A 2010 study involving six UK universities found that 51 per cent of recent graduates found volunteer work helped them secure a paid job. Moreover, volunteering also improved their university experience – 61 per cent reported their time spent at university was better because of volunteering and 46 per cent reported it helped them understand their field better.
Volunteer work offers a wide range of benefits – rapid skill development, new social connections and the feeling of societal impact – to name just a few. If you’ve started those job applications you know that there’s always a section reserved for extra-curricular/volunteer undertakings, where you can showcase your passions, interests and unique selling points.
The newly launched Volunteering Bank is a great way to search and apply for a wide range of volunteering opportunities within a charity or third sector organization. This can be accessed through MyCareer.
Alternatively, you can find more specific opportunities outlined below:
For the social butterfly: NHS // Southampton Mencap // KeyChange Care
For the skill-seeker: Seacity Museum // Southampton Airport // Stubbington Ark Animal Shelter
For the art-lover: Oxfam // The Art House
For the skill-sharer:Jamie’s Computers // Robogals
For the active: ActiveNation // New Forest National Park
Other links of interest: Southampton Voluntary Services // Southampton Hub // Volunteer Outside The UK
If you want to speak to someone, Volunteering Drop-In sessions are held twice a month in the Careers and Employability Service, Building 37, Student Services Centre.