If you think students spend all their spare time avoiding studying, going out with their mates and having a good time then you'd be right. Well our student bloggers do anyway. While they assure us they don't slack on the study, they've got a lot to answer for when it comes to enjoying themselves while volunteering.

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Tuesday Apr 28, 2009

Getting the edge over other students

Volunteering is very enjoyable as I have discovered.  There is one more month until I finish my university exams. I can already taste the freedom. Then my volunteering commitments can proceed with full speed ahead until the end of the summer. I have decided to take a constructive break in my exam revision by writing this blog entry.

Apart from my volunteering commitment with the youth done through Independent Academic Research Studies, the last Thursday and Friday was spent on a 2 day residential as organised by Participation Works. I am part of the youth advisory group PW EAR and we are currently in the process of developing an evaluative tool that can be used to assess resources that are created to stimulate and develop the skills of young people. Throughout both the days, we learnt how to be a good trainer and a general how to evaluate resources whether large or small. I also learnt how to use the flip camera for the first time in my life and am now going to be recommending this as an excellent tool for marketing. On the Friday, we were more productive as we decided on the name for our evaluative group, designed a logo for our group and creating a marketing video on flip. We also came up with a lot of ideas on how we can market our new brand/ tool. And of course, the great thing about a residential is that you learn to bond with the other members of the group really easily and the work is done at a much more relaxed pace than if there was just one day set aside for all tasks.

Volunteering with the Disability Law Service is challenging but very rewarding as per usual. Sometimes, people who call do want to tell you their entire life story and then only at the end, one would notice a legal problem that we can help them with. It is very sad really because you can feel the desperation and exasperation in their voices when they call up as usually they have been referred to a countless number of organisations before they can get any help. In the future, I might be going on a Samaritans communications training course due to being a volunteer with the Disability Law Service and so am looking forward to that.

I often find it easier to talk and advise people face to face which is what I have to do as a trainee adviser with the CAB. This is mainly because you have the very useful tool of body language on which my training from when volunteering with the Police Service has proved to be very useful. Last Friday we had a district training day which was useful as not only was I given training on the new Employment law legislation that deals with problems at work but was also highlighted to the current gigantic problem that is debt and was introduced to mortgage rescue schemes and debt relief orders. I am only in my second year of university studying Law but am already learning about legal rules that would only be dealt with in my final year. Hence, through my volunteering I have an academic and vocational edge over the other students.

Posted by Rochelle ( 9:35 AM )
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