My name is Lauren Coffman and I’m a 20-year-old student from North London. I am about to begin my 2nd year studying History at the University of Birmingham. I am a massive football fan, so you can usually find me watching, talking about or writing about football in my spare time, as well as playing the guitar.
How did you find out about Social Ark and what made you want to get involved?
At University of Birmingham many 2nd year students have the opportunity to complete a placement as part of our degree, something I knew early on in my degree I wanted to do. I wasn’t originally planning on applying for any of the placements that were taking place over the Summer, but as soon as I saw the ‘Social Ark Blogger’ role I changed my mind straight away. I was immediately drawn to this opportunity as I felt it was a perfect fit for me, allowing me to develop my writing skills in a supportive and community-driven environment, all whilst getting to work within an organisation that does such important work in the community, using lived experience to drive vital social change.
What are your aims and goals for the blog?
Simply, to be able to share the story of Social Ark, and all the different people that are a part of it with a wider audience. Social Ark is a truly special organisation, full of young people and adults, many of whom come from under-resourced communities, with unique perspectives and voices that I believe need to be amplified and uplifted. I hope this blog will provide them with the time and the space to do this, and I also hope that through their stories we will be able to share the invaluable work Social Ark has done and continue to do with as many people as possible.
