Volunteering
The focus of Volunteering and Community Action is working with university students, and young people 16 to 24 years, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds who volunteer their time for the benefit of others. They are encouraged to be innovative, creative and engaged in high quality volunteering activities which can lead to them gaining a nationally recognised V-Award.
Volunteering and community Action is also supported by the Higher Education Active Community Fund, a volunteering initiative aimed at engaging students and staff in active citizenship as well as developing community involvement with the university culture.
Touch is also delivered by Volunteering, which is an award winning peer education project about raising awareness of sexual health and alcohol and substance use at UCLan and colleges around Preston.
In response to the success of project work and demand from the volunteering community Volunteering has developed a degree in BA (Hons) Community Leadership (subject to validation) the International School for Communities, Rights and Inclusion also offers a range of University Certificates that support the volunteering community in such areas as volunteer safety, project development and mentoring in the community.
You’ve heard the blurb, now check out what people like you have to say about it:
“I have used Volunteering because I enjoy volunteering at Teen Seen in Kirkham. This is a youth centre for people with special needs. I am getting a lot of support, certificates and training.
I have developed a lot of skills, especially communication skills. I have lead workshops such as, cooking and craft and this has developed my leadership skills as well as helped me to organise events. I find university a very good experience and feel comfortable in approaching my tutors as they are all supportive of my volunteering.”
Damon McDonald, BA Honours in Active Citizenship and Volunteer Development.
“I used the Volunteering because I thought I would benefit more from doing voluntary work (in my case, proofreading essays for international students). I've studied alongside international students in the past and have seen how their grades have suffered simply because of their relatively poor English. Proofreading for international students has helped me develop my social skills. It has made me think about different ways of communicating my thoughts, necessary in my voluntary work in order to overcome language barriers. As a result of the good experiences of using the Volunteering this year, I’m sure that I will carry on doing voluntary work after I finish my studies.”
John Malcolmson, BA Honours in Business and Information Systems.
But what about those who didn't use the service?
“I would have benefited from the Volunteering by getting advice on how I can develop work experience and skills related to my degree. I could have taken advantage of volunteering projects and gained more experience.”
Farzana Patel, BA Honours in Business and Law (combined honours).
Good luck with your studies and feel free to get in touch with the Volunteering and Community Action in any of the following ways:
On the web: Volunteering and Community Action
Riz Gurjee – Volunteer Co-ordinator: rgurjee@uclan.ac.uk or call 01772 893669
Bob Walley – Touch Co-ordinator: bwalley@uclan.ac.uk or call 01772 893662
Wajid Khan – Course Leader: wkhan@uclan.ac.uk or call 01772 893171
