Help us to bring holiday cheer to our care leaving and estranged students!
The holiday season will soon be with us and we want to make sure that every student who may not have a family to go home to, receives a gift from their Brunel family again this year. With the help of Brunel staff and friends, in the past few years we have sent nearly 200 of our students a holiday gift, packed with festive treats, to those who are care leavers or estranged from their parents.
This year, we are once again working to provide a box of holiday cheer for these fantastic students to let them know we are thinking of them during Christmas and the festive period! A donation of any amount will help us make the holidays a bit brighter for those in need and we know from last year how much of a difference it made.
All donations will be spent on providing gifts and any funds raised above the target will be donated to the Student Hardship Fund.
Thank you for your support!
The holiday period is especially challenging for those who have left care or are estranged
Care leavers and estranged students need extra support all year round, and letting these students know their Brunel family is thinking about them over the festive period means so much to them.
The Christmas and holiday period can be extremely challenging for those who have left care or become estranged from their families. For students with nowhere to go over the winter break, who may not receive gifts or don't have the support of a family network, it can be especially lonely.
A donation of any amount will help us make the holidays a bit brighter for those in need.
Brunel provides our care leaving and estranged students extra support year-round
Research has shown that: half of care leavers consider dropping out of university due to a mix of health problems, money worries, high workloads and personal and family issues.
33% of estranged students were affected by homelessness before they started studying.
1 in 5 care leavers say they feel lonely all or most of the time, compared to 1 in 10 young people in the general population.
Throughout the year, Brunel offers a comprehensive care package to our students who are care leavers or estranged from their parents. A dedicated point of contact in the Student Support and Welfare team coordinates tailored support for each student, including financial support, wellbeing workshops and professional development opportunities.
You can find out more about the support that Brunel offers here.