Keele University student uses night out to raise awareness of domestic abuse

Earlier this month, volunteer Grace used a night out with her friends as an opportunity to raise awareness of domestic abuse within her age group.

Grace Buffery, 21, is a Human Geography student at Keele University. In January, she started volunteering with our domestic abuse charity Glow.

When taking part in her volunteer training, Grace was surprised to find out that a higher proportion of her age group – adults aged 20 to 24 years – experienced abuse compared to adults aged 55 years and over, according to ONS data.

Spurred on by these shocking stats, Grace decided that she wanted to share them with her fellow students and start important conversations.  

“I’m 21 years old and was really surprised to learn that my age group experience the highest percentage of domestic abuse,” said Grace.

“At uni I rarely hear my friends or peers talk about their experience of unhealthy relationships, despite how common it is. To raise money and awareness I decided to sell glow sticks, face paint, glitter and sunglasses on a night out.

“I wanted it to be a fun and vibrant way to raise money, raise awareness of Glow and start conversations. The response I received was so positive and lots of people spoke to me about their personal experiences, including their experiences as customers of Glow.”

Grace raised £119 by ‘selling glow sticks for Glow,’ along with glitter and face paint.

She added: “I am so grateful to Glow staff Sarah and Becky for the work they put into the Recovery Hub and our volunteer training. This was just one way that I could repay the favour and do something to give back. I had so much fun!”

Senior Domestic Abuse Practitioner Sarah Heath leads our volunteer training programme.

She said: “We’re so grateful to Grace for her support. The money she has raised will support our domestic abuse Recovery Hub and help us as we continue to support people impacted by abuse locally. We’re so proud of our volunteer training programme and we try to offer as many opportunities to our volunteers as possible. For Grace, that means giving her valuable experience towards her future career.

“We’re particularly thankful to Grace for helping us raise awareness. She used the fundraiser as a way to start important conversations with her friends and peers. We know that Grace’s age group, adults aged 20 to 24, are often impacted by abuse the most, so this was a really powerful thing for her to do.”

Click here to find out more about fundraising opportunities at Glow.