Student volunteering is increasing with popularity, with more and more students across the UK beginning to volunteer. 57% of students indicated they have volunteered to some extent – and rightly so. Students who volunteered described themselves as being driven, reliable and easy-going, which are all positive attributes to have. However, the other 43% of the students who didn’t volunteer would be more inclined if they didn’t have barriers in their way. Barriers included paid work commitments, the pressure to studying or other curriculum activities. 

But could you set these barriers aside by knowing what volunteering could do for you?

Make a change

The reason for any volunteering is to make an improvement to something or give someone else or a group of people additional support. So why not make a small change to your university schedule to make an even bigger change to someone else?

Broaden your horizon

Are you new to the city and the local surrounding areas? Well, volunteering provides the opportunity for you to explore your local area and get out and see places you will have never seen before. When settled in at university, it can become quite easy to get wrapped up in your own smaller surrounding. The local tavern, the students union, and your living accommodation. Making it very easy for you to forget that other people and places exist outside of your university bubble.

Make use of your spare time

Everyone needs downtime but how productive are your downtimes? Most of us have more than enough free time, we just spend it badly! On average a student has about six hours free time a day, depending on your course, which is an awful lot of time. The problem is we’re not thoughtful enough of what we do in our free time. Making more active and intentional use of our hours would make them count for more. Perhaps volunteering could help you fill one or two hours, out of the six you have free.

Boost your mental well-bing

The giant leap from college to university can prove mentally challenging for the many. The anxieties of being in a new city or country with not knowing anyone or knowing what to expect can be very daunting. Volunteering can help with these anxieties and place you in a better headspace.

The feeling of knowing you’re doing something valuable to release the burden from others doesn’t only show that you care. But should also make you feel pretty good about yourself too! Positive actions make a sound mind.

Raise your online presence

If you’re a student you should be very aware of how important online presence is. Online is now everything in these modern times. Volunteering can help develop your online presence hugely, I would highly recommend building your online presence as soon as possible! LinkedIn is the perfect platform to do this and by volunteering your connections online will only grow.

Remember don’t be shy to share your experiences with the outside world. Transparency is the key to employability, by showing off how amazing you are. You don’t always need to be modest.

TeamKinetic Volunteer Management System

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