Welcome to the Community Engagement and Development website

Anglia Ruskin University aims to positively engage with its wider community. The Community Development Office (CDO) co-ordinates and facilitates new projects and community events both inside and outside our University, so that they are accessible and beneficial to our communities. The CDO provides a link between community partners and Anglia Ruskin University by offering access to the campuses and its resources, knowledge exchange, volunteering and community outreach and support.

Within this site you can find out about the many different experiences that you can participate in and the various services that are available to you and the community. These include volunteering and work experience in the UK and overseas, roombooking for community groups, mentoring and other University projects.

Some of the things that we do include:

Volunteering: We recruit both Anglia Ruskin students and staff to volunteer in the community. We offer a wide range of roles such as volunteering in summer camps, DIY, tree planting, administration and many more.

Mentoring: We link with local schools and recruit Anglia Ruskin students to become mentors to young people who need assistance with making decisions about their education or who need a good role model in their lives. We offer training for the students and continued support through their time as a mentor.

Fundraising/Donations: We appeal for annual donations at Christmas and Easter, which we donate to local housing shelters and women's refuges. We participate in events to raise money for Mission Croatia and we are the central point for distributing collection boxes for charities within the University.

Events: We organise, co-ordinate and put on events for the community throughout the year. These events include:

• Community Fun Day: A day where we open up our University to the public and invite them to participate in fun and interactive workshops, such as print making, language tasters and music recitals from the staff.
• Festival of Ideas: This takes place in Cambridge and is a collaborative event with the University of Cambridge. It offers free workshops and lectures to the community over a two-week period. For more information visit the Cambridge Festival of Ideas website or follow the official Twitter feed.
• Little Haven's Bike Ride: We open up the Chelmsford campus to host the Little Haven's Countryside Bike Ride and ensure a safe environment for everyone on the campus throughout the day.
• National Student Volunteer Week: A week long event where students volunteer in the community on one-off projects. The students participate in a range of activities; and community groups are invited to our University to advertise their current voluntary roles to the students. For more information visit Volunteer England or see our Events.

For more information about what we do, and what we can do for you, please visit the Community Development Office Objectives.