Students from Sheffield Hallam University are to travel to northern France to work with children and families who remain living there in poor conditions following the demolition of the Calais ‘Jungle’ refugee camp.  

From 1 June, up to 30 students on the University’s social work, social care and community studies courses will each spend two weeks in Calais and Dunkirk throughout the summer, as part of a volunteering programme with the School Bus Project. They will be the first group of university students to volunteer for this project.

Many refugees remain in northern France after the ‘Jungle’ was dismantled two years ago and student volunteers will travel with the school bus team to areas populated with displaced people to provide a mobile educational service.

The School Bus Project’s original big yellow bus conversion provided support for younger children and parents to play and learn on the lower deck, and on the top deck, a more formal learning space for teenagers and young adults. The project now uses a variety of vehicles.

Matthew Witter (20) is a second year social work student taking part in the project. He said: “I am looking forward to going on the trip. I think it’s a really good opportunity for my personal and professional development. It will help me understand the situation the refugees are in, as in the future I might be working with people in these circumstances. This experience will also give me transferable skills, as I’m hoping to do social work with adults in the future.”

Social work masters students, Katie Bell (26), from Sheffield, Matilda Hind (23), from Reading and Laura Green (36), from Sheffield (pictured below) said: “We want to take this opportunity to help now while we still can and before we qualify and start careers as social workers. It will be a fantastic experience for us which we can use in practice to help others.”