Bright future beckons for Serene

Morland Mews tenant Serene Anderson is now job hunting after three months helping teach young people as a volunteer mentor in the Caribbean, with a little help from our bursary fund

We’re delighted to have paid a tiny part, with a grant from our bursary fund helping pay for Serena’s flight and housing costs in St Vincent.

First class honours degree

Serene, now aged 23, graduated last year with a first class honours degree in economics and Hispanic studies, from Nottingham University.

‘I was keen to volunteer abroad before entering the workforce,’ Serene says. Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, she also hoped to put these skills to good use and draw on skills picked up as a teacher’s assistant at a London theatre school.

Serene found a placement at a non-profit teaching project in St Vincent where she organised group activities and gave extra support to pupils in the classroom.

‘It was extremely rewarding playing a part in building students’ confidence and encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone, embrace a different culture and learn new skills,’ she says.

The entirely different environment made her more open-minded, Serene adds, but also gave her a confidence now proving useful as she starts work. In September she will be joining a business graduate scheme.

Serene’s St Vincent placement was organised by The Daneford Trust which arranges work exchanges between young people in UK inner cities and in Africa, the Caribbean and Asia. Our bursary fund helps pay for educational activities that will improve your chance of getting a job. Any of you living in one of our homes can apply to the fund. The usual terms and conditions apply, including an up-to-date rent account and no history of antisocial behaviour. To find out more click here