Charity Ocean Generation on collaborating with Oxford students on the Making a Difference programme
Through the Making a Difference programme in Michaelmas term 2025, Ocean Generation collaborated with Oxford University students on a project of high interest to the organisation. Dr Victoria Edwards OBE, the former Chief Executive Officer of Ocean Generation, explains how the partnership worked and the value it brought to the organisation.
The Ocean Generation project
The students at Oxford University conducted a feasibility study into paid membership of Ocean Generation. For a while we’d considered whether this might bring both financial and other advantages to the charity but did not have the staff resource to prepare our own review.
The project, conducted under the Making a Difference programme, analysed the costs of benefits of enrolling members, supplying goods and services and maintaining a membership scheme.
How Oxford students supported the project
The student team working on the project were thorough in their review, curious in their questioning and even conducted primary data collection to support their analysis.
Throughout the short project, the students were a delight to work with – attending meetings promptly, asking for reasonable supporting information and at all times showing real enthusiasm for and dedication to the project.
At the final presentation, we were thrilled to receive an interesting proposition from the team, with some really creative and original ideas.
Highlights
The overall experience was very positive and took up little of our time. The Careers Service at Oxford were extremely accommodating to our needs and made everything work very smoothly. The benefit of having a bright team working on the project absolutely outweighed the cost of any input on our part. And it was fun have new people contributing to our work!
I would not hesitate to engage with the Making a Difference programme again and commend it to other organisations.
Dr Victoria Edwards OBE - Chief Executive Officer of Ocean Generation until December 2025
About the Making a Difference programme
Professional skills for purpose-led careers – with hands-on projects in charities and social enterprises.
Many Oxford students are keen to secure jobs that give them a sense of purpose and where they can make a real difference in the world and to people’s lives. This programme aims to provide the key skills, relevant experiences, a network of stimulating people working in the field, and insight into the career paths possible that together can provide that sense of purpose and impact. Here is how Oxford University students and organisations can take part:
