Ayrshire 'Routes To' student is going places!

Zara Crumlish, a student from Essential Skills: Supportive Education at the Ayrshire College, Ayr Campus, is currently studying Routes to Employment.

Zara has been at the College for four years, where she started with Connect to Careers, before moving on to Routes to IT and Routes to Retail.

We asked Zara about her time at college and what she is involved in to help her local community.

Charity work

Zara supports adults who have a diagnosis of dementia and / or live in a residential home via her charity work with Cycling Without Age – The right to feel the wind in your hair.

“I’d like to work as a carer when I leave college working with elderly people who have dementia to help them with their lives. At the moment, I’m a Young Ambassador for a charity called Cycling Without Age. They have special bikes with a carriage, which means we can take isolated elderly people from care homes to get them out in the fresh air, along the front of Prestwick.

It’s meant that I have been able to ask the care home I volunteer for in Prestwick to get involved with this and help to get the elderly people out and about. We stop for a coffee on a nice day, it’s a fun day out for everyone.

I’ve helped one of the women at the care home especially. The carers at the care home told me that before I met her, she didn’t talk, but when we managed to take her out on the bike and before you know it she started talking to me. Just a few words. The care home staff were impressed. I didn’t think I had that in me. I was really surprised and happy.

We’ve not been able to go out just now because of lockdown. I’m missing going out with them. It’s good fun because you get to meet different people that are usually quite isolated. Its good experience for me to get a job as a Carer.

Student Ambassador

As well as that I’m a Student Ambassador at college and I’m on the Board, which means I get to go to board meetings about volunteering, and discuss what we’re going to do.

I’m a Class Rep too, and I attend meetings. If there’s any problems in the class, we can help the students by listening to their worries, for example if they are getting bullied. I would then help the student by letting my lecturer Erin know and she’ll pass it on to someone that can help and the situation will get sorted.

I also want to start a Makaton group at college. I got the idea after watching a group on Britains Got Talent, where the whole act was in sign language. I’m just learning myself, but I want to help people who are maybe deaf or can’t hear as well as me. I want to help them come to college and not to worry about not being able to communicate with everyone.

I really enjoy college and the courses I’ve done. I’m 22 years old now and I definitely don’t let my disability hold me back. I don’t like when people presume I can’t do things, I like to give it a go. I really want to climb goat Fell in Arran especially. It would be a challenge!”

Arlene Trapp, Curriculum Manager of Essential Skills, Supported Learning & ESOL said"  comments – Zara is a real go-getter who has been a pleasure to know since she began attending as a school pupil on our Transition to College classes.

Her work with Cycling Without Age and the roles of Ambassador and Rep within College have helped her to utilise her skills. I know she will continue to strive for excellence in all she does and that she will achieve her goal to be involved in the care of others."