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Well done - let's keep going!
Dear <<First Name>>,
The past year has been a unique academic year to say the least for Royal Holloway's students, staff, alumni and partners. Yet somehow we have made it through to the other side and find ourselves preparing for a new academic year. Once again this coming year will be a different experience with a blended approach to engagement continuing, through inperson, online, and remote interactions.
Since our last newsletter we have seen much take place including; 17 remote voluntary work placements, 5 Volunteering placement students, secure funding for a new international volunteering scheme, Community Research living library for 6 partners, celebrate and recognise during Volunteers' Week, and host our annual Volunteering Awards on social media.
Furthermore our student leaders have been busy leading their social action community projects, with a number receiving Surrey Lieutenancy Appreciation Awards for their efforts. Recruitment of 50 students for our Volunteering leadership programme 2021-22 has taken place, with a strong cohort of student leaders continuing as mentors. In June our Principal opened our new space on campus for volunteers called the Volunteering Hub which will become a place of activity for our student volunteers, placement students, staff, alumi and partners.
Our Volunteering Platform continues to be an online hub for partners to advertise volunteer roles and students to explore the various opportunities available.
So we invite you to take a moment to scroll down as this update includes essential information on; returners and welcome week, student volunteering news stories, student placement opportunities, invitation to submit research proposals, and updates to our online Volunteering Platform.
Keep going strong!
Phil Simcock, Luke Russell, Louise McGarr
Royal Holloway Volunteering
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New Academic Year
We are looking forward to all the new experiences the 2021-22 academic year will bring. Whether this be promoting your volunteer opportunities via our platform, hosting a stand on campus, or running an online session remotely. Plans are in motion for returning students and brand new arrivals during Welcome Week (w/c 20 Sept), and we invite you to consider how you'd like to be involved.
Contact us to discuss your options
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Volunteering Hub
A new central campus space will be open to students to explore volunteer opportunities and roles. This will include a reception area, digital display screens, meeting room, staff and placement workstations, and project area.
Official opening event tba
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We will send a special edition of Partners' Update sent early September to confirm arrangements for the new academic year and how to involve your organisation.
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Watch our Volunteering Awards 2021 playlist to discover the amazing students, staff, and alumni who have been recognised as outstanding volunteers this past academic year.
Congratulations to Harry's HAT for being announced as our partner of the year 2021!
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Local Community News Round-Up
Royal Holloway Volunteering students continued to be as busy in the second half of the year as they began, so we thought we'd bring together a selection of community related activates and initiatives they've been supporting - we hope they bring some inspiration to you too!
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Royal Holloway’s students continued to support the local Runnymede Foodbank with more than 20 full crates collected in the Summer term. Furthermore students and staff got active raising an amazing £700 via our RH Moves app which translated into essential food items being delivered to the foodbank in addition to donations. Find out more about Runnymede Foodbank.
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The Sing-Along Surrey project initially had difficulty adapting to the new environment as not only could they no longer visit residential care homes, but connecting remotely via digital technology was proving difficult too. They have since been able to apply for Student Opportunities Funding to collaborate with Together with Music by creating performance videos with new filming equipment. Listen to our student leader Alice's interview.
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Another student group that raised over £900 via our RH Moves app with the help of students and staff is our Love Your Community team. These funds created over 140 care parcels each containing; a message of thanks, a packet of sweets, soap, hand cream, travel mug, tea bags, biscuits, and Royal Holloway branded water puch. They were then distributed to frontline NHS staff at St Peter's Hospital in Chertsey. Read more.
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Congratulations to Community Garden on receiving three Volunteering Awards in the categories of Social Action student volunteer, project and international student. Throughout the year they have continued to engage students in our garden on campus supporting their wellbeing too. Listen to award announcement by Principal.
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Our award winning Holloway Notes adapted early in the pandemic to an online choir format via Zoom. This initiative continued to support local people with learning disabilities and social anxiety at a time where so much else had stopped due to restrictions.
Listen to their 'Sing' video released for the summer!
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Community Partner News Round-Up
Royal Holloway Volunteering collaborates with over 120 voluntary organisations (and growing) throughout the year. Please do send us your news as we'd be love to share this in future Partners Updates...
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The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has thanked our students for their ongoing support as part of its 60th birthday celebrations. Since 2013, our College community has generated 9,809 bags of donations raising a total of £137,676 for the BHF. Online events are being held to mark the birthday milestone. Find out more.
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This year, Action Tutoring provided over 5,400 pupils with tutoring, onboarded over 2,700 volunteer tutors and worked with nearly 160 schools, across eight regions. 84% of sessions were delivered online, compared to 0% last year. Since 1st September out of 12 applications 3 Royal Holloway students have actively volunteered and delivered 29 sessions Find out about Action Tutoring.
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Volunteering Platform
This is the number one destination for students and staff interested in exploring volunteering opportunities.
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Take a moment to update your organisation's profile (photo and description), adapt or add new opportunities to ensure you appear in searches, and accept applications or verify any volunteer hours logged on our Volunteering Platform.
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TOP TIP “When you are creating opportunities on our online platform, remember to use all of the fields to share details about your opportunity. Including examples of perks and benefits can be a great way to make your opportunity look more appealing and these benefits do not need to be physical. Does your opportunity give volunteers the chance to develop specific skills or work with key groups? Those can certainly be classed as benefits! Use the “skills required” section to let volunteers know the sorts of activities they will be doing, and what experience would be helpful. Finally, remember to be honest about the travel arrangements that are required. Will volunteers need to regularly visit other locations, and will reimbursements for travel be available? Keeping this information back from volunteers until they have started might discourage them from being involved in the future!”
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On 18 May, four students from Royal Holloway were presented with the Surrey Lieutenancy Award for Appreciation for their work in supporting the local community in Egham, Englefield Green and the surrounding areas. Launching this year the award recognised and celebrates local people serving their communities in exceptional ways. Read more.
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How can we help your organisation?
On Thursday 20 May, our second Community Research Hub Living Library was hosted on MS Teams with 6 community partners joiing to promote and share their opportunitiEs with students.
Community Research provides an opportunity to tap into the range of expertise that exists within the various departments at Royal Holloway – to tailor your volunteering research needs. The beauty of Community Research is that students get to develop their skills whilst giving back; meanwhile, the benefit to partner organisations is that your research needs are met - so it’s a uniquely double-edged benefit!
The next submission deadline for proposals by organisation is 30 September ahead of a living library scheduled for October. If you'd like to discuss an idea or suggestion then please do email or simply complete the online form to submitt your request.
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Not only have our alumni supported our student leaders this academic year as coaches, they also created a series of short videos reminiscing on their volunteering as students.
Watch our alumni interviews playlist - a special collection of inspiring stories.
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Voluntary Work Placements
- Voluntary Work in the Community module - 17 students engaged remotely in 60 hours opportunity during term two with a voluntary organisations. This programme is due to expand over the next few years so do let us know if your organisation would like to benefit from hosting a student in 2021-22?
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Optional Placement Year - 2 students have opted to complete a 9-12 month voluntary work placement as an additional year which is part of their degree. Would you organisation be open to offering a student longer term placement during 2022-23?
Furthermore we have Politics in Action students seeking 20 day placement over the year, and other microplacement style opportunities available too. If you'd like to discuss any of these options then please do email us or simply upload an opportunity to our Volunteering Platform.
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Royal Holloway, University of London has been successful in its bid for funding from the government's new Turing Scheme. The grant will enable the university to offer its students over 200 additional work and study placements abroad over the next academic year.
Royal Holloway Volunteering will work with our international partner organisation, Challenges Abroad, to expand opportunities for students to participate as global citizens.
Read official press release
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Royal Holloway Volunteering staff team are continuing to work remotely yet ready to respond to your correspondence via email or phone. Please keep up-to-date with latest news through the weblinks in the signature strip below to our website, and social media channels @RHVolunteering
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