I thought about writing some sort of survival guide for exams, but honestly after three years of undergraduate studies I’m still not sure of the best way to go about it; if anyone does have a good survival guide please let me know!
Instead I’m going to write about something I experienced in December.
One of my closest friends in Southampton isn’t a student, but rather she works for the University, whom I met in a roundabout sort of way a couple of years ago. This woman is impossible to shop for, and has a habit of teaming up with her partner to buy me the most amazing gifts. She is also the most selfless person I know; two or three times a week she takes a basket full of homemade muffins or cookies and gives them out to the homeless people in the city centre.
Photo of Rollz and this week’s muffin delivery
In all honesty I’ve never really paid much attention to homeless people, and I know I’m not alone in that, but on reflection it’s a really terrible thing that so many of us simply accept homelessness as something that just exists.
So, for my friend this year, I decided to buy a big Christmas card and take it round the City Centre, trying to find as many of my friends ‘streeters’ as I could, and ask them if they wanted to sign the card for her. Every single one of them that I spoke to said yes, and all of them had really lovely kind words to say about my friend.
The strange part for me was that they were all such normal people; they didn’t ask me for anything and honestly many were just grateful that someone had stopped to talk to them, when hundreds of people every day just walk by without even noticing them.
That’s when I realised what was so wonderful about my friend taking round muffins for them. It wasn’t about the food, it was the fact that when you have so little, and someone takes the time out of their day to cook for you and stop and have a chat and ask you how you’re getting on, really taking an interest, it changes your whole day and makes things just a little bit brighter.
As students at Southampton we can choose not to be just a part of the University, but part of Southampton’s community. I know many people through student societies hold charity events, such as the Athletic community’s past jogs to the homeless shelter with canned food, but you don’t have to be part of a society to do something positive. I’m definitely not suggesting we all start baking and descend upon the City Centre with cake, but there are a number of wonderful local charities that are always welcome to donations.
It doesn’t have to be money; as students we live semi-temporary lives here, buying things to kit out our student accommodation that won’t leave with us when we graduate. Blankets, sheets, canned food that you bought in the event of the apocalypse or a really rainy Sunday…all of that will be gratefully received by homeless shelters in the city. The Society of St James is a great charity that operates in Southampton – if you’re interested you can find their website here.
I think the main thing that everyone can do, that costs nothing and takes virtually no time out of your life is to simply stop thinking of homeless people as invisible. Don’t quicken your pace just a little bit and walk past, or ignore the Big Issue seller completely.
It hurts no one to just smile. Just a tiny bit of kindness can make more of a difference than you know.
Emma
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