Written by Georgia Bate and Alicia Hallatt from the Civic and Inclusivity team
Student Volunteering Week at UWE Bristol saw 100s of students getting involved and discovering just how varied and meaningful volunteering can be.
Held every February across the UK and led by the Student Volunteering Network, the week celebrates student volunteering and inspires students to use their skills and time to support local communities and drive positive change.
Why we do it
Students don’t just come to Bristol to study, they are a huge part of the fabric of the city, they live and work in our neighbourhoods. Many will build their lives and careers here. They bring a rich mix of lived experiences and skills and we want to help students make the most of their time in the city by becoming active, confident citizens who understand the power they already hold.
Student Volunteering Week is a chance to open doors: to social action, to community development, to ways of working that centre co‑production and awareness of power dynamics. It’s about helping students see that they don’t have to wait until they leave university to make a difference, that they can start helping to create positive change now, alongside their studies.
The UK government’s Tackling Loneliness strategy review reported that loneliness is higher for people who are 16-24 years old. Volunteering helps students step beyond the university bubble, meet people they wouldn’t normally encounter, and feel a stronger sense of belonging to Bristol’s communities. When students volunteer, they grow in confidence, in empathy and in understanding.
What we did this year
We kicked off with an inspiring Alumni Fireside Chat, where previous Student Volunteering Award winners shared how volunteering shaped their confidence, careers and sense of purpose. They busted the myth that volunteering is only bucket fundraising or in a shop (although those are great too), talking about a broad range of things they had taken part in, and continue to do, including food redistribution, being a Trustee, and volunteering with a radio station!
Determined students braved the rain to plant 500 trees with the Great Western Forest team in Pucklechurch and others Joined Stoke Park Rangers to remove invasive laurel and support the local woodland.
At our volunteering fair students spoke to charities about a wide range of opportunities from supporting community soap operas to fixing up second hand bikes and supporting young people to develop green skills to being a ‘Librarian of Things’ at Share Bristol. The week also included online and in person sessions where students could learn about different volunteering opportunities and take time out to support their wellbeing.
We ended with a St John’s Ambulance first aid session led by volunteer Callum, giving students practical, life‑saving skills to support their communities. We all left after a lot of laughter feeling more confident in our ability to offer support than to know how to care for friends, family and neighbours in an emergency.
Why you should care
Student Volunteering Week puts the incredible work of the West of England’s VCSE sector front and centre for students. Charities and community groups don’t always have the resources or capacity to shout about the impact of their work, and how it underpins how the city and wider region works to support marginalised peoples, create thriving communities and drive positive change. Part of student volunteering week is about making this visible to students and for them to imagine their role.
Student Volunteering Week at UWE was made possible through collaborations with:
Action Tutoring, NSPCC, Natural History Consortium , Western Forest UK, South Gloucestershire Council , Bristol Bike Project, Fairshare South West, Local Learning CIC, Share Bristol, Full Circle Project, St Johns Ambulance, Bristol City Council Parks Volunteer Programme, UWE Wellbeing team, UWE Sustainability Team, UWE Centre for Sport, UWE Student Action for Refugees Society and UWE Alumni Celina Tomas, Constance Hui, Miriam Betts
Students are future employees, trustees, thinkers, campaigners, changemakers. They are the next generation of people who will shape the sector. When they volunteer with you, they gain insight into how social action really works and why it’s important. They discover where their passions fit. They bring fresh ideas and skills that can strengthen your mission and the energy to get things done. Volunteering at university is often the first small step that leads to a lifetime of involvement, support or leadership in driving positive change.
A huge thank you to everyone who was involved.
There is in incredible VCSE sector in Bristol and the Southwest and volunteers are an essential piece of this puzzle. In Civic and Community engagement at UWE Bristol we create connections between students and non-profits to create mutually beneficial opportunities for everyone.
If you want to be part of student volunteering week next year – or connect with student volunteers for the work you do, get in touch! Email volunteering@uwe.ac.uk