As part of RCSI Bahrains Foundation year curriculum, students are offered the opportunity to gain academic credits for their participation in the RCSI Bahrain Outreach programme, through the "Professionalism" elective. Students gain credits for attending selected community groups on a volunteer basis and completing a report or presentation of their experiences. A total of 50 students for the 2015 programme were placed within eight different locations. It is an opportunity for students to explore issues relating to the population of Bahrain and is a great way to understand the valuable work many of these Charity organisations do.
For many of the undergraduate students, this is the first experience of doing any sort of volunteer work and is great exposure both professionally and personally, in pushing the boundaries and looking from a different perspective. Students roles range from supporting programmes with evidence based research, supporting prgrammes in either observational roles or hands on, understanding the running of an NGO and all it entails or educating children with the newly learnt teaching strategies.
Bahrain Mobility International is one of the organizations hosting students from the RCSI Outreach programme; Students Lulwa Al Musallam, Rana Al Najjar, Rama Nakdali and Reem Ahmed Al Abbasi are half way through their placement at Bahrain Mobility International. Part of their roles included supporting staff at the centre to prepare the centre for the students return after a holiday period. They have been supporting the teaching staff, organsing theme days, supporting the running of the centre and observed physiotherapy interventions. Speaking about her time, Reem explains, " The time spent at Bahraini Mobility International allowed me to experience life in a different perspective. I realised that life should be full of hope, optimism, confidence and trust for a better tomorrow. I wouldnt call the people I met disabled but rather people with inspiration and challenges. This taught me that nothing is impossible with determination
Special thanks to the respective teams at: Little Starz Pre School, Be Free Centre, Alia- Early Intervention, Durrat Al Riffa Senior Social Club, RIA, Think Inc, Charity Challenge, Bahrain Mobility International