From Banking to Football: doing the community engagement module

Having left a management position in the Royal Bank of Scotland, I joined the University of Brighton in 2008 at the age of 19 to study for a Business Management degree in Mithras House. I'd like to say I made this choice based on determination and ambition to succeed in the cut and thrust world of business but in reality, I was just bored at the bank and as I saw it 'three years studying and clubbing' was better than sitting in front of a desk worrying about account numbers every day.

I was an average student in the first year of my studies. I had to re-sit a couple of exams over the first summer due to over exertion on the 'social side' of University and my second year relatively followed suit academically. It was in my second year, having now become at ease with my surroundings, academic routines and friends that I began to expand my horizons and capacity for experiences away from books. I got involved in the Students’ Union newspaper as an editor and, for the fun of it, ran in the elections to become a Vice President of the Students’ Union, to represent 22,000 students at the highest level within the institution as well as amongst political leaders both locally and nationally. After a fortnight of sleepless nights and constant repetition of my campaign principles, I had won. I had become Vice President of Campus and Communications responsible for students on every campus and within each of their local communities.

I quite liked that.

In fact, what I had not anticipated was that, I loved it. Every small debate that would relate to a student on a campus or within the local community I had a vested interest in ensuring those students were represented fairly and issues were dealt with.

As the Vice President role is a full time position within the Students’ Union, I changed my study pattern to part time in order to juggle both. My business grades began to develop. Being a trustee of the SU, a £2.3m operation, I was able to apply principles learnt in the classroom directly to a business. Splitting my final year into two part time years I took advantage of a module in a different school than my Business School. I took the Community Participation and Development Module, run by the university’s Community University Partnership Programme (Cupp) within the School of Applied Social Sciences. Students on the module undertake practical projects with local community and voluntary organisations. It also gave me an understanding of the theories and principles that, unbeknown to me, were influencing my SU work all the time. I was able to critique social and community theories and analyse organisational models. This allowed me to approach each partner organisation appropriately in order to represent students effectively. As an SU officer, fighting to achieve change for students, it was vital to understand these concepts in order to achieve my goals.

I have left the University of Brighton, graduating with a Business Management BA and leaving behind two successful years working with, in my eyes, one of the most innovative environments of people I have ever had the pleasure of being involved in. I now work for Lewes Community Football Club, a co-operative football club run and entirely owned by the local community just one stop up the line in Lewes. I am responsible for ensuring the local community is at the heart of the club and the club is at the heart of the local community. This includes offering and maintaining initiatives for kids, teenagers, community groups, fans, local businesses and, with any luck, hundreds of new owners becoming the life blood and long term future of the club. As much as it feels great to be working in an organisation that works specifically for the local community, it is essential that we are financially able to survive and grow, so the Business degree is certainly coming in handy.

Unlike the bank, I now work in an industry that I am incredibly passionate about, doing things that I didn't know even existed until I got involved in Cupp and the Community Participation and Development module.

Martin Clayton, former Business Student and Student Union Vice President

www.lewesfc.com