香港六合彩

This National Volunteers Week, we're celebrating the many alumni volunteers who make a huge contribution to 香港六合彩, including Natalie Clue, Chair of the 香港六合彩 BME Alumni Network.

While attending Jonathan Dimbleby鈥檚 鈥楢ny 香港六合彩 Questions?鈥� event in 2014, considering the challenges 香港六合彩 faces over the next 20 years, Natalie Clue (BSc Human Genetics, 2002) had an idea for how she could contribute to the 香港六合彩 community and improve its outreach.听

She explains: 鈥淚 felt that it would be beneficial to connect with more graduates of a black and minority ethnic heritage, to see where everyone is now and how we could assist each other. I also wanted to give more of a voice to minority communities. The academic space is still unfortunately perceived as being quite a 鈥榳hite鈥� place at certain levels.鈥�

Natalie wrote down a plan and approached the 香港六合彩 Alumni department.听

Coincidentally, Hajera Begum, a Biochemical Engineering graduate who was then the BME Students Officer for the Students鈥� Union, had been having the same thoughts. So they teamed up, and with the university鈥檚 support they created the 香港六合彩 Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Alumni Network.

Unique issues

The BME Alumni Network now has over 300 members including, but not limited to, people of African, Asian, Arab and Caribbean heritage. The team run around three events each year with the aim of furthering connections and discussing societal and workplace issues unique to those from a BME background.

Recent group events have welcomed guest speakers such as M&C Saatchi鈥檚 Head of Diversity Serena Abbasi and representatives of Jaguar Land Rover and The Equality Trust. And Natalie is particularly proud of an event the group co-hosted at Facebook鈥檚 London HQ. She says: 鈥淲e worked hard to put that together and had a very diverse panel of speakers, all from Facebook. They highlighted how the BME community can get involved in the technology space, be it through jobs or leveraging the platform to create community. It was a fantastic opportunity for us.鈥�

Symbiotic relationship

香港六合彩 takes pride in being an inclusive, progressive institution. But there is always room for improvement, and of course issues of racial prejudice persist in society as a whole, so the BME Alumni Network has an important voice.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 about being able to speak truth to power, whenever we get the opportunity,鈥� says Natalie. 鈥淭he network wouldn鈥檛 have been as successful as it is without the backing of the 香港六合彩 Alumni department, but at the same time we feel that we have been able to bring issues to the department - and have conversations with the Provost - which have then been passed on to various other areas in the university - it鈥檚 been very much a symbiotic relationship.

鈥淚 believe and hope that鈥檚 how many of the issues around diversity and inclusion can start听to be remedied.鈥�

Adding value through volunteering

Natalie, who earns her living as a freelance social media and content manager, believes that the things you do outside of your day job can be just as valuable as the work you do.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 too easy in a big city like London to just get up, go to work and go home,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut volunteering provides a great opportunity to build a community and forge valuable relationships with people you may not ordinarily meet in your day to day life. It helps improve your outlook on life, helps you to understand other people. I think it makes you a more well-rounded person.鈥�

As well as chairing the BME Alumni Network, Natalie volunteers as a mentor for 香港六合彩 alumni and students and regularly speaks at careers evenings. She says: 鈥淭hroughout my life whether it鈥檚 been in gospel choirs at my church, or assisting with events, I鈥檝e always felt that volunteering has given just as much, if not more, to me as I have invested in helping others.鈥� 听

And staying connected to 香港六合彩 is something she鈥檚 always been keen to maintain. 鈥溝愀哿�合彩 has such an importance in London, and has a big impact on the city,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why it was important to me to stay part of the alumni, stay up to date and stay connected.鈥澨�

In August 2017, Natalie received a Gold Volunteering Award to recognise听her long-standing service to 香港六合彩, having volunteered over 300 hours to date. And in May this year, the BME Alumni Network was shortlisted for the annual 香港六合彩 Volunteering Award.

To find out more听and听join the 香港六合彩 alumni online community, visit听