BrightsideUNIAID

How is BrightsideUNIAID funded?

We have a mix of funders, including private sector organisations, government bodies, professional associations, universities, Aimhigher, Local Authorities and Charitable trusts. We are also grateful to the individuals who donate and fundraise for us. If you are interested in supporting us, see Get Involved

Why and when did the Brightside Trust and UNIAID merge?

Brightside and UNIAID merged in June 2008. Having already worked together on a number of joint projects, the two charities realised that more could be achieved through a formal partnership. Both charities are committed to tackling social disadvantage and helping people navigate their way into and through further and higher education. Both charities share an approach and culture, using innovative new technology to provide independent, impartial and student-focused information and guidance. Together we can offer our beneficiaries a streamlined set of tools and we are a stronger, more efficient organisation, offering a broader range of opportunities for partners.

Does BrightsideUNIAID offer any money or bursaries for students?

No, I’m afraid we are unable to offer any financial support to individuals. If you are a student at school or university and are concerned about your finances, we’d suggest you ask for advice at your university Student Services department. We have links to other websites that may help on our Useful Links page.

Is BrightsideUNIAID a registered charity?

Yes. Our registered charity number is 1080243.

Can I volunteer for BrightsideUNIAID?

We rely on the dedication of our network of mentors who volunteer on our ementoring projects. If you would like to be a mentor, click here for more information.

We also involve students as much we can in our work. If you are a student and would be interested in attending a focus group, getting involved with our student consultation, or wish to be a student ambassador at your university to help us spread the word about our online tools, please contact us and we can support you.

If you are interested in volunteering in another way, for example by offering pro-bono support, working in our office or doing an internship, please contact us.

How do I donate money to BrightsideUNIAID?

Our success as a charity depends on the number of people we reach and the impact we have on them. We rely on financial support from individuals and organisations to do this. Whether you want to make a one-off donation or regular payment, or offer money or in-kind support from your company, we would be enormously grateful for your support. Click here to find out more about how to donate or fundraise for us.

Who do I contact for media enquiries?

Contact Jemma Samuels on 020 7785 3883 or email jemma.samuels@brightsideuniaid.org. View our media section for more information and links.

How can I promote BrightsideUNIAID resources to my students?

We welcome links to our online tools so more students can access them. For information on how to do this, click Link to us. You could also download our free teaching resources, which provide lesson plans and student handouts to liven up lessons and group activities about money management and higher education.

Is ementoring secure? Why not use email?

The online safety and security of all the young people involved with our ementoring projects is our top priority. Our ementoring platform is more secure than email mentoring. All mentors must have an enhanced CRB certificate before they can be matched with a mentee. Every user has their own unique username and password; the ementoring website automatically filters for inappropriate or abusive language, and there are multiple levels of physical and software protection, including firewalls and encrypted communication. The website allows for community moderation, whereby mentors and mentees can flag up unsuitable content for review and moderation by our coordinators. The ementoring website is only accessible to BrightsideUNIAID staff and our partner coordinators, who all hold enhanced CRB approvals. Both the partner coordinators and our team monitor the site’s content and messages every day.

Who does Brightside work with?

We work with a range of partners in many different ways. For example, our ementoring projects are run in partnership with universities, Aimhigher, Local Authorities and partners from the voluntary and corporate sectors. These projects focus on supporting 14-25 year olds with the transition to higher education and employment. There are lots of ways for you or your organisation to get involved.

Do you still run the UNIAID Accommodation Bursary scheme?

The decision was taken to end the scheme in 2010. Since its launch in 2004, the scheme has supported 264 students facing financial hardship from 62 UK universities. We are grateful to all those who have been involved in supporting and promoting the scheme. Following the merger and a strategic review, we decided to focus our resources on developing and delivering online support, teaching resources and ementoring to help a greater numbers of students. We are always looking for innovative ways to support students into and through higher and further education and will continue to do so.

Is BrightsideUNIAID still running the Scientists in schools project?

We developed Scientists in Schools as a pilot project in 2008 to explore how an online community could help improve science teaching in the classroom by forging links between teachers and ambassadors from the science community. The pilot has now finished and the outcomes and recommendations are being taken forward by the two largest science education organisations in the UK;

STEMNET is making the Scientists in Schools ambassador training materials and online content available to all their Science (STEM) Ambassadors in the UK - approximately 25,000 people. This will support them in their work in schools to encourage more young people into science.

The National Science Learning Centre has licensed the 'Scientists in Schools' online platform, which we developed, in order to run a pilot for researchers and teachers called Fresh Science (funded by the RCUK). It is hoped that this will be rolled out nationally from April 11 for all teachers and researchers to support science teaching in schools and enable researchers to bring news of their innovations directly to the classroom. Brightside is providing consultancy and support for this project based on the Scientists in Schools pilot.

Does BrightsideUNIAID still run the MedEx programme?

MedEx was the UK’s first medical work experience programme for Year 12 students who want to be doctors. We no longer run any MedEx programmes directly, however if you work for a university and are interested in running MedEx yourself, please contact us for an information pack. Call Allie Cairnie on 020 7785 3885 or email allie.cairnie@brightsideuniaid.org