The Faculty of Humanities runs a funding competition for course leaders to include a specific socially responsible element into their teaching. The aim is for students to be encouraged to think how their enthusiasm for their subject can communicate, connect or be relevant beyond the immediate demands of their course.

A great example of how funding is used is Dr Thea Cameron-Faulkner’s Book Buddies project, which provides one-on-one shared book reading sessions to primary school children.

The Book Buddies project brings together final year students studying Linguistics and English Language and young children who are not read to regularly at home. The students visit local primary schools in Manchester and spend an hour of dedicated reading time with the children. This one-on-one time provides the children with a rich literacy experience which in turn could help to develop their language and literacy skills.

This project provides the students with the chance to gain first-hand experience in the range of language skills found in children of primary school age. In addition, the students are engaging with the local community, providing what is hoped is an invaluable experience for both book buddies and the children. At the end of the semester the students share their experiences with teachers at the schools, as well as with their course colleagues.

It is envisaged that this project will continue in the future and that previous student participants will come back to the University to help train up new volunteers.