They taught me too…

Things I learned as an university outreach ambassador

I have been a UAL outreach ambassador since the week before I started university three years ago. There is SO much I have learnt during this time, I could seriously write a PHD thesis on it. But today, I will be sharing a small snapshot on what I learnt educating younger creative students.

1. How to teach

   1. Teaching is way more than reciting information or reading off of slides on a presentation board. It is meant to educate, but also inspire. It has to be rooted in passion in order to transfer that passion onto your students. Everyone has different teaching methods and it’s important to identify what that is.

2. How to lead

   1. Leading a group project is a real skill. You have to be able to direct, while also embrace others perspectives. The past couple days, we have been working on a project that had to be done within the day and that meant acknowledging other factors like time management and patience that I will get into later. However, before all of that, to lead, you must first be someone people actually want to follow. That again, comes with sharing passion and compassion.

3. New perspectives

   1. Something I love about working with younger students is hearing their new perspectives. I believe that everyone has creative bones and when properly cultivated, it can be something truly special. They come up with incredible ideas for the projects we work on and get so excited. The problem I find is that often, these new perspectives are often overlooked and mismanaged so the creative spark goes dim. If you are reading and know a young creative, please protect their spark!

4. Time management and flexibility

   1. Time management when working with younger creative students has a different meaning. It doesn’t mean having a strict schedule and sticking to it, it means opening yourself up to change to make the most of the time. For example, you may want to spend time on one particular topic later in the day, but if you find that the one you are currently discussing is really sparking interest - you need to have the flexibility to adapt. When planning, include space for change and be on your feet to not go with the flow, but be attuned to where the interest is.

5. Evaluation of how much I actually know

   1. When I teach, it makes me realise how much I know as well as how much I don’t. You might think you are an expert in something until a young person asks you a simple yet inquisitive question that leaves your mind blank. Or, you may be doing a presentation on a certain topic then realise just how much you know about this topic over years of research which in turn increases my confidence.

6. Renewed motivation

   1. Everytime I work with younger students, I get instant flashbacks to my younger self as a student hoping to get into the uni. Today hit home a bit more as it was the first time I am working with the uni after having submitted all my assignments. It has really hit me that my time at uni has finished, but I was trying to look at the uni, my teachers, my time in the building with new eyes. It gave me a new sense of motivation. All these kids were coming in with a dream, as did I a couple years ago and I believe in them so much, so now, I also believe in me.