Student Volunteering Week celebrates student volunteers’ positive results and encourages students to engage in civic life. Tackling social challenges through volunteering is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate how social action can impact people’s lives. Furthermore, learning about social matters and connecting with each other benefit both communities and students.
Volunteering is a great way to contribute to the community, extend your network, and positively impact others. According to the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE), more than 50% of recent graduates said volunteering helped them find secure employment.
How You Can Get Involved
There is a demand for many volunteering opportunities and taster sessions, and Student Volunteering Week is a good time for organisations and universities to provide such opportunities to students.
As a result, we have put together a list of organisations that students can search to find volunteering opportunities:
Do It Foundation
A charity that provides a wide range of volunteering opportunities, including volunteering from home. Do It Foundation has been digitally connecting communities for over ten years, making it easy for people to come together and do good things. They are the Do It Life social enterprise’s charity foundation partner whose technology helps people do good and feel healthier and happier. Their work includes transforming how small charities and voluntary groups access vital funding, incubating new digital civil society ventures and serving as a personal data guardian for Do It users.
NCVO
National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is an organisation that represents over 16,000 voluntary charities, community groups and social enterprises across England. NCVO works to support the voluntary and community sector and create an environment in which an independent civil society can flourish. In particular, it provides information, advice and support to other organisations and individuals working in the voluntary and community sector. These include national bodies, volunteer centres, and development agencies working at a local level. Many well-established voluntary organisations started as projects with NCVO, such as Age Concern, Citizens Advice, and the Black Environment Network.
Timebank
Timebank is a national volunteering charity which has recently celebrated 20 years. The Government and BBC founded Timebank to inspire new generations to volunteer their time. Moreover, Timebank is committed to recruiting and training volunteers to deliver mentoring projects to tackle complex social issues. Timebank works across specific vital themes, such as social isolation, community cohesion and integration, health and well-being, education and employment and regeneration. Besides, it also supports businesses in engaging their staff in volunteering. As a result, some of its most significant campaigns include mentoring young people in school, supporting leaders of refugee community organisations and guiding people from diverse groups with the English language and IT skills.
Volunteering is a fantastic option for students who are completing or have recently completed secondary school. However, research proves that it is also an excellent opportunity for older students and workers. Volunteering provides benefits to both health and well-being later in life.
For further information about the benefits of volunteering for older individuals, you can visit our website’s dedicated page.
