Arcadia England

One comment we often hear at the end of a semester abroad is ‘I didn’t meet any Brits!’ While we can’t make them befriend you, we can offer a few tips that will give you more opportunities to get to know the locals.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

One of the best ways to get the most out of your time abroad is to participate in community engagement activities. At Arcadia, we offer a variety of volunteering opportunities students can take part in:

• St Luke’s Older Peoples Project
  Based near Kentish Town Station in Camden, the Older Peoples Project runs from a church hall and aims to reduce isolation in the community by hosting lunch clubs, tea parties and days out for older people. This project is a real life-line for those that attend and relies on the contribution of volunteers to continue to run.
• The Soup Kitchen
  Just around the corner from The London Center on Tottenham Court Road, the American Church provides a vital service working with homeless people, and require volunteers to help prepare food and serve lunches.
• GoodGym
  GoodGym is a group of community runners who meet once a week to combine a group run with ‘doing good.’ One week they may be running to a local children’s playground to paint a mural and the next clearing land to make way for a community garden.

STUDENTS UNION

Every university will have a Students Union, run by and for students. Students Unions provide social, recreational facilities and services, as well as lobbying on behalf of students. It’s a great way to meet students outside of your course, through clubs, societies and volunteering.

STUDENT CENTRAL

For students studying on Arcadia taught programs at the London Center, Arcadia pays for associate membership to Student Central.

Student Central is the Students Union for all students studying at one of the London Universities. Facilities include a student gym, swimming pool, restaurant, pub and more. Based just a short walk from the London Center, students are well-placed to take advantage of this resource.

With almost every sport and interest available, you can join just about anything; from football to choirs, orchestras to swimming, Harry Potter societies to Ju Jitsu!

HOST UK

HOST UK offers international students the opportunity to spend a weekend ‘living like a local’ with a British family. All hosts are volunteers who offer an invitation to their home, allowing students to experience authentic British culture. Students who have taken part in HOST UK always give positive feedback, so much so, that Arcadia will pay the application fee if you want to take part!

ARCADIA CLUBS AND SOCIETIES

Arcadia runs clubs and societies for you to engage in British culture in a meaningful way. For meetings times/dates and locations look out for posters in housing, the London Center and on the Facebook group page.

Clubs and societies vary from semester to semester (and you can even start your own, just come and speak to us!), but examples from the past include Green Club, Animal Lovers Club and Talk Sport.

 For more information on ways to get involved with the local community while you are in the UK, check out the Arcadia Facebook Group or drop in to the Student Life Office.