London Business School Splash Project 2022 – 1,200 students, two charities, eight days

“We want them to make a difference in the world, not just in the business world, but make an impact in the world at large, and their Splash Project has played an important role in their journeys”

This summer saw our second collaboration with the prestigious London Business School.

Over a total of nine days this August and September, around 1,200 young people kickstarted their student lives in London with us.

The business school wanted to give their new students, who come from all over the world, the opportunity to connect with one another and bond over the Splash Project experience which involves creating an impactful legacy for a community in need.

We worked with 510 MBA students over three days, as well as a large cohort of MIF students on a further day, transforming Mudchute Farm, a community city farm on the Isle of Dogs, London Docklands, for which Canary Wharf and the City are its surreal backdrop.

As well as providing precious green spaces and wildlife havens which promote biodiversity, city farms are sanctuaries for people, benefiting overall wellbeing and fostering a connection with nature.

Mudchute Farm promotes conservation and recreation, particularly for the young, elderly and those with limited economic means, so has a lot of oomph when it comes to contributing to community health and social wellbeing.

Farm Manager, Tom Davis, said: “The MBA students worked in derelict areas of the farm and by the time they finished they were vibrant areas that will allow children and visitors to enjoy their experience here, even more than before.

“The MIF students created pens for our rare breed farm animals and a series of planters to brighten up the site, greatly improving what we offer.”

He added: “The collaboration with Splash and LBS has been invaluable – we simply wouldn’t have been able to do something like this otherwise.”

Bryony Murdoch, Senior Manager for the MBA programme, said: “Doing something like this at the beginning of our students’ courses is crucial; it really embeds their place within their new community as well as within their streams and study groups, and it starts to embed those values we hold dear – open, rigorous, inspirational and curious.

“We hope they got a sense of achievement and accomplishment from the difference they’ve made in the community.”

Maria Angeli, Senior Manager for the MIF programme, added: “We wanted the experience to give the students the chance to work together and build valuable skills that they’ll use for the rest of their academic journeys.”

Over four days Masters, MFA and MIM students transformed Hayward Adventure Playground in Islington, North London, for disability charity KIDS. The area provides a safe place for young disabled children to enjoy a sense of freedom and adventure, so the improvements will have a massive impact on the children who play there.

Nikki Pinfold, Corporate Partnerships Manager at KIDS, said: “The world we envisage is a world where disabled children have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. What has been achieved in such a short space of time has been unbelievable.”

David Brown, Student Support Manager at LBS, added: “The experience has given the students the opportunity to do something they’ve never done before; it’s revealed strengths and weaknesses, giving them a chance to improve, while discovering things they didn’t know they were good at, giving them a chance to build upon those new-found skills.

“We want them to make a difference in the world, not just in the business world, but make an impact in the world at large, and their Splash Project has played an important role in their journeys.”