6 reasons why you should volunteer at university

Being a university student isn’t easy. If you’re a recent school leaver, then you are probably learning about the epic juggle of university life. Trying to balance your studies with your home life, plus maybe working part-time and trying to catch up with your friends – then things get even busier when assessments are due or it’s exam time!

Or maybe you have been at university of a couple of years now, and you get how everything works. You’ve almost figured out the study and life balance that seems so elusive. You’re comfortable studying, and are even considering a postgraduate degree.

Or perhaps you have returned to study after being in the workforce for a number of years. Perhaps you figured out what you really want to do and are back at university to reskill and start a fresh career path. You might feel a little out of place at university, like you could be as old as some of your classmate’s parents.

So why would you want to add to your busy schedule, or disrupt your balanced life, or try and connect with the ‘young-kids’ when the opportunity to volunteer at university comes up?

Here are six reasons why you should consider volunteering at UTS:

1. Volunteering is a great way to give back to the university community and help others.

Some people like to give back to the community and become the people that supported them as they found their way through key points in their university degree.

A lot of students have a struggle story of when something went wrong and there was a wonderful person (a student, a support staff, an academic or a volunteer!) who saved them and they are forever grateful. Students get the struggle of other students as they have been in their shoes and want to help.

2. Make friends

Volunteering is a great way to make friends at UTS. It can sometimes be hard to strike up a social conversation with other students, but when you volunteer together, you automatically have something in common. It’s a great way to meet a diverse group of students and spend time together and get to know each other.

3. It’s good for your wellbeing.

Volunteering can provide physical and mental rewards – it:

• Reduces stress by helping you focus on someone other than yourself, interrupting usual tension-producing patterns.
• Makes you healthier by inducing moods and emotions such as optimism, joy, and control over one’s fate, which strengthens the immune system.

4. Volunteering promotes personal growth and self-esteem.

No one understands a student better than a fellow student. Volunteering at university exposes you to the lives of other students and helps you develop empathy for the struggles of others.

You also begin to gain confidence in yourself as you start to help others, discover what skills you have, and gain a sense of achievement.

5. Develop employability skills and learn about paid opportunities.

It depends on the type of work you do as a volunteer at university, but it’s very likely you will develop transferrable skills including:

• Working effectively in teams
• Verbal communication
• Time management
• Organisational skills and
• Leadership skills

Listing your volunteering activities on your resume and what you learnt from them will give an employer a broader picture of your personality and what you are passionate about. Also, being part of a volunteer group at UTS can mean that paid opportunities become more readily available, as you have already started to develop the desired skills set for many student jobs on campus.

6. It’s fun and there is often free stuff.

No matter what the task at hand, completing it with friendly like-minded people who want to be there is often fun. Also, since volunteers aren’t being paid for their time, they are often offered free stuff as incentives, like coffee, food, merchandise (free t-shirt!), which makes the job more enjoyable.

So, if you’re interested in reaping the benefits of volunteering at university, make sure to have a look on the UTS website and keep an eye out in your student email, for volunteering opportunities at UTS.

Here is some current opportunities to get your started:

UTS Peer Network

Network Café

Helps Buddy Program

Activate UTS 

Other resources:

• https://www.wcsu.edu/community-engagement/tips-for-volunteer/ 
• https://www.volunteerscotland.net/for-volunteers/why-volunteer/benefits-of-volunteering/
• https://host-students.com/5-reasons-become-student-volunteer/  

Featured image courtesy of Unsplash