Volunteering for Graduate Students

Course Description

UCL has the largest volunteering department of any university in London, and one of the biggest in the country. The Volunteering Services Unit – a joint project of UCL and UCL Union – exists to help students get involved in community projects across the capital. The Unit works with over 300 different not-for-profit organisations, and supports around 30 student-led initiatives each year.

Overall, around 1600 students got involved last year, many of them graduate students.

What can I do?
We’ve a real choice of activities. You could:

support children’s learning at a Kings Cross after-school club;
conduct research into the needs of elderly people in Camden;
visit someone with learning disabilities once a week to help them live independently;
teach IT skills to elderly people in West Euston;
help school students set up small social enterprises;
befriend and support refugees and asylum seekers

… or something else completely different. To see the latest volunteering vacancies, visit the VSU Website.

The Innovations Programme
The VSU are also looking for active, creative students who can set up and run their own community action projects. If you’ve an idea that might help others, then please get in touch. The VSU will provide one-to-one staff support, training, community contacts and access to resources to turn your idea into reality. They also administer a small grant scheme that you can apply to for running costs.

Projects have included:

Green Schools – teaching children about environmental issues.
POP! – a physics outreach programme to schools.
Language Skills Pools – a translation service for community organisations.
Volunteering Buddies – an inter-generational project connecting children and elderly people in Holborn.

For more information, visit the VSU Innovations Websites.

Step Out

If you have a project idea that connects your research with the wider community, the VSU can help there too. The Step Out Programme provides funding and support for UCL postgraduates’ public engagement projects. For more information, visit the VSU Step Out Website.

Training
Students tell the VSU that volunteering has helped them develop new skills and boost their CVs, and help them in finding paid work.

They are there to help you get the most out of volunteering, and so offer an additional training programme to help you develop your skills.

The VSU courses include:

Project Leader Training
Working with Children
Classroom Management

Registration:

For further information on all these activities follow the Course Link below.

Once you have completed any training courses offered by the VSU, it will be necessary to log your points via the boxes at the bottom of this page. Attendance will be checked with the course tutor.

View People's Comments

Profile of a UCL Volunteer:
Kanchan Das Gupta

Kanchan is in the Third year of his PhD in the Earth Sciences department. He volunteers at the Third Age Project, a centre for elderly people in West Euston.

What do you do as a volunteer?
My principal responsibility is to give introductory lessons on computer & internet applications to elderly people. Additionally, I help the charity users and staff with specific computer/internet related problem and also manage the charity website.

What were your first impressions when you started volunteering?
I was a bit nervous and didn't know what to do. I had no idea about how to run the class, what to teach as there is no course structure. The cultural difference and age gap made it worse. But very quickly I was made to feel totally comfortable there.

How do you feel about it now?
I feel proud and happy now about my volunteering job at Third Age Project. I am very much at ease with everyone at the charity- with users, staff and other volunteers. The whole environment is very comfortable and informal.

What's the best thing about volunteering?
The best thing is the feeling of helping out someone not related to you in anyway. It is really a different experience when someone says "Thank You" and means it! You can see the difference in their face and smile. Then of course you have other advantages like networking with more people from different backgrounds.

And what's the most challenging thing?
The most challenging thing for me was to keep patience while teaching as most people I interact with haven't used computers before at all. Some of them are suffering from age related physical problems and a few have difficulties in communication. So sometimes it is very difficult to pass my thoughts onto them.

How has volunteering changed you?
It made be more patient, taught me how to deal with people from different backgrounds and also helped me to understand the socio-economical conditions faced by people in their third age. Overall it has made me feel better.

What difference do you feel you've made by volunteering?
I think, because of my volunteering, at least a few people will be comfortable in using computers and the internet for some basic applications. They won't get scared now using a "mouse"! Furthermore, the charity website (designed and managed as a part of my volunteering) is helping to encourage more student volunteers to join our charity and generating a bit of funding as well.

Would you recommend the project to anyone else? If so, why?
I would be quite happy to recommend the project to others. The whole working environment is very informal and friendly, with flexible working hours. And then there are nice social gatherings too, celebrating various events from different cultures!

Researcher Development Framework Categories

D3) Engagement and impact

Course Recommended for

This course is particularly relevant to the following groups:

1st Year Research Students
2nd Year Research Students
Master's Students
International Students

Course Links

VSU Website: http://www.uclunion.org/volunteers/

a) Volunteering for up to 50 hours

Description:	Once you have completed your project, please log your points here.
Points:	1
Preparatory Work:

Please login / register using the menu on the left hand side.

b) Volunteering for 50 - 100 hours

Description:	Once you have completed your project, please log your points here.
Points:	2
Preparatory Work:

Please login / register using the menu on the left hand side.

c) Volunteering for over 100 hours

Description:	Once you have completed your project, please log your points here.
Points:	3
Preparatory Work:

Please login / register using the menu on the left hand side.

GRADUATE SCHOOLSKILLS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

Volunteering for Graduate Students

Course Description

Researcher Development Framework Categories

Course Recommended for

Course Links

a) Volunteering for up to 50 hours

b) Volunteering for 50 - 100 hours

c) Volunteering for over 100 hours

GRADUATE SCHOOL
SKILLS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME