Public Services students tackle Warrior Assault course

On Saturday 6 October, six students from SERC Level 3 Public Services course volunteered and participated at the Warrior Assault course held at the Bangor Aurora Aquatic and Leisure Complex. 

Warrior Assault is one of the newest obstacle course races in Northern Ireland which offers 5km or 10km courses which are suitable for both adults and children. With over 30 obstacles covering everything from mud crawls, lifts and climbing, the course is a fun but challenging experience.  

The student’s volunteering duties on the day varied and allowed them to further develop the skills and qualities required for entry into a public service role including teamwork and leadership skills. The students oversaw the safety of participants, provided directions throughout the course, supervised obstacles and provided advice to members of the public. The students also encouraged and motivated those who were participating.

On top of volunteering at the event, the students also entered 2 teams who completed the 5km course. This strengthened teamworking skills as the students had to work together to overcome physically and mentally challenging tasks, putting fitness levels to the test.  

Level 3 Public Services student Lucy Watterson from Bangor said, "The volunteering was just as fun as participating in the event. I was tasked with supervising the tyre lift task. I had to instruct participants on the specific route for carrying them and rearrange the tyres once they had completed it. I also had to direct people to the next obstacle and provide words of encouragement as this was a difficult obstacle to overcome.”

SERC Lecturer in Public Services Irwin Pryce said, “I was extremely proud to see the students being so committed to their assigned roles while being vocal and approachable towards the participants. It was heart-warming to hear from paid staff at the event on my arrival to the site that SERC Public Services students had been carrying out a fantastic job, playing a key role in the organisation of the day.”  

For their selfless efforts, they were awarded a medal and t-shirt for completion of the course. They also achieved the Volunteer Now Challenger Award and were presented with a SERC Certificate of Excellence for representing the College in both a sporting and voluntary capacity. The hours spent volunteering will be accrued for completion of the Millennium Volunteers Certificate. Participation in this event forms part of project-based learning as the students have successfully met criteria for their studies, specifically the Volunteering in the Public Services and Leadership and Teamwork units.