BU community 2015

In league with AFC Bournemouth

A continuing partnership between Bournemouth University and AFC Bournemouth is creating exciting opportunities for students, graduates and the local community.

As the Premier League team’s official Higher Education Partner, BU students can benefit from high-level coaching for BU’s men’s and women’s football teams and a myriad of placement and volunteering opportunities at the club. BU has also been working alongside the AFC Bournemouth Community Sports Trust to deliver many projects within the community, such as encouraging young women into sport and raising awareness of local environmental issues.

In addition, BU graduate and AFC Bournemouth’s Commercial Director Rob Mitchell returned to BU to give a guest lecture, sharing his wisdom and industry insights with the students.

Jeff Mostyn, Chairman of AFC Bournemouth, says of the partnership: “From Bournemouth University to AFC Bournemouth, there is so much to be excited about in the town. Alongside the club’s on and off the field success, Bournemouth is growing into one of the nation’s most vibrant economies and leading the way in the digital sector. The university’s achievements and contribution to that cannot be overlooked and we are incredibly proud to hold such a successful partnership with Bournemouth University.

“It’s a true partnership in every sense of the word, with students gaining valuable experience and playing integral parts in various areas of the club’s day-to-day operations. From coaching school children with the Community Sports Trust to contributing to the Matchday programme, the students are a credit to the university and the club.”

Creativity illuminated at TEDxBournemouthUniversity

BU hosted Bournemouth’s first ever TEDx conference this year, with speakers ranging from archaeologists and prosthetics experts to performance coaches and entrepreneurs. TEDx conferences are independently organised events under the TED brand where ideas and innovations can be shared through short, entertaining talks.

The student-organised event engaged and inspired staff, students and members of the public over a full day, which included a look at the future of augmented reality by BU PhD student Zornitza Yovcheva and a discussion about the growth of technology in sport by BU’s Dr Bryce Dyer.

“I was incredibly happy and proud with how the event went. We got some great feedback from the speakers and the audience.

People in general felt inspired, ready for action, they learned new things. The event itself was described as thought-provoking, fun, inspiring, different from any typical conference. The fact that it featured such different subjects and people from such diverse backgrounds was amazing!" says Elena Dimitrova, TEDxBournemouthUniversity Director and final year BA (Hons) Business and Marketing student.

Getting streetwise

BU has been working with safety awareness organisation SafeWise at their LV=Streetwise site in Bournemouth on a new project to help people understand more about staying safe on the internet. 

BU staff have collaborated to create and stock a new computer suite where local adults and children can learn about the risk of cyber bullying, identity theft, viewing inappropriate content and computer viruses. Dorset Police and Bournemouth University’s Cyber Security Unit (BUCSU) will be working together, using the suite to deliver courses on internet safety, virus controls, online banking, cyber attacks on business and social media.

Internet safety is just one of the areas where SafeWise provides training - their aim is to teach about potential dangers and prevent accidents on the road, in the home and in everyday life.

“The SafeWise IT Suite has fired the internet safety imagination across the generations and the community whilst the ‘all-seeing eye’ from BU’s Cyber Security Unit looks on!" says Alison Shelton BEM, Chief Executive, StreetWise. "It’s fantastic that BU has helped the vision to become a reality."