1. Meet New People
Starting at a new university can be very exciting however making new friends can be daunting especially if you’ve moved away from home. Volunteering could help you make that first step in making friends at university. By volunteering you get to meet a much wider range of people who you may not have necessarily have connected with outside of volunteering.
2. Develop New Skills
Why not try something different? As a student you learn a lot of new skills and information from your course but you could also learn more. Volunteering offers you the opportunity to try something new or to build on skills that you already have, this could be in relation to your course or something totally different.
3. Employability
Gaining employability after university is getting harder and harder. Employers are not only looking for good grades/degrees but also practical experience relevant to work. A study by Oxfam has shown that 80% of employers are more likely to offer jobs to applicants who have volunteering experience. Basically, the more experience you have, the better your CV will look and the more likely you are to get a job.
4. Health and Wellbeing
Everyone who’s been a university student knows how stressful it can get, especially during exam periods. Taking breaks during studying has been proven to increase attention and focus, Volunteering not only benefits you but also those around you, it is a great feeling to know you’ve done something to help someone.
5. Making a Difference
You can do a lot of good by volunteering. There’s always going to be a charity which needs volunteers and will benefit from your help and enthusiasm. You can have a positive impact on your surrounding community, even if it’s something as simple as litter picking. As well as immediate effects from your volunteering, your community will improve in the long term which consequently will better shape the world.
Find out more about our volunteering opportunities here: https://keelesu.com/volunteering/opportunities/browse/