Volunteering is a great way to spend your free time as it is very rewarding and can be a great way to boost your CV or gain experience in an area you are interested in personally or for a career.
The university offers support to help us students find volunteering opportunities!
The university student’s union app and website have a section dedicated to helping students discover the volunteering opportunities which are available in Lincoln.
The ‘Volunteering Opportunities’ page is separated into three sections to be able to easily find a role that is perfectly suited to you!
1. Interests
The Interests section has a range of opportunities such as fundraising, health, sport, and animals.
There are online, on-campus, and community volunteering opportunities, so it is really easy to find a role which can suit your lifestyle or fit around your uni schedule!
2. Employability Skills
This section involves volunteering opportunities to develop skills such as leadership, where you could become a charity ambassador, or volunteer as a visual merchandiser and creative volunteer.
3. Academic Schools
Under this section your school will provide you with relevant volunteering opportunities for your chosen academic field.
For instance, under the Schools of Psychology and Health and Social Care there are advertisements for opportunities for mental health and wellbeing, for instance you could become a ‘Night Light Café volunteer’ whereby you listen to the concerns and offer support to people who visit the wellbeing café.
The Night Light Café is a charitable organisation that offers mental health support for those who need company is the evenings when other services are closed.
My Experience
During my Psychology undergraduate degree I always had an awareness of my interest of mental health and wanting to be a counsellor. To be accepted on my desired masters course at the university it was a requirement that I completed a voluntary role within the community which was of a supportive nature.
I found local charity ASSIST in Lincoln and volunteered at some of their events, they are a local charity who help members of the community who have dementia and are struggling with loneliness.
The organisation runs a morning each week which allows for people with dementia to come together and complete crafts and exercise activities.
The organisation also runs an afternoon where members of the community can complete mindfulness tasks and connect with others in the community who are struggling with their mental health or loneliness.
If you cannot find a volunteering opportunity which suits you from the university website, search local organisations or roles you are interested in and seek out the opportunities you want!
