Episode 37: Student Experience Grant Specials - Emily

Episode 37: 'Trampolining For All', is the first of our Student Experience Grant Specials and first up is Emily who talks to us about sharing your passions, coming out of your shell, and making sport more inclusive.

Each episode is a snapshot, a moment, a sneak inside the minds of five inspiring people who did exceptional things, unexpected things, things that transformed them during their time at Edinburgh.

The people who share their reflections have set up businesses, shared their passions with others, designed projects to make a difference, expanded their skills, travelled far and pushed themselves beyond what they thought they were capable of.

For this special edition of Multi Story, the experiences our guests share all have one thing in common: support from a grants scheme, funded by Edinburgh alumni and friends. Student Experience Grants have been supporting staff and student projects at the University of Edinburgh for 10 years. To celebrate this milestone we wanted to reflect on some of the inspiring things our students have achieved.

Find out more about the Student Experience Grants at:
www.ed.ac.uk/student-experience-grants

Transcript

[Theme music]  

00:07 
This is a snapshot, a moment, a sneak inside the minds of five inspiring people, people who did exceptional things, unexpected things, things that transformed them during their time, at Edinburgh. 

00:25 
Every single time you get on the trampoline, you have a different experience. I just find it really enjoyable, really exciting, and it feels like you're flying. My name is Emily Hazley, and in the year 2018 to 2019, I was the Community and Development Officer for Edinburgh University Trampoline Club, and as part of my role, I wanted to develop an outreach project for young people in Edinburgh with disabilities.  

01:00 
I've trampolined since I was quite young, I started I think I must have been about eight or nine years old. I did a lot of sports, I was into swimming, netball, tennis, golf, and then in our local community centre, they started up a new trampoline club, and so we felt, 'Why not give it a try?' And it ended up becoming my favourite sports of all of them. And so I pursued it all throughout my school years, and when I was joining Edinburgh University, on the day of the Sports Fair, I went straight to the trampolining stall, and I said to them, 'I love trampolining, I've been doing it since I was young and I would really be interested in joining'. What I most enjoyed was the opportunity to compete as well in different university circuits. It meant I was more motivated, I had that club ethos, with the, with the others, whenever we went to competitions, we were all just one big family, and it just in general made my university experience more positive, especially in those first few weeks settling in and you're feeling a bit homesick, you're feeling a bit, maybe lost and lonely. And when I knew that I had the training sessions to look forward to, it just brightened up my weeks.  

02:20 
I think I had you know, ups and downs during the first semester. And for sure, because I'm from a very small village in the north of Scotland, and a quite a big family. So my home and my family was very important to me, and moving to a big city, new faces, new places, it can be quite daunting and intimidating. And I think it was just sometimes in those quiet moments, you know, it's obviously very exciting, starting university, there's a lot of new things, a lot of opportunities, and whenever you're focused on the rush and the buzz and excitement, that's all great, and you can kind of forget about maybe the homesickness those feelings, but then yeah, I do just remember that there would be times I'd be sitting in my little student flat and I'd be thinking, 'Oh, 'I'd really like to have  a cup of tea with my mom right now.' But as I said, I think it would have been a lot worse and possibly unbearable, if it hadn't been for the friends that I met and made through the trampolining club and through the other activities at the university.  

03:28 
I was very keen when I was nominated for the role of the Community and Development Officer to create some kind of outreach project and to promote the sport. And for me, when I was in secondary school, I used to help our 'support for learning' class in the school. I found it really rewarding, and I knew how important it was to include those students who just needed a little bit of extra support in other activities. We decided that we wanted to work with young people in Edinburgh, 10 years old and up. The first session, I think was at the beginning of semester two. So I think we had about 10 participants over for trampolines, and it was just brilliant. I've got brilliant memories from it. The excitement, the nerves as well beforehand, I was very very nervous. I thought, 'This could go horribly, horribly wrong. Maybe I have overshot. I've been over ambitious', and you know, 'I might regret this.' And luckily that wasn't the case. It went so smoothly, I couldn't have asked for a better first session and that was down to our members who were coaches who did a really fantastic job and I couldn't compliment them enough on the way that they were able to interact with the participants and coach them in a way that was kind and encouraging, and just perfect.  

05:12 
And also the participants themselves, who got involved and who were happy to try new things, and who pushed themselves outside their own comfort zones. And everything was just brilliant and the feedback that we got from the participants themselves on the day, their beaming faces, and their smiles and laughs and compliments, and also their parents after the session, letting us know that their children hadn't stopped talking about the session long after it was finished, and were just so excited.  

05:45 
The majority of the participants were autistic. We were just really impressed. Our participants were a delight to work with and seeing them do somersaults, and pike jumps and straddle jumps by the end of the session, we couldn't believe it, it was far beyond what we had imagined possible or achievable. And we actually did manage to get a couple of the participants, out of their own will, they joined trampoline clubs in the area after that, and had really taken to the sport. And we just thought, 'Even if one or two people end up enjoying the experience enjoying the sport, you just don't know how that could transform their life.'  

06:33 
I think the inclusion in all shapes and forms is very important, because I would never want any individual to feel as if they were left out or that they didn't belong, or that something just wasn't right for them. And I think that everyone is entitled to opportunities, that we all have the same potential, and we should all be valued in the same way. And I think it struck me most whenever we went to the British University Championships, there are actually disabled categories, and it was the first time I'd really thought about it in trampolining, I hadn't really considered it before. And that was when I was in first year. I think there was one person in one of the events competing. And I thought 'Wow',  compared to all the other categories that had 20, 30, 40, 50, it just struck me that perhaps we weren't as inclusive, as we thought we were, you know, we're very welcoming and friendly and smiley. And I think that that goes a long way and it's very important. But you also need to show that you are making an effort that you have thought about these things, and that you have thought about these people who deserve to be thought about and catered for. I must say that my involvement on the committee and for Edinburgh University Trampoline Club was very transformative. Before that, I was a bit shy and yeah, not very confident in terms of putting myself out there and talking even to other students I hadn't really been in contact with before or that I hadn't been acquainted with. And all of a sudden, I was in this role where that was pretty much my job, and a lot of the other students and a lot of the other members of the trampolining club commented on how much I came out my shell and that year, and because I was so passionate about my role, and about what I could do, and how we could improve things and help others. I just didn't focus on the fact that I would maybe be feeling self-conscious. I would also just say, it's helped me to realise how important it is to make the effort to go that little bit further because the reward that you get from it is like nothing else. 

[Theme music]  

09:14 
We all have role models, people we look up to, people who encourage us, or who leave a mark on our life. We asked our podcast guests who inspires them. 

09:29 
I am a big lover of quotes and in my bedroom I have different quotes from various people and historical figures all pinned up around my room that provide me with daily inspiration. And one of my favourite ones is something that Mother Teresa said, which was 'Not all of us can do great things, but we can all do small things with great love.' And I think that that's something that I want to carry with me throughout my life. I think it relates to the project because it was our club's small way of making a contribution to this area and we did it with great love and great affection and passion. And all in all, I couldn't have asked for it to go any other way. 

[Theme music]  

10:31 
Our podcast guests were supported by Student Experience Grants, one-off awards that help fund innovative projects that help students make the most of their time at Edinburgh. The grants are funded by Edinburgh alumni and friends. Without their generosity, the scheme would not exist. Have you been inspired by the story? Are you a student or member of staff looking for funding? Search - Student Experience Grants - on the University website to find out how to apply for support. Thank you for listening. And thank you to the donors who make the Student Experience Grants possible. 

Transcribed by https://otter.ai