Bradford College

Students Take Action During 10th Anniversary of Student Volunteer Week

To coincide with the 10th anniversary of Student Volunteering Week, which was established to raise the national profile of student volunteering in Further and Higher Education, Bradford College Students’ Union has devised a series of innovative events to highlight the vital role volunteering plays in the student population and the wider community.

Bradford College Students' Union have successfully spearheaded a variety of campaigns that have raised awareness on issues that affect students and the Bradford community.  Their most recent campaign saw the Students' Union celebrate victory after winning their battle with council chiefs to save Bradford’s FreeCityBus, after fears the free shuttle service would be axed.

‘Inspiring Futures; Connecting Communities’ is the theme for this year’s campaign, which runs at Bradford College from the 28th February until 4th March.  The volunteering drive will see students volunteer to take part in a number of initiatives including the anti burglary ‘Safe Squad Campaign’ which has been backed by the West Yorkshire Police.  Student will dress up as burglars, creeping around Bradford College campus in a bid to raise awareness on robbery – one of the most common offences in the UK.

Speaking about her motivation for volunteering, Vice Chair of the Sixth Form Council Emma Parker said: “I’ve always had an interest in helping other people and find it incredibly satisfying.  For example today we’re trying to raise money for the people affected by the Pakistani floods, which are the worst floods in the history of Pakistan, with millions still in desperate need of assistance.”  Elaborating further Emma said: “We’ve tried to think of things that will get people interested, like a raffle, guessing how many sweets are in the jar, guessing the weight of a cake’ so people can win prizes, whilst also raising money for a good cause.”

Other volunteering drives during the week include: bulb planting sessions to donate flowers to Marie Curie hospices; a student graffiti mural, campaign team taster session and community partnership volunteering.

Students’ Union President, Nabeel Hussain concluded: “We’re proud that once again, we’ve really seen that students care about their local community and are eager to give something back through volunteering. It’s been great to see students, many of whom have never volunteered before, really engaging with Student Volunteering Week which is the launchpad for a number of projects which will continue throughout the year.”