Volunteering
Whether you want to lead a project, work with other students to start something new, or get involved in an initiative that's already up and running, our volunteering team support a wide range of activities for you to get involved in alongside your studies.
Students like you have helped hundreds of good causes as part of our student-led and external volunteering programmes. Whether your aim is to benefit your community, or you're looking for something that looks great on your CV in relevant experience areas, there's something available for everyone.
STUDENT-LED VOLUNTEERING
Hull University Social Services Organisation (HUSSO) is our own volunteering group, run by students. All of the projects it supports are student-led, meaning that they are all devised and run by students. There's loads to get involved in across a range of areas, but if you have your own idea, we can help to set it up.
EXTERNAL VOLUNTEERING
There are a huge range of volunteering projects you can get involved with through external organisations across the local area. From advice, animals and art, to media, to environment, sport and everything in between, there's bound to be something to help you to gain valuable experience.
RAISING AND GIVING (RAG)
RAG members volunteer their time to raise money for charity through a range of fantastic events, while having loads of fun at the same time. Check out the RAG section here or find them on Facebook .
LINKS
LINKS is an operational unit of St John Ambulance. The organisation is run by students and provides free training to their members, allowing them to start as a First Aider and progress to emergency ambulance crew, as well as specialised roles as a Cycle Responder and taking part in casualty extraction. We also offer free First Aid demonstrations to students.
HUSSO is your very own student volunteering group!
The Hull University Social Services Organisation formed in 1961 by Derek Forster to help disadvantaged members of the local community. Over 57 years later, HUSSO is still going strong.
All HUSSO projects are student-led, this means planned and run by you, our students, with expert support from HUSU staff to help you achieve goals. Projects cover a range of areas including working with children, older people, people with disabilities, education and green space.
Keen to get involved or have an idea for your own project? We'll help you out. Contact HUSU Volunteering Coordinator Angela Drinkall here.
Some of our student-led HUSSO projects include:
Appropriate Adult
Working alongside the Police and Crime Commissioner's Office, student volunteers will act as Appropriate Adults when needed by Humberside Police based at Clough road Police station. The role involves sitting in on detainee interviews and runs on a rota basis.
Primary Reading Project
This project takes place at St Nicholas Primary School on Cottingham Road helping children to read. This runs once per week on a Wednesday afternoon from 1pm — 3pm.
Forces of Nature
This project works on helping the environment by arranging student litter picks and clean up events on local beaches and around campus.
Befriending
Working alongside St Marys care home on Chanterlands Avenue, our befrienders chat to the elderly and organise fun exciting activities for both active and bedbound residents. This project is flexible.
Ground
A project working alongside local community gardens to grow vegetables and encourage the community to grow vegetables which could then be donated to soup kitchens and homeless shelters.
Unfortunately, the majority of physical opportunities have been postponed or cancelled, but this doesn't mean you can't volunteer!
In times like these, we know a lot of you will be looking for ways to help others. Whether you are in social isolation or distancing yourself from the majority of friends and family there are still ways you can volunteer. And it can be a great way to support your mental health. Here are a few online, telephone and mailing options to get you started:
Gig Buddies – Combatting online loneliness for young people with learning disabilities
Gig Buddies has been matching young people with learning disabilities with members of their local community to take part in life after 5pm, whether that is gigs, clubs, going to the cinema or theatre, or just a quiet drink in the pub.
Due to Covid-19, the last few months has meant we’ve not been able to access nightlife out in the community in person, but instead we are committed to continue combatting loneliness by meeting virtually instead. With virtual concerts, streaming musicals, and other venues going online, Gig Buddies has been able to continue virtually. To find out a bit more about the impact the project has on our buddies, check out this feature on the BBC . To see how the project has adapted since lockdown, check out this article .
We’re looking for volunteers in the Hull area who are: 18-25 Years Old.
For more information about the project and its background, click here to visit the main Gig Buddies page .
Post Pals
Post Pals is an online charity dedicated to making seriously ill children and their siblings smile by the sending of cards, letters, little gifts, support and friendship. They support children aged 3 to 17 from all over the UK.
AGE UK Telephone Befrienders Hull (Email: [email protected])
For this role, you will need to already have an enhanced adult DBS check and be able to email it to them.
More organisation you can help out during these times are:
Volunteer to transcribe documents/books online:
- Mapping paths and routes for humanitarian organisations: https://www.missingmaps.org/
- Conservation: https://instantwild.zsl.org/intro
- Translating online: https://translatorswithoutborders.org/volunteer/
In the meantime, keep following instructions from public health agencies, being kind and empathising with those that are finding it difficult at this time are some of the best things that you can do to help your community.
HUSSO RAG and LINKS will be following instructions to cease face to face volunteering activity but will be happy to hear any ideas for online or telephone volunteering and fundraising please send all ideas to [email protected].
Huge thank you to all HUU volunteers you have all been amazing and continue to be amazing please send in your ideas for volunteer catch-ups or online coffee mornings to support each other in these tough times to [email protected].