Reading University Student Union Volunteering

Last week, a group of Green Volunteers took part in the University of Reading's Green Festival by litter picking in the local community, collecting over 10 full bags of rubbish! 👏

Interested in getting involved with our next Green Volunteers litter pick? ♻️

👉Get your free membership here to keep up-to-date: https://www.rusu.co.uk/student-activities/volunteering/soc/greenvolunteers/

As well as the 360 bus operating on Wednesday and Saturday nights, RUSU operate the Safety Bus Mon - Sat.

This is a free service dropping students off along the route below between 6pm and 11pm Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri and 6pm - 10pm Weds & Sat.

A space on the bus can be booked at the below here - https://doodle.com/meeting/participate/id/ejq42M5d

The bus leaves from outside the Student Opportunities building in car park 4 (next to RUSU)

This week RUSU were involved in Connect Reading's Reading RESCUE, collecting 4 full bags of litter from the local community!

Fancy getting involved with our next litter pick in the local community? ♻️

👉 Visit our Green Volunteers page to get your membership to keep up-to-date on our events: https://www.rusu.co.uk/student-activities/volunteering/soc/greenvolunteers/

Students, Rosy and Wendy, your Inclusion & Communities Officer, Jem and our Volunteering Coordinator, Lucy, headed out today as part of Connect Reading's Reading RESCUE. They did litter picking in the roads around campus and picked 4 bags worth of rubbish!

Come down to the Sports, Dance and Volunteering Fayre from 11am - 4pm today. Find out about all the volunteering opportunities we have for you to get involved with! 🙌🏻🎉

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR MUSIC PROJECT - READING 🎼

Turtle Key Arts are looking for volunteers with musical skills to take part in the Turtle Song project in Reading. Turtle Song is a singing and song-writing initiative for people living with dementia and their carers.

The project is led by a professional composer and director. Volunteers would work with the composer, director & participants to write songs as a group, and help with accompaniment.
The project will take place on Fridays from 7th October to 2nd December from 9.30am - 12.30pm at Reading Rep Theatre, with a training session on 30th September.

For more information, please get in touch with Charlotte: [email protected] 020 8964 5060 or Carolyn: [email protected].

Looking for a new volunteering opportunity and want to make a difference on campus?

UoR Hedgehogs Society are looking for a Team Leader to help run the project for the next academic year – no experience needed!

Becoming a student ambassador for UoR Hedgehogs will help you stand out from the crowd and boost your CV, all whilst making a difference locally and helping the nation’s favourite mammal! 🤩

Help make UoR a !

For more information, get in touch directly with [email protected] or [email protected]

Coppafeel! are currently looking for a student to take on the Uni B**b Team Leader role at Reading University!

CoppaFeel! exists to educate and remind every young person in the UK that checking their chest isn’t only fun, it could save their life. Breast Cancer will affect 1 in 7 women in their lifetimes, with 400 men being diagnosed annually in the UK.

Uni B**b Team Leaders are the very important folk responsible for rallying teams of students to bring boob-love to campuses across the UK. As a Uni B**b Team Leader, you have two main goals:

⭐️ Recruit a team of students to help you spread the CoppaFeel! message on-campus
⭐️ Get students talking about and checking their chests

If this is something you are interested in getting involved in, please contact [email protected] or [email protected]

Find out more here: https://coppafeel.org/our-charity/our-work/at-universities/apply-uni-boob-team-leader/

Apply to be a Uni B**b Team Leader - CoppaFeel! We’re recruiting for our next cohort of Student Brand Ambassadors, the Uni B**b Team, and are looking for students who are keen to step into the leadership role & bring chest chat to their campus!

Summer fete volunteers needed! ☀️🌼

The Friends of Berkshire Hospital's Summer fete returns on June 18th at Victoria recreational Ground in Tilehurst.

They are looking for volunteers to come and help keep the site clean and tidy enabling a quick close down at the end of the day.

This will include helping stalls close down and pack away and litter picking. Ideally they need people from 3-6 if possible.

👉 Contact [email protected] for more details!

MAPP in need of volunteers to offer pupils tutoring support

MAPP are a local organisation which offer educational support for students who are excluded from school, particularly those at GCSE level. MAPP are looking for volunteers to come to the centre and offer tutoring support for these pupils.

MAPP operate from their centre in Reading Town Centre, during term time at 22-24 Mount Pleasant, Reading RG1 2TD. They hope to welcome students Monday - Friday, within the time frame of 9am-3pm. The main subject areas they are looking for are Maths, English and Sciences. Student volunteers from ethnic minority backgrounds would be ideal, but any help is appreciated. A paid coordinator role is also available for this project.

👉 Please contact [email protected] if you are interested or would like to find out more

Alzheimer’s Research UK is looking for enthusiastic volunteers to join our awesome Cheer Squad at the UK’s biggest 24 hour race - Endure 24 Reading 2022! 🏅

They need you, your family and friends to whoop and cheer as loud as you can to give our runners and all the other participants a vital boost as they go past, encouraging them to keep going and helping them to achieve their goal.

Your support will make a huge difference to the runners who are all raising vital funds for dementia research. In 2021, the Cheer Squads supported runners in events across the UK raising upwards of £1.3 million!

Location: Wasing Park, Berkshire, RG7 4NG
Date: Saturday 18 June & Sunday 19 June
Time: Flexible slots available between midday (18/06) and midday (19/06) with option to camp overnight

👉 To find out more about the Cheer Squads and to sign up to join them at Endure 24 Reading, please visit https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/volunteer/cheer-squads

💬 For any enquiries about the role please contact the volunteering team on 0300 111 5 333 or email [email protected]

Today we're joined by Engage Befriending who help connect isolated older people with their community!

Head down to have a chat with Christine and Jackie to learn more about Engage Befriending and how you can volunteer. We are also looking for a student ambassador to help run our new project here at RUSU, encouraging more students to get involved with this amazing project!

To find out more, contact [email protected] 🙌🏻

NOMINATIONS PERIOD EXTENDED ❗️

Want to get involved in planning lots of fun and exciting events to fundraise for charities in the next academic year? 🦁

Nominate yourself for the RAG Committee 2022-2023! There are a range of roles on offer, with something for everyone:

⭐️ Chair
⭐️ Secretary
⭐️ Treasurer
⭐️ Head of Events
⭐️ Events and Fundraising Coordinator x2
⭐️ Sports and Societies Coordinator
⭐️ Media and Marketing Coordinator

👉 Visit: https://www.rusu.co.uk/elections/posts/1248/ to find out more about the election and the committee roles. Visit the RAG page to find out all the exciting things RAG get up to during the year: https://www.rusu.co.uk/organisation/rag/ 📣

The Newman Holiday Trust are looking for more volunteers for a week in the summer, providing children with special needs a fantastic holiday! ☀️

The “south” holiday. Based in Ascot. Fri 29th July evening - Sun 7th August. Children Sat to Sat.

No experience needed, just enthusiasm! They especially need more male volunteers to help out.

👉 Visit www.Newmantrust.org to apply or contact [email protected] for more details!

Nominations for next year’s RAG Committee are now open! 🦁

There are a range of roles on offer, including:
⭐️ Chair
⭐️ Secretary
⭐️ Treasurer
⭐️ Head of Events
⭐️ Events and Fundraising Coordinator x2
⭐️ Sports and Societies Coordinator
⭐️ Media and Marketing Coordinator

Nominate yourself today to be in with the chance to help run RAG for the year, planning lots of fun events and fundraising for some amazing charities! Nominations close Thursday at 5pm.

Full role details can be found on our website: https://www.rusu.co.uk/organisation/rag/

Want to get involved in planning lots of fun and exciting events to fundraise for charities in the next academic year? 🦁

Nominate yourself for the RAG Committee 2022-2023! There are a range of roles on offer, with something for everyone:

⭐️ Chair
⭐️ Secretary
⭐️ Treasurer
⭐️ Head of Events
⭐️ Events and Fundraising Coordinator x2
⭐️ Sports and Societies Coordinator
⭐️ Media and Marketing Coordinator

Nominations open on the 25th April 9am – 28th April 3pm, with voting opening on the 2nd May 9am – 5th May midnight. Results to be announced on the Friday 6th May 📅

👉 Visit: https://www.rusu.co.uk/elections/posts/1248/ to find out more about the election and the committee roles. Visit the RAG page to find out all the exciting things RAG get up to during the year: https://www.rusu.co.uk/organisation/rag/ 📣

Opportunity to become a 'shadow' trustee with inVOLve Community Services ✨

inVOLve Community Services is the charity that supports other charities, helping voluntary and community groups across the Thames Valley.

The Board of trustees has created a 'shadow' trustee vacancy for a younger person (18-25, possibly up to 30) who has no charity or community group governance experience and who would be interested in joining the Board for 12 months, for up to 6 hours per month mostly online. Induction, formal training and ongoing support to find a charity trustee position at the end of the opportunity are all offered, without cost to the successful applicant.

For more details, please visit https://bracknellforestgetinvolved.org.uk/listing/shadow-trustee/. or contact Mike at: [email protected] to find out more and have a no-obligation discussion.

"Shadow" trustee for inVOLve Community Services - Would you like to be a voluntary trustee for a charity but don’t know where to start? Are you aged 18 to 25 without experience of charities? We have an opportunity for you to ‘shadow’ our Board of trustees for 12 months, give you the knowledge, training and support needed for charity trusteesh...

Join our Green Volunteers project to get involved in our litter picking sessions each term, tidying up some of the roads around campus! This is a great way to meet other students, whilst taking a break from your studies outside in the fresh air. We will also be taking part in the Reading RESCUE event twice a year too, making a real difference in the local community. ♻️

👉 Visit our page to get your membership: https://www.rusu.co.uk/student-activities/volunteering/soc/greenvolunteers/

B Radio, an all new radio station on campus, have so many volunteering opportunities for anyone interested in presenting, producing, marketing & social media or just wants to get involved for fun! 🎵

You’ll be helping alongside fellow students and industry experts, so please contact B Radio student ambassador Robert for more information at [email protected], or sign up directly using this online form https://www.bradio.co.uk/volunteer/

Volunteer with B Radio Listen Online to Hit Music Now. B Radio - on 95.6FM across Berkshire and 106.5FM across Hampshire & Surrey.

Have a few hours spare on Monday 28th March and want to help tidy up the local Reading community? 🌞

We are looking for some student volunteers to help us tidy up some of the roads around campus on Monday 28th March as part of the Reading RESCUE project. It's a great way to get involved with your local community and help tidy up our streets, whilst meeting like-minded students passionate about the environment! We will be tidying up some of the areas around Hatherley Road, Grange Avenue and Talfourd Avenue. 🌱

👉 If you are interested in taking part, please contact [email protected] ASAP to register your interest

Sport In Mind are looking for one-off volunteers to help out with the Reading Half Marathon on Sunday 3rd April 🏆

Marshals:
A team of marshals are needed to assist the Half Marathon organisers to make sure all of the runners on the day are safe and well-organised - you don't need any prior experience and will report to a marshal team leader, who will look after you on the day. Deadline to express interest is on 22nd March ⏳

Cheer Point Volunteers:
This is an opportunity to have the best view on the route and make a lot of noise to support their amazing runners. This is a great chance to meet fellow supporters of the charity and let off any excess energy. We have a dedicated cheer point and want it to be the best one on the whole route!

Please contact [email protected] for more information!

School Streets volunteers needed 🚶

Can you spare just one hour a week? Volunteers are needed to act as Street Marshals to close Crescent Road to cars, on Wokingham Road and Bulmershe Road between 14.45-15.30pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. This will make the journey to school much safer for children and you can fit this in around your studies.

There are lots of benefits to getting involved, including developing your networks, meeting like minded, community focused students, and gaining a unique experience of community action. ⭐️

If you would like to sign up, please email: [email protected]. For more info on the School Streets initiative, see www.bit.ly/rdgschool

Interested in making new friends whilst at university? 🤩🙌

We are still looking for students to get involved with the Buddy Up project - a great way to meet new people and get involved in volunteering!

To register your interest, please fill in the appropriate sign up form below:
👉 Student sign up form: https://forms.gle/ZhtfHFZ5na1NESWh9
👉 Buddy volunteer sign up form: https://forms.gle/EBesyvVcdHamppah7

For more info: https://www.rusu.co.uk/student.../volunteering/soc/buddyup/

Buddy Up! 👋

Buddy Up is a new volunteering project designed to help students create new friendships on campus and build a stronger sense of community! Buddy Up gives you the chance to be paired with another student, known as a Buddy, who has similar interests to you, providing you with new social opportunities and the chance to meet new people. 🙋‍♀️

The scheme is being launched at the start of the Spring Term and is open to any students who would like to get involved, either through volunteering as a Buddy or if you’re just a student wanting to make new friends! 📣

To get involved, please fill in the appropriate sign up form below:

Student sign up form: https://forms.gle/ZhtfHFZ5na1NESWh9
Buddy volunteer sign up form: https://forms.gle/EBesyvVcdHamppah7

For more info: https://www.rusu.co.uk/student-activities/volunteering/soc/buddyup/

RUSU student-led projects are a great way to get involved in volunteering whilst at university. We're always looking to get more projects set up for students, so if you have any ideas for new volunteering projects that you would like to run, let us know! Here are some of our current projects:

🔸 University of Monsters - a project working with pupils from a local primary school to teach them about what university is. We have one of our visit days coming us this month which you can get involved in ✏️
🔸 Student Eats Garden - a great way to get involved with gardening whilst at university, growing your own fruit and veg whilst getting fresh air and making friends - all for free! Head along to the Student Eats Garden event on Sunday 13th February between 11am-3pm at the Secret Garden to give it a try 🌱
🔸 Buddy Up - a new project designed to help students make new friends on campus and to build a stronger sense of community 📣

RAG is also a great way to get involved with fundraising whilst at university, helping a variety of amazing charities. In previous years, Reading RAG has raised thousands of pounds and sent students to Nepal, Peru, Abu Dhabi and Morocco! 🦁

👉 Have your own idea or want to learn more? Look at our website: https://www.rusu.co.uk/student-activities/volunteering/student-led-project

Student Volunteering Week is a great time to try out something new! If you're a bit short on time, but still want to get involved in volunteering whilst at university, then our one-off volunteering opportunities are for you ⭐️

With a wide range of one-off opportunities to choose from, there's something for everyone to get involved with throughout the year! Here's a few of the opportunities you can get involved with at the moment:

🔸 Volunteers needed at Your Place Our Place Reading event at Broad Street Mall in March
🔸 Holiday volunteers needed by the Newman Holiday Trust this August
🔸 Volunteering with Creating Better Futures at the Reading Half Marathon on the 3rd April
🔸 Volunteers needed for Action Medical Research’s RIDE Wessex Downs event
🔸 Free To Be residential project volunteers needed during the school holidays
🔸 Moonwalk London 2022 volunteering opportunity

Email [email protected] for more information!

👉 Get your membership to our one-off volunteering opportunities group to get regular updates with the latest volunteering opportunities on offer: https://www.rusu.co.uk/student-activities/volunteering/soc/one_off_volunteering/

Why volunteer?

Volunteering is a great way to learn more about your local community whilst at university and gives you the chance to meet new people, acquire lots of new skills to put on your CV, and it can even count towards your RED Award ⭐️

During Student Volunteering Week, the Student Eats Garden have an event planned for students to come along and take part in some gardening. It's a great way to enjoy some fresh air away from a screen, grow your own food and it's all for free! You do not need to have any experience to get involved 🤩

Head down to the Secret Garden on Sunday 13th February between 11am and 3pm to meet the committee and give it a go 🌱

👉 For more information on the Student Eats Garden: https://www.rusu.co.uk/student-activities/volunteering/soc/studenteatsgarden/

This week is national Student Volunteering Week! We want to celebrate our volunteers and share some of the ways you can get involved with volunteering this week. 📣

Did you know that RUSU has a variety of student-led and external charity projects? We are always looking for new members to get involved, so this is the perfect week to try out something new! ⭐️

Whether that be through gardening, working with children, feeding the homeless, fundraising as part of RAG, or raising awareness of a local or national charity, there really is something for everyone! There are also plenty of one-off volunteering opportunities to get involved with if you're a bit short on time but still want to get involved. 🌍🌻

👉 For more information on our opportunities, have a look at our website: https://www.rusu.co.uk/student-activities/volunteering/

Holiday Volunteers needed this summer! ☀️

The Newman Holiday Trust are looking for volunteers for a wonderfully rewarding experience this Summer. As a Newman Holiday Trust Volunteer helper, you will enable children with special needs and disabilities to have a holiday of a lifetime and contribute to a unique experience for all involved. You’ll be helping to provide an exciting and life changing week for the children, most of whom wouldn’t receive a holiday either because of financial circumstances or their high care needs.

The holiday will be taking place from Friday 19th August – Sunday 28th August 2022 at the Oratory School, near Reading RG8 0PJ. You will be required for the full week and no experience of working with children is necessary – full training is given! All expenses on the week, food and drink are also covered. 🌈

To sign up or to find out more, please contact: [email protected]

For more information, visit their website on: www.newmantrust.org

Applications close at the end of March. 📣

Buddy Up! 👋

Buddy Up is a new volunteering project designed to help students create new friendships on campus and build a stronger sense of community! Buddy Up gives you the chance to be paired with another student, known as a Buddy, who has similar interests to you, providing you with new social opportunities and the chance to meet new people. 🙋‍♀️

The scheme is being launched at the start of the Spring Term and is open to any students who would like to get involved, either through volunteering as a Buddy or if you’re just a student wanting to make new friends! 📣

To get involved, please fill in the appropriate sign up form below:

Student sign up form: https://forms.gle/ZhtfHFZ5na1NESWh9
Buddy volunteer sign up form: https://forms.gle/EBesyvVcdHamppah7

For more info: https://www.rusu.co.uk/student-activities/volunteering/soc/buddyup/

Action Medical Research’s RIDE Wessex Downs event 🚴

Children’s charity Action Medical Research are looking for volunteers for their RIDE Wessex Downs sportive taking place on the 10th April 2022 in Reading.

Volunteers are needed at the start and finish line at Pangbourne College, and also at the different feed stations.

Lunch will be provided on the day and any travel expenses will be covered.

To sign up, please contact: [email protected]. For more information on the event, please see: https://action.org.uk/events/cycling/ride-wessex-downs