: Both of my placements have been truly wonderful, and I have gotten to learn more about the British perspective on Americans and vice versa. My first placement is at a primary school called St. Andrews in Barnsbury and I work with Year 5. Walking into the classroom, they have a fairly small/medium-sized class that seems fit.

My first day there went typically. The kids start out with silent reading, then math, and then a class reading. I helped a bit in math as they were learning about graphing coordinates. Year 4 joined the class while they worked on different problems in their math booklet. Some of them needed actual help but some of the kids were more curious about me. One of the girls I was helping asked me how presidential elections worked and if I voted for Joe Biden. I laughed and I told her that I couldn’t vote at the time. She also asked if we had Takis in America and I explained to her that they are very popular. Later during writing, I helped one of the boys in the class by peer reviewing his writing. He was very funny, and I was able to help him with his spelling and flow. Overall, my job consists of helping the kids when they’re stuck and answering the occasional questions about America.

My other placement is as Osmani Trust, an after-school youth club for Muslim girls in Blackwall. The first time working, we joined the four high school girls that were in attendance in making crafts for International Women’s Day. They were eager to get to know us and asked us so many questions about what we thought about the UK and our lives back in the states. Their curiosity made the time we spent there because it’s nice to feel welcomed in an environment where you’re technically the outsider. Working with the girls is very fun and it feels less like work, but more a time to get to know new people.

Charlotte: In my first placement at Moorfields Eye Hospital, I entered with an idea of what I might be doing with the knowledge I have of American hospitals, to find that things work significantly differently here, and that I would have to have a very open mind to be able to find my footing there. The Friends of Moorfields volunteers are very established in the hospital and what I learned was that they are regular staples of hospitals in the UK. At Moorfields, I got to meet the volunteers who work in the entrance to the hospital and provide directions for where people’s appointments are or provide them with resources following their treatments or appointments. What I also learned was that things in the hospital are intentionally condensed so for the most part, what I do is direct people to the elevators or directly forward to the ground floor clinics. What I noticed the most was that the sense of community was far less with the patients and people coming into the hospital, it was with the other volunteers. This being said, while there was a lot of familiarity between people, none of it felt too deep or beyond polite interaction to pass the time. I’m wondering if this is something that will change the more time I spend there, or if this is mainly how volunteers interact.

For my second placement, I was at The Reach community center, associated with the Osmani Centre. Here, I immediately felt much more welcome and like I was entering an established community through the way people interacted with each other and the level of comfortability everyone exhibited once we all got settled in. For the most part, conversations weren’t too deep here either, but everyone seemed very relaxed and I felt more connected to the girls we were working with. We discussed a lot of the differences between American and British cultures which was able to bring us closer with the girls as well as the other volunteers.

Adam: When I first stepped foot in Compton Lodge Care Home for my first volunteer placement here in London, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. Since moving to London all the way back in August, I have been extremely fortunate in cultivating meaningful friendships and relationships both in the city and across varying regions of the UK. In these friendships and relationships, I have been introduced to various communities that have managed to take root in UK society. As most of these experiences in meeting new people and exploring new communities took place in social settings with people in a similar age group that carried a mindset to where I currently find myself now, the Compton Lodge Care Home definitely felt like it was the polar opposite of what I had found myself used to in terms of my time already spent in London. I have spent a great deal of time in care homes in the past, however, these experiences usually saw me accompanied by my grandparents, who worked and continue to work with residents suffering from dementia and other ailments. This type of volunteer work was completely new to me, and felt even more alien considering it was to be done in a British setting. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was hardly any different from my experiences working in care homes with my grandparents, and soon felt easily acclimated to my surroundings and those who both worked and resided there. When I wasn’t spending my time speaking with residents, I found myself observing how the residents interacted with each other. Some exchanged words of kindness with either their peers or other staff, while others seemed to only bicker and complain; though eventually finding something to be happy about. However, even though words of kindness seemed to be the overwhelmingly positive form of interaction, I was able to see past good and bad to find harmony in all of their interactions, regardless of whether or not they were good or bad. Some found differences that were hard to see past, but their acknowledgment of these differences and patience from those on the other end of the stick nonetheless helped to form their community within the care home.

St. Andrews Primary School also felt similar to Compton Lodge Care Home, as once again, I did not know what to expect. I have worked in tutoring students before, but as this was in an American setting, I felt unsure of how much of that experience would be applicable to this placement. On top of this, the aspects of Britishness I had become greatly associated with up until this point were not related to such a young age group; so, similarly to Compton Lodge Care Home, the age gap between me and those I would be working with also made me feel somewhat uneasy. But, just as before, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was hardly any different from my experiences working in tutoring back home in the States. I was assigned to work with a boy, Rhys, and help him to concentrate on the lesson. Rhys had autism, and I had a wonderful time sitting with him and helping him get through the lesson; though he seemed to do just great for the most part! Though I spent the majority of my time invested in Rhys’ work, I also found myself observing how he interacted with the rest of his class. When Rhys did have moments of disruption, his peers showed him nothing but compassion and understanding, which once again furthered my vision of harmony in both of the communities I witnessed. Those who had differences were still accepted as members of this community, and saw themselves as members of this community because of the acceptance shown by their peers. Without this, the community within the St. Andrews Primary School would otherwise not be possible.

Bella: For my service learning placements, I am working at two different refugee centers. One is the Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants and the other is the Notre Dame Refugee Centre. At the Islington Centre, I try to socialize with the clients and participate in activities with them such as singing and dancing. At the Notre Dame Refugee Centre, I provide general support for clients and help them with certain tasks such as reading them forms, filling out forms, sending emails, making phone calls, etc. From these placements, I have learned about the assistance that migrants would need and how they are positively impacted with our help. In addition, I have learned how to use content management systems to record information about clients at the NDRC.

Anastasia: This semester, I have two community placements. The first is at St. Andrew’s primary school where I work with first year students and help as a teachers assistant. I often help the teacher organize materials, or sometimes work with certain kids individually. My second placement is at the Venture Center and Adventure playground. This is a great community outreach program and I love spending my time volunteering here. I mainly work with the kids through the centers after school program, where the kids can play on the large playground, have afternoon tea, and receive homework help. Working with the kids in the homework help portion is always rewarding when the children excitedly recall what they did in class, or read to me a sentence they wrote. I’m addition to the children’s program I work with, the center offers a variety of other services for the community, including art therapy, and classes for pregnant and expecting mothers. I often arrive early to this placement, as there is group art sessions before where many different people join from the community to create some beautiful artwork. They are definitely a tight knit group as I walk through and they call each others names and talk about what’s going on in their lives. It’s very endearing to see each of them interact and be so opening to new people, as well as to anyone who may be unsure. Overall, the community of people I have been working with are very genuine and are willing to welcome anyone with a smile.

Mya: The first learning placement that I do is tutoring children. I am placed at St. Andrews (Barnsbury) C of E Primary School located in Islington, London. I work with year three which are 7–8-year-olds in the morning. I help around the classroom with math, writing, and reading with children who need help. During my time here, I have learned that this community at the school is full of love and friendship. I remember at the assembly; the principal spoke about loving strangers. That speech showed that the school valued love and kindness. It is a well-knit community as everybody knows one another. The second learning placement I am placed at is the Venture Centre Playground located in Kensington and Chelsea, London. I also work with kids around the same age as the kids I work worth at the school. However, I really do like this placement because it’s a different environment and the kids are lively. I mostly chat with the kids and staff members before taking the kids to homework time. I then help the kids with their homework if needed. The community here is a lot more different than the school since the kids and staff get to have a connection. Overall, both places show great and diverse communities that have different values.

Claire: On Wednesdays I volunteer at a Refugee center that supports clients in a plethora of ways. There are singing and dancing activities that everyone gets involved in which is a light-hearted and fun way to interact with one another and learn from other people’s cultures. Volunteering at the center can be anything from checking clients in at the front desk, working together to fill out paperwork, or offering to share a tea or coffee. The center provides crucial financial, residential, occupational etc… support and it fuels my curiosity and International relations. In the specific photo, I was helping an Ethiopian woman understand a medical document and along the way learning a bit of Amharic. I am developing a greater awareness for others, learning compassion, and furthering my world views. I am also giving back to the London community that has fostered such a wonderous exchange year and developing meaningful connections with special people.

Gwen: My first placement is at the Islington Centre for Migrants and Refugees, about 40 minutes from our residence. At the center, my UW peers and I assist other volunteers with running activities each Wednesday. I have enjoyed sitting at the sign in desk, as I get to greet each client and meet everyone who comes through. There is also a choir and dance session each week that has proven very enjoyable. It has really shown me how song and dance are such powerful tools for communication. I find myself having conversations and sharing meals with people who were strangers before we danced together. As a volunteer, one of my responsibilities is to make sure clients feel welcome at the center and in activities, so I find myself being more outgoing, bringing more people together. It challenges me because there are many factors that can make situations difficult like language barriers, but when I persevere, it is always worth it. Getting to know everyone at the center is really motivating me to find something similar back in Madison, because I can so clearly see and experience the benefits for all involved.

My second placement is St. Andrew’s Primary School in Islington. There, I am a teaching assistant for Year 4 students. I often walk around the class during work time and help answer questions. It is a joy to be directly involved in the education of children, and interesting to compare my own experiences with theirs. Today, I helped the students write poems about characters from the book they are reading, How to Train Your Dragon.

Benjamin: Over the last few weeks, I have volunteered some of my time at Omnibus Theatre in London. I have been involved in theater my whole life and was interested in seeing how things worked behind the scenes. When I arrive at the theater, my job is to work at the front desk, informing people where to go, greeting them, and helping out with any inquiries people may have. The community at the theater is very close, as the team running it is very small. This small team welcomed me with open arms, and I have gotten quite friendly over the limited time. There are many other communities within the theater because of the groups that rent out the spaces. For example, a performing arts school occupies some of the spaces, and they often greet me when walking through the door. A parent-child group meets in the morning, and I interact with the kids wandering up to the front desk. I get to see how the theater interacts with people in the nearby community. Some members go out and teach art classes to schools that don’t have theater programs. Overall, the experience has been very eye-opening to the world I have grown up in, and I feel I am gaining good life experience.

Thomas: My service-learning placement is working with C and C homes which are lodges located in Camden that provide care for elderly residents. My job there has been to comfort and interact with residents to provide them with a comfortable, friendly environment. Some things I have done since volunteering there include simply talking to residents about their life’s and past careers, making puzzles with them, and playing catch. I’ve learned that community is an important part of working in nursing home-like environments. It’s important to provide a friendly atmosphere for elderly residents to feel comfortable in and C and C seems to do a great job in giving elderly residents an inviting community to live in. The staff are all friendly and do a great job in taking care of every resident with care and compassion.

Brita: For my service learning placements, I wanted to integrate my passion for music with my intended major of Psychology. My first placement is at C&C London homes, a small and peaceful retirement home near Camden. Most of the residents that we interact with are a part of the memory care ward. Claire and I like to play the piano and sing with them; it is nice to see their faces light up when we play a song that they recognize. By conducting a sort of music therapy for them, I am able to see how Psychology and music can intertwine. My second placement is at the Abbey Community Centre where I participate in the community choir. It is a small and close community of people in London with a passion for music. Together, we sing a diverse range of songs, from popular music from the 1960s to songs from the Golden age of Broadway. The atmosphere is incredibly non-judgemental and supportive; I am grateful to have such inspiring and fun service learning placements!

Benjamin: Due to a COVID shutdown at C and C London Homes I have not been able to attend my second service-learning assignment. However, I have been able to attend my BOST gardening service-learning placement. It has been amazing to be able to restore different gardens and make a physical impact on London through caring for nature. The other volunteers that I work with are some of the nicest people you could ever meet, and it has been fun to get to know them throughout my service-learning placement.

 

• This experience has shown me the benefits of engaging in new cultures.
• My advice to future students on this program is to be bold and take advantage of being in a new environment. Try new things and explore new places because it truly is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
• My program opened my eyes to the multiculturalism within London and the different perspectives of how people view the world. It has also opened my eyes to the theme of sustainability that the UK and Europe try to constantly implement in everyday life whether it is at home or work.
• My advice to future students on this program is to try a ton of new cuisines because London has incredible food diversity. Brick Lane, Camden Market, Portobello Market, Borough Market, and the Spitalfields Market are just a few of the many places that offer a plethora of ethnic foods.
• The course content helped me to consider sustainability in a holistic view prioritizing social, economic, and environmental sustainability equally.
• My advice to future students in this program is to take all the opportunities that come around you because opportunities come on rare occasions.
• My program opened my eyes to being more independent than I was ever before.
• This experience has been truly life changing, and I never imagined having the opportunity to explore life through the study abroad lenses. I could not have asked for a better spent freshman year!
• Participating on this program was the first time I traveled out of the United States! Studying abroad in London was my first time leaving the country, and even though it was daunting, I’m beyond glad I did it.
• My advice to future students in this program is to take time to explore London thoroughly before traveling abroad.
• Participating in this program was the first time I’ve lived by myself without the direct support of my parents.
• Participating in this program was the first time I felt as if my view of education was matched; we as a cohort learn and explore things in a unique, immersive way.
• This experience has helped me gain a better understanding of new cultures across Europe and the rest of the world.
• My advice to future students on this program is to put yourself out there and meet people outside of your study abroad group.
• My advice to future students on this program is be ready to self-advocate! Being in a new place with new rules can be hard, so you need to identify what you need to succeed and get it!
• The course content helped me to consider the widespread effects of immigration on the character of a city.
• My advice to future students on this program is to find a schoolwork and social balance! London has so many things to do, but you still have to find some time to study.
• My advice to future students on this program is to be prepared to plan out your financials! London is quite pricey and simple things like grocery shopping can add up quickly. Budget wisely.
• Participating in this program was the first time I lived alone, went abroad, or even went on a plane, so it’s been a lot of firsts!
• The course content helped me to consider just how much an environment can influence an artist’s work.
• Participating on this program was the first time I had truly done something out of my comfort zone and challenged myself to do something unknown and it has totally paid off. I have met amazing people and seen amazing things.
• I have considered American culture in a new way because of this program.