Volunteering

Here at Bangor University, North Wales, there is a volunteering scheme as part of the student’s union.

They believe that everyone should have the chance to be able to volunteer and Undeb Bangor provides over 750 opportunities for the students at the university.

Back in 2012 I volunteered with my local church. Sometimes we don’t notice how bad our streets are until a group of 5-10 youths pile it all into bin bags.

One of the members of Undeb Bangor, Gaz Williams, came to talk to us about some of the activities that we could get involved in, although I did not expect him to tell us that Undeb “sends students to the mental prison.”

Obviously he just meant that they send the students there so that they could help the inmates… I hope.

If potentially getting locked up isn’t your cup of tea, other projects are available.

These can range from helping children, the elderly, the vulnerable, or the environment, so with around 50 different projects to chose from, there is something for everyone!

What’s in it for me?!

Volunteering is not just ‘working for free’, you’re working for the experience, to meet new people and to help make the world a better place, or at least to make one person’s world a better place.

By spending just an hour or two in the community you could…

• Help others
• Build your CV
• Gain new skills
• Have fun!
• Give back to your community
• Expand your network
• Receive training for more advanced skills

If you make a big enough impact, there is a chance that you could be nominated for prizes in recognition for your hard work and generosity.

But I’m not a student?!

You don’t have to be enrolled at a university to take part.

No matter where you are in the world there are always opportunities to volunteer.

Whether it’s for a local charity or for the nice old lady next door, you can do something to help.

So if you’d like to get involved you can check out all of the projects from Undeb Bangor here, or find a charity near you by clicking here!

My review of Gaz’s talk

It surprised me how many volunteering opportunities there are in my local area and I am now more likely to seek out these opportunities in the future. As a result of this talk, I have already completed an introductory course for British Sign Language and thoroughly enjoyed it, so who knows where that may take me!