The Alumni Impact Fund: enhancing the student experience

The Alumni Impact Fund is made up of charitable donations from alumni and supporters, and funds innovative projects which improve the student experience and community. Student groups and individuals apply for funding and pitch their ideas to a panel, with up to £2,000 on offer for everyone successful.

Many of these projects this year have formed part of UoBXtra, a programme of activity that falls during the summer term after students have finished exams to give them the chance to learn and develop extra skills and knowledge ahead of their next year of study or before graduation. There has been a wide variety of projects and activities funded this year, including sporting events and equipment to increase accessibility, dance and drama showcases, outreach activity in schools focussed on science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and even courses teaching DIY skills.

Making sport more accessible to women

The University of Birmingham Women’s Basketball Club hosted a 3x3 basketball tournament for women of all abilities to participate in a tournament which is usually reserved for high level players in England. They were inspired to host it as, after their regular season had ended, many players wanted more tournaments in the summer term before leaving University at the end of term. The tournament was open to members of the Club, as well as the wider student community and players from other universities. They hope to continue running the tournament annually.

Club member Charlotte says: ‘It was really successful. Players from four other universities participated in the tournament, with many not having any experience in a 3x3 before. One of the greatest highlights was when two players from a university two hours away drove all the way to Birmingham, even after their teammates backed out of the tournament, and formed a team with players from Birmingham who they’d never met before. It really shows how players will grasp every opportunity they can to participate in a tournament, given the fact it is rather inaccessible to women, and the beauty of basketball which bonds strangers together from different parts of the country, allowing them to share their individual experiences and enrich their knowledge.

‘Without the alumni funding, the Club would not have been able to host this tournament. The Club was struggling financially and struggling to keep players engaged after the end of the season in March. The funding gave players something to look forward to and kept them engaged throughout the off-season. The funding also allowed us to purchase new basketballs, which were last bought over a decade ago. I would really like to thank the donors for granting us the funding to host this tournament which has been extremely life-changing for the Club and inspiring for players who have joined this tournament.’

Bringing a student theatre production to the local community

You Lyu, a PhD student in the Department of Drama and Theatre Arts, produced ‘An Orphan’s Dream’ as part of his PhD research. It was performed at the George Cadbury Hall in November 2023 and received positive feedback, but thanks to funding from the Alumni Impact Fund, You was able to take the production to the Albany Theatre in Coventry to engage with the local community there.

You combined Chinese movement with UK physical theatre to create an intercultural physical theatre piece. He reimagined a traditional Chinese opera ‘The Orphan of Zhao’ with contemporary themes, adding in British physical theatre with stylised Chinese movements.

The second performance in Coventry, with a cast of five University of Birmingham students, featured rechoreographed movements and physical expressions, and also included a post-performance discussion. It received positive feedback with a member of the audience saying: ‘This piece was incredibly captivating and emotionally moving, particularly due to the main characters vocal work and facial expressions.’

You says: ‘As a student at the University of Birmingham, I am proud to have produced this piece for the public, especially since it was a charitable event. I invited the local retirement community to watch with free tickets and offered free tickets to university students in Coventry and Birmingham.

‘Without the help and support of alumni funding, this performance could not have happened. Securing this funding allowed me to hire the theatre and, additionally, theatre staff helped us promote the piece positively. I am truly appreciative of their support.’

Following this success, You is now planning to produce another intercultural physical theatre piece called ‘Blind Bird’, which focusses on environmental protection.

Inspiring the next generation of students to pursue science and engineering

Engineers Without Borders: Birmingham is the Birmingham chapter of a national charity. The group aims to raise awareness of the impact that STEM, and specifically engineering, has on everyday systems like water, electricity and transportation. Their project, which received alumni funding, focusses on creating free STEM workshops to inspire a new generation of students to pursue STEM disciplines within the local community, both to local schools and youth groups.

Not only do the school pupils and young people benefit, but running these workshops gives the university students delivering these the chance to develop crucial soft skills, such as communication, presentation and teamwork to benefit them in their future careers.

Thank you to everyone who supports the Alumni Impact Fund, helping to enhance the student experience. As part of the University’s 125th anniversary year celebrations next year, there will be a larger Alumni Impact Fund pot totalling £125,000 from which students and staff from both the Edgbaston and Dubai campuses can bid for funding to support more activities, projects and initiatives to benefit other students and the community.