Student Volunteering Week is taking place this week between 22-28 February 2010. The week was established in 2001 and is now an annual fixture in the calendar for the student volunteering sector. The week raises the national profile of Further and Higher Education volunteering. The theme for 2010 is ‘Inspiring futures; connecting communities’. Working with stakeholders from all sectors, Student Volunteering Week 2010 is highlighting the benefits of student volunteering to the private, public and voluntary and community sectors.

The Great Generation fully supports Student Volunteering Week as an important way of recognizing and celebrating students who go out of their way to offer their time and talent to a whole range of volunteering projects whether in the UK or overseas.

 

Each time we engage student volunteers in one of our projects – with communities in Uganda, Jordan or India – we have renewed admiration for the enthusiasm, resilience and passion that these students bring to creating sustainable change. By volunteering in partnership with local communities, our student volunteers strive to deliver on the Millennium Development Goals.

 

Our student volunteers not only bring positive change within the communities they support, they also return home having gained confidence, new friends, new skills and a deeper understanding of how their knowledge and abilities can make a tangible difference to communities affected by poverty. This makes it, for many, a truly life changing experience which shapes their future decisions, aspirations and life-path.

 

Student Volunteering Week 2010 is giving us the opportunity to celebrate students who have taken up the exciting challenge of volunteering their time, their talents and their energy.

Key findings of Student Volunteers:

1. •15.3% of undergraduates reported that they volunteered with a charity in their first year of studies;
   

2. •Volunteering rates were highest among students studying medicine/dentistry and social sciences;
   

3. •Students at higher ranking universities (ranked by entry tariff points) reported the highest volunteering rates;
   

4. •Volunteering rates were higher among some minority groups, including most ethnic minority students, students with a disability and those with caring responsibilities;
   

5. •Students who volunteer were more likely to take part in other extracurricular activities (both on and off campus);
   

6. •The most common reason for volunteering is to help someone or the community.
   

To read the full report click here.

If you are a University or School interested in finding out more about our tailored volunteering projects - our staff are available to talk to you more about the logistics of sending out a group of students to volunteer for up to 2 weeks abroad. Contact volunteer@thegreatngeneration.org