I Volunteer Because...
Today is the start of the 15th annual Student Volunteering Week. This initiative that highlights the amazing work of student volunteers in the UK, as well as inspiring more and more students to give volunteering a try. It's about collaboration, helping and having fun.
Staff and students regionally, in specific colleges and at universities, will be hosting events with charities to help out, fund-raise and recognise existing volunteers. Want to get involved? Check out the events here, and perhaps by the end of the week you'll be a volunteer too!
Student volunteering has a long history. They are often at the forefront of promoting different social issues and interests, and students have rarely been afraid to get stuck in.
So how did the student volunteer look in days gone by? This video explains all:
Alongside Student Volunteering Week, the #IVolunteerBecause campaign runs from 22nd Feb to 1st April 2016.
Here's a little more about it:
What? Volunteers across the UK do a huge range of voluntary work, for a wide variety of reasons. These range from compassion to community spirit, skills development to socialising. Volunteering shouldn’t be intimidating or scary, so to start a nationwide conversation on volunteering motivations, #IVolunteerBecause asks those that do it why they volunteer!
Who? #IVolunteerBecause is a campaign started by Student Hubs to increase awareness of, and participation in, volunteering. It's running in line with Student Volunteering Week but hopes to encourage and inspire all individuals - and aims to last long after the initial week has come to an end.
Why? To create awareness of and celebrate the huge variety of motivations and opportunities in social action and volunteering.
We have some amazing volunteers here at Listening Books. They really help us day to day to provide the best service possible to our members. To find out more about what Listening Books do to help those with print impairments click here, or go to our main website here.
And here's our wonderful volunteer Chanté, a student from Los Angeles, to tell you more about why she volunteers and has done for many charities and organisations over the years:
I volunteer because I want to be a part of something which brings happiness to someone else. Throughout my life so far, I have volunteered for several events and organizations such as theatre productions, church functions and fundraisers, and an organization which helps prevent childhood abuse. Helping in theatre productions allowed me to take part in the building of something that created a story and entertained people. Not only was it fun to work with the cast and crew, but it was great to see the results of hard work. I also love being around children and having fun with them, which has been a large part of my volunteer work at my church. Being involved in an organization which seeks to prevent abuse has also been a very impactful experience because I have always wanted to help young adults and children in need. It is truly worthwhile to be involved in the effort to help the community. If I can help create smiles for others then I know that I have succeeded in one of my goals in life, which is to help others and make an impact.
Volunteering can be a great way to get experience, to help others, and to feel fulfilled. If you volunteer, why not comment below this post or tweet #IVolunteerBecause to join the conversation.
Here are some of the tweets so far:
Jamie of 'Hiraeth Cambridge' shares why he volunteers: #IVolunteerBecause it gives me a sense of being part of something @StudentVolWeek
— Cambridge Hub (@CambridgeHub) February 15, 2016
#IVolunteerBecause it makes a difference to the lives of those with disabilities @Papworth_Trust #SVW2016 pic.twitter.com/3sePxa8EHW
— Volunteer Service (@VolunteerARUSU) February 11, 2016
Our Ethical Network Officer Jieming shares why he volunteers: #IVolunteerBecause volunteering brings happiness to others and in turn myself
— Cambridge Hub (@CambridgeHub) February 13, 2016
@studenthubs #ivolunteerbecause it's so rewarding, and an amazing way to gain confidence and meet like minded people :)
— Jennifer Edwards (@JennyRE95) February 11, 2016
People volunteer for all sorts of reasons. Meet Jayne..#IVolunteerBecause pic.twitter.com/lqUKX5RYyf
— Eddie's (@EddiesCambs) February 10, 2016
#Ivolunteerbecause packing bags at the foodbank isn't tricky or time consuming, but it means people get fed that week #SVW2016
— Charlotte Britton (@CharlotteHB89) February 5, 2016
#Ivolunteerbecause I have governance skills that are useful to charities, that's why I became a trustee. #SVW2016
— Charlotte Britton (@CharlotteHB89) February 5, 2016
We love those responses. Why not follow #IVolunteerBecause to keep up with more inspiring tweets as they come in?
If you're interested in volunteering for Listening Books you can find out more here.
We hope you have enjoyed our I Volunteer Because post. If you liked it or found it interesting don't forget to share! And please do subscribe to have new content delivered straight to your inbox.
This post was written by Holly Newson.
