As a student it seems to be pretty easy to get stuck in a bubble, there’s student life and then there’s the life of a local. At times, it seems a bit difficult to enmesh the two. Which it is, even though our campus is in the city it’s still a campus and most, if not all social events you go to will be university based. A big question I find myself asking is how I can help the local community as a student?
The big one that most people will probably think of themselves is to volunteer. It can be anywhere, for example a kitchen like the People’s Kitchen on Bath Lane, in an old person’s home, a library or a museum. Or if you’re looking for something in a charity shop many non-profits are always looking for volunteers.
If you don’t have the time to spare on volunteering then you could do something as simple as donate some clothes, shoes, or books that you don’t use or need. As well as this you could get into the habit of buying something small of your food shop to drop into the food collection bin as you leave the supermarket or simply donate long-life goods that have been sat in your cupboard unused for an age.
Going to give blood is a pretty easy and harmless thing to do to help. It will help not only your local community, but perhaps someone who wouldn’t have made it without your donation.
Another option that’s even more low-key to helps is simply to shop locally. For example, getting your veggies from Grainger Market instead of Tesco or ASDA, there’s always a good selection in there and the produce is fresh and delicious. Or instead of studying on campus or drinking at your closest Weatherspoon’s you could go to a café or a local pub to give a little money back to the community. Maybe you’ll even become a ‘regular’ and then you’re basically a local yourself.
All in all, it’s not too difficult to get more involved whether that’s through volunteering, donating or visiting local establishments. Every option gives a little back to Newcastle which is always a heart-warming thing and a good way to pop the bubble we get stuck in.