By Beds SU
Wednesday, 8 December 2021
If you’re someone who is looking to boost their employability, their skills, their network and bring about positive change to local communities and society in general, you’re in the right place.
Volunteering is an admirable and wonderful thing for anyone to undertake. It’s a unique opportunity which simultaneously benefits yourself and others.
With the help of the resources listed in this post, you’ll soon be doing your bit and getting involved.
Why Volunteer?
Volunteering brings about several benefits, both to you personally and to society at large.
- Professional boost - Employers love to see volunteering on a CV or job application. It shows you’re committed to a particular field of interest and it demonstrates important and desirable character traits.
- Skills boost - Volunteering gives you the opportunity to learn new skills or enhance existing ones. For job seekers, it gives you valuable evidence that you are able to utilise certain skills, which employers will want to hear about.
- Networking boost - Volunteering gives you invaluable networking opportunities. When volunteering, make an effort to get to know those around you. At the very least, you’ll make new friends. At best, you’ll open doors to make further connections which may positively influence your future.
- A boost for society - Communities benefit hugely from volunteering. Not only do important tasks and projects get completed, but the community spirit, the team cohesion and the positivity that is generated from groups of volunteers spreads beyond communities to society in general.
Current Volunteering Opportunities
There are organisations and communities looking for your help right now. If you’d like to get a personal boost and contribute to society during the festive season, here's how:
Volunteering at Vaccination Centres in Bedfordshire
There has been a call for volunteers to help out at vaccination centres, which will be open over most of Christmas. Roles include:
- Car park stewarding
- Front of house (meeting and greeting patients and checking their appointments)
- Supervising the flow of patients through the centre
Volunteers work 4 hours shifts between 8am and 8pm, 7 days a week. Appropriate training, supervision and PPE will be provided to ensure the safety of staff, volunteers and patients.
The opportunities are listed on the Community Voluntary Service website. When on the site, enter “vaccination” in the keyword box to do a specific search. Alternatively, here are direct links to the Luton and Bedford opportunities:
There are also opportunities based in Dunstable, Biggleswade and Chicksands, and there could be more being added in the next week or so.
Volunteering Resources
The following is a list of essential volunteering resources. If you’re looking to volunteer, you’re in the right place.
Do IT
Do IT is a social network like no other. It focuses on enabling real life connections through health and social wellbeing groups/initiates and volunteering. At the time of writing, there are over 11000 volunteering positions across the UK listed on the site, so it should be the first place you visit when searching for volunteering opportunities.
UoB Careers & Employability Service
The Uni’s very own Careers & Employability Service is a good place to visit when searching for volunteering opportunities, particularly around the Luton and Bedford campuses. Positions are listed on their Careersonline portal, which also lists graduate schemes and jobs.
All student volunteers are eligible for the UoB Volunteering Award and they should log their hours weekly.
Beds SU Jobs
Occasionally, we ourselves require invaluable assistance from students in voluntary roles. We list these roles on our Jobs page and we also promote the opportunities on our socials, so if you’re following us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn, you’ll be the first to hear about them.
CVS - Community Voluntary Service Bedfordshire
For those searching specifically for voluntary roles in Bedfordshire, the CVS website is a good place to check. At the time of writing, there are numerous opportunities on offer, often from charities and covering a very wide range of skills.
Volunteer Centre Finder
If you’d like face-to-face help finding volunteering opportunities, a nearby Volunteer Centre might be useful to you. Staff at Volunteer Centres can help you to discover what skills you can offer and match you to suitable positions.
Honourable mentions
If you’re still looking for somewhere to volunteer, try the following resources;
- Timebank - Directly recruits and trains volunteers on their own projects to bring about a positive impact of society
Find out more
- Volunteering Matters - Bringing people together to overcome some of society’s most complex issues
Find out more
- Charity Job - Always has many charitable volunteering roles listed, with roles across the UK and online
Find out more