Volunteer week highlights how you can get involved in some brilliant actions, hear from those who have volunteered, and what benefits you can get out of volunteering!

Ross - VP for Community and Citizenship:

‘‘Volunteer Week was a week that I wanted to have to kick off the new academic year. With students back on campus and most things starting back up again, this is the best time for you to get involved in volunteering and engaged in the DCU and local community.

For myself, volunteering was what made me how I am today and showed me the benefits it could have for other people in that activism. It’s the reason I ran for the Students’ Union, and if you start volunteering, it may be the reason you do too!
Over the next week, the SU socials will be sharing infographics and videos about volunteering. Firstly, what is volunteering, which may seem like a simple question but actually involves a lot more than people think, and in how many opportunities there are to get involved in local, national or online initiatives, such as clean-ups, blog writing, visits or just being a helping hand when needed.

It will also cover what are the benefits of volunteering, both to yourself but also in getting careers, friends, experience and the benefits to others as well, through student’s own experiences and why they volunteer.

Most importantly, the week also highlights the many ways to get recognised and rewarded for your volunteering and extracurricular activities. This includes the Bronze and Silver Engage Award, as well as the Uaneen Award, which can give you contributory credits for your degree in some courses.

There are many ways to get involved, from once-off volunteering to long-term commitments, and a reminder that being on a committee for a club and society also counts as volunteering!

If you want to learn more about volunteering or have any questions, email ross@dcusu.ie or go to https://www.dcu.ie/volunteer.

Be sure to check out the DCU Volunteer Handbook here! https://media.dcu.ie/media/volunteerguide2021-2022/