Your Skills Go A Long Way

So why would anyone volunteer? I was never really sure about that until I started; and then I realised how much you can get out of it yourself. That doesn’t sound very philanthropic does it? But I’m not talking about CV building or preparing yourself for the world of work (As the CEO of the Students’ Union, I’m already there!); I’m talking about that slightly cheesy happy feeling of simply doing something that is both good and useful to somebody else. For me, that has been enough, going out and sharing something that I am comfortable with (in my case, using a computer) to people less confident (service users at Age Concern Kingston). So, basically, spending an hour a week of one to one time helping people get online or sharing photos or understanding e-mail so they can talk to their friends and families doesn’t make me Bill Gates, but it can make a world of difference to someone who might be scared of a computer.    

Bradbury Centre - Age Concern Kingston

I am nowhere near a computer expert, I can just about work my way round a pc for work, but the point is; you don’t have to be the worlds’ best at something to help someone with less skills than you; you just have to be enthusiastic and friendly. For an hour a week I am given a chance to meet someone new, share some of their life experiences, have a chat and do something helpful without it feeling a big deal. And it’s always nice to share with people and for that time you spend with someone to be worthwhile and be appreciated.

So, if you think volunteering is a) hard work or b) not something you can do because you don’t have a skill or c) you think you don’t have the time, then I’d say think again. It’s easy to get involved, either on a regular basis or as a one-off and not only is it good on your CV but its’ good for you too in a much more important way – it makes you feel good in yourself, and who doesn’t need that?

American Football Fun Session for King Athelstan Primary School

In all my time as a student and player, I have been consistently trying to learn new things and new concepts but this time it was the other way round... I along with a group of students & players just like me, now had to become the teachers which proved much more difficult than first anticipated. King Athelstan Primary School in Kingston was our destination and teaching the basic level of American Football to a mixed group of 10 and 11 year olds was our goal.

We set out nice and early to make sure we arrived on time to set up the various drills and politely introduce ourselves to the supervising staff at the school. When we started, the kids seemed really excited because they had never ever tried American Football. One kid even referred to the sport as “Madden” after the title of the popular American Football video-game series, as he did not realise the sport had an actual name!

Throughout the course of the day we demonstrated and got the kids to participate in a number of important drills & games for developing as a player, drills that we alike execute in training to improve our fundamentals. I think the game they enjoyed the most was British Bulldog, a playground classic but which surprisingly teaches the importance of speed, pursuit (for defensive players) and elusiveness (for offensive players).  I think they enjoyed it because they had played it before and I believe we set it up because of how fun we find it in training too (except we have full pads & a helmet which raise the excitement levels).

We did not face huge challenges during the day; the kids were very well behaved and very quick to respond to opportunities of participation. This made our job as teachers so much more fun & exciting because we had a group of children who were willing to put in the effort to learn something new. I now understand how hard my teachers must have found it in school when I was not co-operative; all those detentions were well served!

My advice to anyone who is considering volunteering is to just “go for it”. It is probably the most rewarding thing I have done throughout my years at university. Teamwork, teaching & leadership are only three out of an exhaustive list of things I have become better at thanks to just volunteering on this project. It was a long day, especially working with young kids with the highest energy levels but all in all, I’d happily do it again if it meant I made a difference in their lives.

Chike Nnalue

Kingston University Student

Schools Volunteering

My name is Kripali Patel and I have just finished my Masters degree in Psychology at Kingston University. I aim to become an Educational Psychologist, but I knew that I must gain lots of experiences of working and interacting with children before I go into further studying.  Therefore, I decided to start gaining experience through Kingston University Students' Union's (KUSU) Schools Volunteering programme.

I was very pleased with the many options I could choose from in regards to the roles at the schools, and I decided to become a 1:1 learning mentor to two young boys at Tolworth Junior School. I went into the school every Thursday for three hours, and my role was to guide them with their learning, help them gain confidence, and listen to any problems or concerns they were feeling. I really enjoyed my time at Tolworth as the teachers were very helpful and the children were just as kind. One of teachers in the class that I worked in was extremely supportive; she explained the task that the children were going to engage in before I worked with the children. This allowed me to plan and understand the requirements of the task beforehand. My best day at Tolworth had to be when the school celebrated the beginning of The French Revolution, also known as Bastille Day. It was a nice occasion as the children engaged in French activities, in and outside of the classroom, to learn about French cultures and traditions.

I really enjoyed my time at Tolworth, and wish I could have spent more time there. I learnt many things from volunteering with children, such as patience, the different ways children engage in learning and understanding and the importance of a good work-ethic in a school-based setting. I was also very grateful that two of the teachers at Tolworth were happy to act as referees for me, when I was applying to educational agencies and schools for work. Thanks to them my application processes have run smoothly, and I have actively been working and gained experience in a few schools within the provision of Autistic Spectrum Disorder, since completing my degree.  

I recommend that university students should volunteer as much as they can, as you can never have too much experience, and I have learnt that experiences are more valuable than grades when applying for jobs, as recruiters can ask you specific questions in relation to the role you are applying for, based on the experiences you may have encountered.

New KUSU Volunteer Coordinator says Hi!

Abbie Hurrell - Volunteer Coordinator (Schools and Community)

Hi my name is Abbie Hurrell and I am the new Volunteer Coordinator (Community and Schools) for KUSU Volunteering.  I work alongside the lovely Jemma Houghton who is your other Volunteer Coordinator (Jemma looks after One-Off and Student-Led Volunteering).

I started this job in mid February, coming from a background of Volunteer Brokerage having worked with the Volunteering Richmond and Volunteering Wandsworth Volunteer Services.  I absolutely love volunteering; it keeps you busy, makes you appreciate life, makes you feel fantastic about helping others and is a brilliant way to meet other people! Volunteering is also hugely important in increasing graduate employability, with most employers now seeing experience as the key attribute in a job candidate. Previously I have volunteered with animal charities, schools, the elderly and with children with disabilities; I even spent 3 months living and volunteering in Italy. 

Although I’ve only been here a month I have already registered lots of volunteers and had the pleasure of meeting lots of enthusiastic and energetic KU students. It has been hugely rewarding to see some of you choose a volunteer opportunity and begin volunteering in such a short space of time – so thank you to everyone I’ve seen so far!

Community Volunteering is also starting to really expand in terms of the opportunities we are offering, with Action Tutoring, Missing People and Kingston Hospital all signing up to the service and eagerly awaiting some new student volunteers to help with their work. I’ve also had loads of really useful feedback from students on the kinds of volunteering you would like to do on an ongoing basis – so continue to visit our Community Page as it gets updated at the beginning of each month with new opportunities. If you have any suggestions of other opportunities we could be offering, then let me know - this is YOUR service!

Schools Volunteering is currently not open as we had such a huge intake at the beginning of the year that we don’t have any space left in our schools for more students. Don’t worry though! We are in the process of contacting lots of schools in the area, so hopefully we will have some new opportunities for you soon. 

This month we are beginning to prepare for our annual Volunteer Awards Ceremony – which is something I am really excited to be a part of. It will be a great opportunity to meet you all, and also to shout out to the Kingston community about all the good volunteering that our students are doing. 

If you have any questions about Community and Schools Volunteering then please contact me, or if you’re already currently volunteering then please send me a message and let me know how it’s going – I’d love to hear from you! 

Finally, thank you for being so welcoming and I am Iooking forward to helping you all get more involved in volunteering in the future!

Summary of Student Volunteering Week

Summary of Student Volunteering Week

What did you do two weeks ago? Went to lectures, had a night in the pub, studied in the library, and did something nice for Valentine’s day with the significant other?

Sounds absolutely lovely BUT, you could have been:

Knitting hats, eating brie, blowing up balloons, wearing hard hats, making paper chains, playing bingo, hardcore gardening, and mispronouncing French!

Not all at once, that would be mad (and impressive.)

I’m talking of course about Student Volunteering Week 2013, which took place from the 11^th to the 16^th February 2013. SVW is a national initiative organised by the National Union of Students and Student Hubs, and it is designed to showcase the brilliant work of current student volunteers and also to encourage new students to get involved.

KUSU Volunteering’s SVW taster volunteering sessions organised by Volunteer Coordinator Jemma Houghton included making decorations for a ‘French’ party at the Bradbury Centre (A “youth club for older people”) then helping out on the day serving a French lunch, playing French bingo and MC-ing a quiz about all things French (naturellement!) It was fantastic fun – even though the OAPs put both my French speaking and Bingo playing skills to shame! And there was cheese; it’s always a good day if there is cheese!

Others helped with an Orchard Conservation event at Dorich House, getting to grips with pruning and mulching, and looking extremely stylish in their hard hats and safety glasses. Those less willing to brave the chill decamped to the KUSU offices and knitted hats for premature babies, or tried to at least. In my experience it sometimes turns out more hole than hat, but seasoned knitters were on hand to offer advice and mend dropped stitches.

A massive 41 students took part and KUSU volunteering registered ten new people in five days which is very promising for the continued success of the university’s volunteering programme.

KUSU Volunteering is active year round organising both regular community volunteering, schools volunteering and one-off volunteering opportunities for Kingston students. There is even the opportunity to manage and run your own project, if you have a great idea which will benefit the community, you’d like to see become reality.

Even better news came in the form of Chris Elliot. The Kingston University student made it into the NATIONAL shortlisted top 10 for his contributions to volunteering including his Underwater River Cleaning and Try Dive projects. Congratulations Chris!

It has been said repeatedly that London 2012 was a success because of the strength of the volunteers who made it happen, and it’s opened many people’s eyes to the benefits being a volunteer can give you, including increased employability skills, confidence, fun memories and brilliant new friends.

If you haven’t tried it yet, it’s not too late to get involved – there’s also another volunteers’ week coming up in June. For more information head on up to the KUSU offices or go to http://www.kusu.co.uk/volunteering

Hope to see you soon!          

Sara Ann Hope

2^nd year BA (Hons) Drama with English Literature

Volunteer helps organise KU Mental Health and Wellbeing Day

Hi my name is Tamara Swales and I am 19 years old studying Medical Biochemistry at Kingston University, located (obviously) in the gorgeous place that is Kingston-Upon-Thames! As well as this I am part of the KUSU netball team, volunteer for RISE (a charity for disabled young people) and am currently one of 100 Team V Leaders across the country!!

What is Team V? It’s an amazing opportunity which allows young people to engage with their local community running a campaign, but as there’s lots of team V leaders throughout the country, we make an impact on a national scale, which is pretty awesome to be a part of. Currently we are beginning campaign 2, entitled ‘make time for your minds-promoting healthy minds and happier lives’.

So… What is this campaign about? It’s all about little steps you can take to improve your mental wellbeing, and with depression and suicide rates increasing and being publicised so widely, now is the time to do something about it and encourage people to take care of their mental health. Just because mental health can’t necessarily be seen doesn’t mean it isn’t important; something realised by every university student around exam time when you’re stressed to the max and cramming in the library! So, what are the steps, you say? Action for Happiness has researched and discovered that the 5 steps to a happier living are Giving, Relating, Exercising, Appreciating and Trying out.

Giving- It’s been proven time and time again that giving to other people makes you feel good, something I know for a fact! Whether it’s as simple as making someone a cup of tea or giving them a bit of chocolate when they’re low, or choosing to volunteer in your area, doing a little bit now and again will help you feel so much better in yourself.

Relating- This is all about communicating and the importance of it. When you have loads on it’s quite easy to slip into the habit of shutting everyone out and getting on with it, but taking little breaks and having a chat to your housemates or your family or someone as random as the postman (or more likely takeaway man) knocking on your door makes you feel so much better and helps relieve some of that stress.

Exercising- Yes, you haven’t heard this one before! But exercising is just as good for your mind as it is for your bodies. Any sort of exercise releases little chemicals called endorphins (the same chemical found in chocolate) which cheer you up and make you feel good, so by exercising you can get the same happy feeling from chocolate without the guilt when you can no longer fit into that bikini you want for your holiday!

Appreciating- This is something people really don’t do enough! As clichéd as it sounds ‘stopping to smell the roses’ makes you feel so much better, and realising how many good things you have got going for you makes the bad things seem a lot more manageable. How many people took a day off to mess about in the snow and just enjoy yourself? I know I did, and doing something like that every now and again will make everything seem a lot more manageable.

Trying out- Another proven fact, trying out new things helps to improve your mental health! So you know that one thing you really wanted to do but were too scared to? Go do it, because it could end up being the best decision you made! Trying out for the netball team was a challenge and I’m not brilliant at it, but it was worth it for the people I’ve met and become good friends with and the experiences I’ve had with them! And I’m sure my housemates (all netballers) would certainly agree.

Through talks with the university and the Students’ Union (both of which were amazingly helpful!), I worked with them on ‘University Mental Health and Wellbeing Day’ which was on the 20^th February, promoting good mental health for university students! Between 09:30am and 12:30pm you may have seen me and my volunteers in the food store, asking passers-by ‘what they do to look after their mental health.’ Along with some rather interesting responses, we managed to collect a total of approximately 40 applecards, the data of which has been given to the University so they can see exactly what you as students need and want to help relax and how they might go about facilitating that! A good day all round!

Student Volunteering Week 2013

Monday 11th February - Saturday 16th February 2013  

     

Student Volunteering Week (SVW) is a nationwide celebration of student volunteering, which has traditionally taken place each spring. Now in its 12th year, SVW brings together organisations from all sectors to promote and celebrate the volunteering efforts of students across the Universities and Colleges in the UK.

SVW 2013 will combine local campus focused events and campaigns with a national media profile and high-level events. We will be celebrating the positive difference that students have made, and continue to make, on campus and in their communities – wherever they might be.

KUSU Volunteering will be putting on a whole host of volunteer taster sessions for Kingston University students (and staff!) to take part in during SVW!

If you’ve never volunteered before, this is the perfect chance to try it out! There’s decoration-making, a French Day at Age Concern, orchard conservation at Kingston Hill and hat-knitting for babies!

SVW KUSU Volunteer Taster Sessions:

Decoration-making!

When: Monday 11^th February 2013.

Shift: 12noon - 2pm.

Location: KUSU offices, Penrhyn Road (next to Space Bar), Kingston upon Thames, KT1 2EE.

Aims: KUSU Volunteering is running a “French Day” for the elderly at Age Concern Bradbury Centre on Tuesday 12th February. We need volunteers to come and make decorations to help brighten up this event! Think French Flag bunting, paper-chains, Eiffel Tower decorations etc! 

Volunteer activities include:

-Making French-themed decorations. 

Skills needed: The ability to have a go! Please note KUSU Volunteering will provide all arts and crafts materials, as well as a few templates!

Interested? Drop in anytime between 12noon-2pm on Monday 11^th February.

French Day at Age Concern Bradbury Centre!

When: Tuesday 12th February 2013.

Shift: 12noon - 3pm.

Location: The Bradbury Centre, (opposite Knight’s Park) 37b Grange Road, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 2RA.

Aims: KUSU Volunteering is running a “French Day” for the elderly at Age Concern Bradbury Centre on Tuesday 12th February 2013. We need volunteers to help with the following activities to make the event a success: French Quiz, French Bingo and a French Lunch!

Volunteer activities include:

-Helping set up

-Serving the French lunch

-Organising the elderly into teams for the quiz and helping with the quiz

-Helping with French bingo

-Taking photographs of the activities

-Chatting to the elderly

Skills needed: Volunteers must be patient, kind, friendly and able to chat to older people and treat them with dignity and respect. Volunteers must be enthusiastic and be able to follow instructions in a busy environment. If you can speak French this is an added bonus. (Please let us know if you can!)

Please note volunteers can eat the French lunch as well!

Interested? Please email Jemma Houghton at Jemma.Houghton@kingston.ac.uk with your full name, KU number, telephone number, and the volunteering event title by 12noon on Thursday 7th February 2013.

Orchard Conservation at Kingston Hill!

When: Wednesday 13th February 2013.

Shift: 12:30pm - 4pm.

Location: Dorich House, 67 Kingston Vale, Kingston upon Thames, SW15 3RN.

Help our beautiful old and new orchards at Dorich House flourish this spring with some essential maintenance tasks now. Plus, hear from an expert about the soil food webs underpinning it all. Check out last year’s blog about the event:http://kubiodiversity.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/22-01-11-dorich-house-orchard.html

Deadline: For more information and to sign up, please contact Rachel on biodiversity@kingston.ac.uk by 9am on Monday 12th February 2013.

KUSU Registration Session!

When: Thursday 14th February 2013.

Time: 1pm – 2pm.

Location: KUSU offices, Penrhyn Road (next to Space Bar), Kingston upon Thames, KT1 2EE.

Come and register as a KUSU Volunteer if you haven’t already! Registration involves meeting the KUSU Volunteer Coordinator and learning about the rights and responsibilities of volunteering. Once you've registered you can claim back volunteer travel expenses, have access to our free training opportunities, attend our socials and receive a certificate of achievement once you've started volunteering! More information about the registration process can be found on the Get Involved part of our Website.

Knit Hats for Babies!

When: Friday 15th February 2013, pop in anytime between 1pm - 2pm. 

Location: Students' Union Offices (next to the shop and Space Bar), Penrhyn Road campus, Kingston University.
What: KUSU Volunteering will be running a knitting session to create hats and blankets for sick and premature babies in hospital special-care units. If you can knit or crochet, come along, create a hat and share your skills –if you can’t knit, we can teach you!

Do I need to book? No, just show up!

Other News - Student Volunteering Week Photo Competition!

NUS and Student Hubs are aiming to gather 365 photographs in an e-book: one for every day of the year - of students giving their time and energy to making a positive difference in the world around them.

They want these photos to demonstrate as many different volunteering activities as possible, accumulating in a brilliant visual display showcasing the huge impact that student volunteers have in their local community and further afield. 

Plus if that’s not enough if your photo is judged to be the best display of student volunteering you’ll win a day with a photographer to help you create professional images showcasing your volunteering or charity work. If your image is of volunteering overseas you’ll be asked to nominate a charity of your choice to receive the prize in the UK.

To submit your photos email them to info@studentvolunteeringweek.org.uk with the following information by Tuesday 19th February 2013:

-Name

-Institution you’re studying at

-Email and phone number

-Short description (no more than a couple of sentences) of what your photo shows

To be eligible for the prize the following criteria apply:

-The photograph must be of a student volunteering activity, either taken in the UK or internationally.

-A current FE or HE student studying during SVW 2013 or a student volunteering centre must submit the photograph.

-The photograph must to be student’s own work or the student must have permission to submit the photo from the photographer.

-The deadline to get your pictures in is 19th February 2013.

Other News - Student Volunteering Award

Kingston University Student Volunteer Chris Elliott made it into the national top ten shortlisted by NUS and Student Hubs for his outstanding contributions to student volunteering! Chris was nominated by KUSU Volunteering for his Underwater River Clean Project, Try Dive Project and one-off volunteering! Check out the top 5 students shortlisted for theStudent Volunteering Award. 

Jemma Houghton
KUSU Volunteer Co-ordinator