9 March 2022

Hear about the positive changes students are making as part of King's Civic Challenge

King’s Civic Challenge brings together teams of students, staff and community partners to collaboratively develop solutions to some of the challenges our neighbouring communities face today.

Teams attend workshops led by sector experts on idea generation, communications, stakeholder management, evaluation and presentation skills to help develop their project proposal. Shortlisted finalists then pitch for the chance to win up to £5,000 and additional support to make their ideas a reality.

I decided to join King's Civic Challenge as I was keen to work with like-minded individuals on projects that have meaning and a wider impact on communities within London. Studying Public Policy, I wanted to apply the knowledge I had in that sector to help address the issue at hand for the partner charity.– Esther Talbourdet, MSc Public Policy & Management student

This year, community partners in our home boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark and Westminster set out challenges to address with their Civic Challenge teams.

Hous ing f or Women is one of the partners that teams are working with and are a charity based in Lambeth and Westminster with a mission to empower women and challenge inequality. They are working with King's students and staff to develop an oral history project that will capture the views and lives of their older tenants who have been living in historic properties in the borough for over 20 years.

With the help of students and staff from King’s, my initial idea has now turned into a real project that, if successful, could soon become a reality. The input from the group is beyond amazing. – Maria Galan, Housing for Women

Headteacher-led charity, The Elephant Group, works with schools, universities and businesses to support academically able students from non-selective state schools to access ‘top third’ universities. They have asked their King's Civic Challenge team to develop a project to help local young people better understand and access allied healthcare degrees and careers.

Carers’ Hub, one of the winners of the inaugural King’s Civic Challenge, is taking part again this year, aiming to raise awareness of the obstacles that young carers face.

Other challenges being addressed by this year's teams include tackling food insecurity, empowering young carers, supporting vulnerable families and helping victims of domestic violence.

Previous winners have created immersive theatre experience inspired by people living with dementia, mounted an exhibition to raise awareness of the challenges that carers face, launched football workshops for young girls in Lambeth and Southwark and even secured jobs with their charity partner. Find out more about last year's winning teams in the video below.