Student Volunteering Week
Student Volunteering Week 2012 takes place this week, from 20 to 26 February and celebrates the contribution thousands of students across the UK make to their communities every day.
Delivered by Volunteering England and sponsored by Santander, Student Volunteering Week is currently in its 11th year. The theme for 2012 is ‘Back to Basics: Community Roots’, turning the spotlight on informal volunteering and community action.
63 per cent of students take part in some form of formal voluntary activity during university, with 95 per cent driven to do so out of a desire to improve things or to help people. Volunteering also enhances employability, with half of recent graduates under the age of 30 in paid work saying that volunteering has helped them secure a job[1].
Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society, commented: “Young people should think seriously about volunteering. As well as offering them a great opportunity to develop new skills and give something back to their community, it’s also a way to get fantastic work experience for their CV. Student Volunteering Week 2012 is a great opportunity for young people to find out about how they can get involved.”
Stephen Greene, Chief Executive of RockCorps, an organisation that encourages students and young people to get involved in helping out in their communities, said: “RockCorps believes youth are one experience away from changing the world. We fully support Student Volunteering Week as a scheme that helps young people to make a difference.”