NOW AND LATER- Emma Andrews

TELL US WHAT YOU ARE DOING NOW?
I’m currently studying a degree in Religious Studies and Philosophy at Newport University, Wales. I live in Cardiff, which is where I am originally from.

WHAT LED YOU TO CHOOSE THIS COURSE?
I took Religious Studies at A-Level, completely by chance because I’d got a good grade at GCSE level. From then on I realised that the course wasn’t just about Religion it included culture, ethics and philosophy. As there were only three people in my class at A-Level we got a good chance to debate over the philosophy side of the course and it really opened up my eyes to the ethics that can be applied to society today. I think everyone could benefit from basic practical philosophy because it helps you to see the world from a different view. It’s taught me a lot about respect for others and to keep an open mind in all situations.

TELL US SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT RELIGION
I think there is definitely a decline in religion today; people don’t tend to have as much time to visit their place of worship as they used to, it’s become less of a priority. But I think the role of religion is just as important as it used to be. Religious groups should do more to unite people of all faiths and to explore the similarities all religions share, rather than cause conflict over the differences.

YOUR LATER AMBITION IS TO SET UP A CHARITY? TELL US MORE…
Before I decided to go to University I was looking to take a gap year and was interested in volunteering abroad. I realised that the only opportunity available was to pay a high fare to a gap year company, as charities such as Oxfam don’t take volunteers abroad, but employ people to work in developing countries representing them (the criteria for this was to have a masters degree, which obviously I didn’t have). It made me realise that there was a need for a charity that gave students and people of all ages a chance to volunteer abroad without paying large fees to a big company.

My charity would be highly based around volunteers who would have the chance to visit developing countries and to do humanitarian work, such as build houses/ a school or a surgery or just volunteer in a school, etc. I also realised that people tend to be more reluctant to give money to charities because they don’t see where their money is actually going.

DO YOUR AMBITIONS MIRROR HOW YOU THINK STUDENTS ARE PERCEIVED?

No I don’t think it does, I think students are generally portrayed as quite selfish, partygoers who don’t worry about the community. This isn’t the case though; there are always charity events in my university and students are a lot more selfless than they are portrayed.

WHAT WOULD YOUR CHARITY DO/NOT DO?
I want everyone who donates to the charity to know exactly where there money is going. Another key difference with my charity will be the emphasis on volunteers. A charity should make people aware of where their money is going. When charities say that a small proportion of the money goes to administration, I think its wrong, as a lot of the money is used for advertising, which is unnecessary.

HAVE YOU ANY IDEAS WHAT YOU WILL DO STRAIGHT AFTER GRADUATION?
I would like to go on to do a PGCE to become a high school teacher, but I think I’ll take the time to travel and to find the countries in the developing world which need the most help, so that I can concentrate on building my charity up.

DO YOU HAVE A MESSAGE FOR POLITICIANS?
We need to stop throwing money at countries in the developing world and giving them no help, but we need to wipe the debt which they owe to the West (which in all fairness to Gordon Brown he has done) so that they can help themselves to get out of poverty. Another message would be to always treat others how you would like to be treated, with that in mind the world would be a better place for everyone.

WOULD YOU ENCOURAGE OTHER STUDENTS TO SHARE THEIR AMBITIONS?
Yes definitely, before I subscribed to the FreshTies site, the only people who knew about my plans for a charity were family and friends-who all thought I was crazy! I think the more you share your ideas and ambitions, whether they are charitable or not, the more determined it makes you to want to achieve them.

Thanks Emma. Good luck with your plans.