Alumni Fund awards £19,000 to boost sports clubs and ED&I initiatives
Following the applications of student groups to the Alumni Impact Fund, collectively nine of our sports clubs have been awarded £15,293.29 to support a range of projects and initiatives, with an additional £4,000 awarded to purchase sport wheelchairs to improve access to sports such as Wheelchair Basketball.
Offered by the Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO), the Alumni Impact Fund provides students and staff with the opportunity to apply for up to £2,000 to help fund innovative projects that contribute positively to student experience.
This year, we saw Tennis, Netball, Rowing , Lifesaving, Kayaking, American Football, Fencing, Sailing, Women’s American Flag Football and Sport Inclusion Officers benefit from the fund.
Underpinning many of the projects put forward by our clubs are themes of equality, diversity and inclusion – focusing on how to attract less engaged student groups through outreach events, improved accessibility and committee training opportunities. The fund will help repair and upgrade club equipment to improve the quality of training sessions and performance.
Read about just a few of our incredible club projects below:
Lifesaving – Mannequins for inclusive first aid training
Increasing the diversity and inclusivity of CPR training by expanding the range of mannequin skin colours, alongside implementing breast covers to teach members how to perform CPR on females who traditionally are less likely to receive it.
Tennis – The Tennis 2000 Project
An outreach initiative aiming to engage 2,000 people in playing Tennis across Birmingham, including University students and school children in economically disadvantaged areas.
Fencing – Chest protectors for female participants
With a rise in female participation, the club are investing in chest protectors to prevent injuries to the breast and chest area, mitigating breast cancer risk and meeting health and safety regulations for female fencing.
Our clubs are incredibly grateful for having access to the fund and are excited to see their innovative ideas come to life across the year.
Women’s American Flag Football share:
‘The alumni fund has greatly supported our existence and sustainment as a new club starting just this year. Spearheaded by hopeful international students, our club stands on values of accessibility and diversity. By supporting our podcast project, the Alumni Fund is amplifying our small voice and expanding the way for us to be impactful going forward within UoB and the greater American Football community.’
Supporting free student sport
Our popular Active Residences Programme has also benefited greatly from the Alumni Impact Fund.
The programme provides students living in university or nominated partner-owned accommodation with a free timetable of sport and fitness activities every week. With this funding, we are now able to invest more into our resources and timetable offer.
A big thank you to DARO who have enabled our clubs to deliver projects that will make a real impact and allow us as a department to keep striving towards making sport as accessible, inclusive and fun as possible for all!
'We are extremely proud of our sports clubs for being successful in the recent Alumni Impact Fund 2024. This fund allows sports clubs additional funding and resource to support our EDI goals as a department. Whether that is providing CPR training, providing sport to local communities from economically disadvantaged backgrounds or bringing sports to new spaces. We would like to say a huge thank you to all University of Birmingham donors who make this fund possible and looking forward to showcasing the incredible work of our sports clubs in the new year'
