The history of SCA in Bristol - Student Involvement in the Community

Student concern for disadvantaged people in the community and attempts to ameliorate social problems through direct involvement has existed for over a hundred years. The major developments are outlined below.

1. University Settlements

These were established in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Universities set up missions for the poor in deprived inner-city areas and students went to live and work in them. Many of the original settlements still exist as independent charities. Oxford House, where Student Volunteering UK is based, was set up in 1886 and is the second oldest. Barton Hill Settlement, here in Bristol was established by the University of Bristol in 1911. Staff and students lived here, setting up, amongst other things, a library. At the time, it was called the "University Settlement", and you can still see the sign if you visit! The Settlement is now an independent charity, and still has links to the university through our SCA Project, Playcentre, where students volunteer with under 5's.

2. Social Services Organisations

In 1953 Cambridge University set up a social services organisation (CUSSO) and similar organisations followed in York (YUSSO), Hull (HUSSO - the SCA group at Hull still retains this name) and several other universities. Within these, small groups of students became involved in traditional community service schemes.

3. Integrated Approaches

In the late sixties and early seventies there was a reconsideration of the role of the student and the college in the local community, involving a far wider spectrum of students, including political activists. It is from the discussions that took place at this time, and the projects set up, that SCA as we know it today developed.

The name Student Community Action reflects a more integrated approach to work in the community. At this time, the movement spread from universities into polytechnics and colleges of higher and further education.

SCA in the early days

The surge of interest in voluntary activity in the community in the late sixties and early seventies at a local level was part of the general questioning of values and student unrest at that time. The debate about the form such work should take embraced changes in the educational system and a radical, political view on the nature of voluntary work.

Bristol SCA beginnings can be traced back to RAG, when in 1970 the RAG chair James Colquhoun said that traditional RAG activities such as collections, processions and kidnappings were "A lot of

Hullabaloo" and he wanted students to have more direct involvement with the charities they were raising money for. SCA was born and students began to volunteer at projects in St Paul’s and at Barrow psychiatric hospital, where we still have a successful SCA project.

Modern SCA

Since those early days, SCA has become an established part of the activity of the University of Bristol Students' Union and in most universities and colleges across the country. Bristol has a long tradition of SCA and is one of a handful of Universities that has made the commitment of employing a full-time sabbatical officer to manage the activities. The number of students involved, and the range of projects undertaken is impressive.