University of West London students engage with Student Volunteering Week
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The University of West London (UWL) engaged 244 students in a range of volunteering activities, on and off-campus and online, for Student Volunteering Week from 12-18 February, a national initiative for UK universities. UWL students utilised it to make real impact in areas such as mental health, community, environment and heritage, whilst boosting their own employability and wellbeing.
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On Monday, 15 students travelled to central London to volunteer with Charity Begins at Home, where they organised and delivered emergency food parcels to homeless people.
Loveeka Dhussa, an MBA student, said,
Being part of such opportunities makes me so grateful. I help the underprivileged back in my home country, and I’m thankful I got a chance to be part of such activity in London because of UWL."
Each day had a dedicated theme. On Community Tuesday, a group of students volunteered at the Pepper Pot Centre, which supports elderly people from the Caribbean and African community, and where students focused on reducing isolation and supporting residents with, or at risk of, dementia through creative crafts such as painting mugs.
Sustainability Wednesday saw 11 students travel to Southall to support the Canal and River Trust with an environmental clean-up on the iconic Grand Union Canal. Students collected over 30 bags of litter from the waterway and towpath!
Wunmi Oziegbe, a MSc Business Analytics student, commented,
I spent a truly satisfying time doing my bit for the environment on Valentine's Day. We cleared about 100kg of rubbish which felt really fulfilling."
On Thursday, 130 students attended UWL’s Volunteering Street Fair, with 14 charities coming onto campus to network with students.
Devashree, an MBA student who attended the Fair, was happy to see the West London NHS Trust among the charities. She added,
I can help them as a volunteer, and it will also help build my CV. I can see the work they are doing and make new connections.”
Representatives for the charities at the Volunteering Street Fair said they did not require students to have any prior volunteering experience at their organisations.
Sarah from the London Transport Museum commented,
We train all our volunteers. If anyone has an interest in engineering or the history of transportation, we have roles for that. The only thing we require is enthusiasm and passion.”
To end Student Volunteering Week, students attended a networking session on Friday to meet other volunteers.
The week was a success, gaining positive feedback both from students and staff. Ollie Ayyildiz, Volunteering and Civic Engagement Manager at UWL, said,
It was wonderful to see so many students from across our different academic schools and colleges participate during the week. Whether it was sustainability action or supporting elders in our community, UWL students showed excellent ambassadorship.
Ultimately, volunteering is just as much about giving back and gaining lived experience as it is about skills development and employability.”
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