Svetlana Lepekhina comments on her time volunteeting at Stepney City Farm as part of the QProjects programme.
Svetlana, who studies Global Health at QMUL, volunteered at Stepney City Farm as an Evaluation Project Leader over the summer for six weeks. Stepney City Farm is a three-acre working farm in the heart of Tower Hamlets, which gives children and adults a chance to meet farm animals, learn how to grow food and try out arts and crafts. Svetlana was involved in evaluating the ‘Furry Tales’ programme, which delivers animal-assisted and nature-based activities to elders in Tower Hamlets with the aim of increasing social interaction and reducing isolation.
Svetlana’s role included attending the Furry Tales sessions and drawing on existing research to identify the appropriate evaluation methods. She went on to determine which outcomes should be measured to identify the success of the programme and followed up by writing a report.
"The people were really nice and supportive and they helped me a lot throughout the placement. I was allowed into all meetings, had access to all the information and was able to obtain a priceless insight on their work and struggles – I couldn’t have asked for a better team!"