n Excitied: Rebecca Page
A BRENTWOOD woman will be getting students to swing, jazz and jive on Friday as she takes part in the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’s (NSPCC) Hired! challenge.
Rebecca Page, 21, will be joining The HIRED! Challenge that encourages entrepreneurship and invites students to demonstrate their business acumen by putting on a single innovative fundraising event.
Short-listed participants will be invited to pitch to a panel of experts, including the HR director of Nickelodeon, who will choose a winning team or individual in April.
The winning student(s) will receive one months work experience at Nickelodeon gaining an invaluable entry onto their CVs. Beach Break Live tickets donated by Outgoing and a ‘learn to surf’ weekend are among other prizes up for grabs.
Rebecca, who is studying for an MSc at Durham University, said: “At first I was a little reluctant to enter the competition as I didn’t want people to feel my only motive was to win. My main goal was to raise money for the NSPCC as I believe it is essential to help vulnerable children.
“However, I then realised it would be a great opportunity to raise awareness of such a worthwhile charity, whilst also giving me a valuable experience.”
She was already organising the Danceathon - Dancin Dusk til Dusk event for the NSPCC when it was suggested that she enter the event into the Hired! challenge.
Rebecca added: “I came up with the idea of the Danceathon as I have a real passion for dancing! So I decided to approach the Durham University Charities Kommittee (DUCK) about the possibility of working in collaboration with them. They have been a great support; have provided me with the money to print my posters and for the delivery fee for the silent disco.
“I am really looking forward to the Danceathon. The event will take place from 8pm on Friday and will consist of teams of students dancing for twenty four hours. Teams will complete the event as long as one person from the group is always dancing. To keep students motivated and alert I have organised a range of music including a big band, DJs, silent disco and Bollywood, jive, jazz and salsa classes – I am hoping to end with a ceilidh. The team that raises the most money for the NSPCC will be rewarded with the kindly donated pizzas from Dominoes.”
It is hoped that HIRED! will raise thousands and awareness for the NSPCC’s Child’s Voice Appeal, the NSPCC’s three-year appeal to raise £50 million to maintain and grow the NSPCC’s helplines, text and online counselling services.
There are still opportunities to register for Hired! Please visit, www.nspcc.org.uk/student until 18 February 2010. Pitching to the panel will take place in April at a London venue.
For further information e-mail, students@nspcc.org.uk, join the Facebook page www.facebook.com/#/pages/NSPCC-Hired-Student-Challenge-2010/136293981510?ref=nf or call 0800 101 996.