Volunteering in Leeds

Alongside learning more about your chosen subject, starting at university means opening yourself up to a huge range of opportunities, life experiences, and new skills. It is precisely the ability to completely tailor your university experience that is one of the best, and initially most overwhelming, parts of making the leap to higher education. At the University of Leeds, these opportunities are immense; just take a look at the stalls at the freshers fair and you will find the chance to join a new university society, become part of a sporting team, or even get involved writing for the Gryphon (which we definitely recommend!). 

Another great way to get involved during your time at university is through volunteering, and Leeds is the perfect place, with around 3,500 third sector organisations in Leeds. As our interviews with the Volunteering Hub and Volunteering Centre Leeds detail, volunteering is a fantastic way to gain new skills and work experience, develop interests, and support not-for-profit organisations in the community.

University of Leeds Volunteering Hub

We first spoke with Jo Hargreaves, Assistant Manager at the University of Leeds’ Volunteering Hub, who shared some of the great benefits that volunteering can provide for students. “[We] aim to encourage and support students to volunteer whilst they’re at the University of Leeds”, says Jo, when asked about the Volunteer Hub’s goal.

The volunteering team provides students with a huge selection of volunteering opportunities in the local Leeds community, and the Hub can be found on the University’s MyCareer website. Jo describes the Hub as a ”one-stop-shop for volunteer roles” in Leeds, adding that “the aim is that there is something there for everyone”, including the larger, more widely known organisations, as well as smaller, locally-based ones “that you wouldn’t know about necessarily, unless you were living in the area for a long time.” All roles are quality assured by the volunteering team, who ensure that they are suitable for students to perform around their studies.

When asked about some of the benefits that students can gain from volunteering, Jo tells us that “volunteering is a great way to engage in the city and appreciate some of the depth of opportunities that there are here”, adding that it’s a way to escape the ‘student bubble’ that students often find ourselves caught up in. Jo also mentions the vast array of opportunities available to learn new skills through volunteering, and emphasises the catapult-effect that it can have on early careers.

“We know that volunteering is something that people do for loads of different reasons. It might be that you feel really passionate about a cause and you just want to carry on doing that while you’re at university, it might be that you’re really interested in a particular career and you want to explore it; and volunteering is a great way to do that.”

This upcoming academic year is an exciting time for volunteering at Leeds. The Hub will be holding a volunteering fair on Tuesday 18th of October at the Riley Smith Theatre in LUU from 11am to 3pm. Speaking about the event, Jo comments: “we are trying to make sure that we can physically bring the third sector onto campus […] to enable those conversations that make those [volunteering] opportunities happen.”

Jo also mentions the exciting range of volunteering opportunities available as part of LEEDS 2023, a series of events being held throughout the year to celebrate the city’s culture. “There will be all sorts of opportunities, right across the city and throughout the year, so look out for this one!”, she adds.

Going forward, the Volunteering Hub is looking to ensure that volunteering is accessible to all students, as they are aware that everyone has other commitments and varying availability. Jo closes by mentioning that they aim to make sure that the roles on offer “reflect the full interests, passions and experiences that our students are after.”

The Hub will have a stand at freshers fair, where you can go and ask about the range of opportunities available or, alternatively, the team can be contacted via:

E-mail: volunteer@leeds.ac.uk

Twitter: @LeedsVolunteer

Instagram: @UniLeedsCareersWebsite

Volunteer Centre Leeds

We also spoke with Helen Doherty, who works at Volunteer Centre Leeds – the office can be found at the top of the food hall in Kirkgate Market and is open 9:30am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday. Like the Volunteering Hub, the Volunteer Centre supports individuals and aims to match them with a volunteering opportunity bespoke to them. As Helen said to us, “the point of the Volunteer Centre, essentially, is to be the go between for individuals who want to volunteer, and charities in Leeds who are looking for volunteers.” Or, as Helen also described it, “We’re basically brokers for volunteering.”

The Volunteer Centre office is open to anyone to find out more about volunteering, and there is no obligation to sign up. In fact, the Centre displays posters with different opportunities if you haven’t got the time to stop and chat. They also facilitate Volunteer Centre Takeovers, whereby an organisation sets up a stand in front of the Centre to promote their volunteering opportunities. 

Helen talked us through how the Centre matches people with opportunities: “We sit down with them, ask them what they’re looking for, about their background, what they want to get out of volunteering, if there is a specific area they want to gain experience in.” Indeed, there is no pressure: “lots of people come in and they just want something to do, somewhere to go, somewhere to be with people, something to fill their time. We’ll find them something that’s nearby to them if that’s what they want.”

Responding to our question of the benefits of volunteering for students, Helen spoke about the experiences volunteering provides. She explained how there are many skills that can be gained from volunteering that don’t necessarily come from employment or other areas, and how volunteering experience comes across well to employees given that you’ve chosen to do it for no monetary benefit. To that end, however, Helen also reminded us that many not-for-profits now cover some expenses, such as travel, and that volunteering shouldn’t cause you to be out of pocket.

On other advantages, Helen drew on her experience of volunteering while studying in Manchester; she told us how volunteering in her university city was the first time she really felt connected to the community, proudly claiming that she felt like a true ‘Manc’ after getting involved.

Helen also discussed the benefits to organisations, and how many just could not exist without volunteers. They also greatly benefit from students, who often provide a younger perspective and different skill set. 

The Volunteer Centre has paired up volunteers with many not-for-profits, and has supported those with niche interests and abilities. Helen even mentioned the Centre matching a refugee, who was a vet in their home country but did not have the qualifications to practice in England, with an animal welfare charity.

Going forward, the Volunteer Centre Leeds is looking to get in touch with previous volunteers to get their stories out in hopes of promoting volunteering – so keep an eye out for that. To get in touch, you can drop into their office or book an appointment by emailing volunteering@val.org.uk, or over the phone by calling on 01132446050 or by text on 07340323190. Other contact details can be found below.

Website: doinggoodleeds.org.uk/volunteering/volunteer-opportunities

Twitter: @VolunteerLeeds

Facebook: @VolunteerCentreLeeds

Image Credit: Josh Wright