Volunteered recently?  Maybe you helped do some work at school or maybe you helped clean up the environment? Whatever it is, big or small, YOU should be recognised for it! There are several schemes out there which award YOU for volunteering. Continue reading to find out more… (Did I mention that “Volunteering” also includes helping out at NYPO? *wink*).

World Wide Volunteering

World Wide Volunteering (WWV) is a scheme which aims to encourage young people to volunteer. If you have done 25 hours of volunteering – ANY volunteering that is – you are eligible for the Bronze award. If you do another 25 hours, you get the Silver and if you do another 50 hours (25 + 25 + 50 = 100 hours), you get the ultimate… Gold certificate. What’s great about the WWV is that it is UCAS recognised (or so it claims). So, for all you Asians (or people with Asian-like parents) out there whose parents have been training you up to get into Cambridge University since the day you were born, this is a great way to make your university application stand out! And it doesn’t just stop there either – it’ll look good anywhere and everywhere – “anywhere and everywhere” includes your CV, college applications… you get the idea. So, what are you waiting for? Go and download the log sheet here!

OK, I have downloaded the log sheet but where can I volunteer?

As mentioned before, working at NYPO also counts as volunteering. Basically, anything you do to help the wider society and you don’t get paid for counts. There is a database on the WWV website which you can browse for volunteering opportunities. The best place to look is probably your school – helping out teachers, helping out at projects – these are a few examples of how you can volunteer. If you’re a tree hugger, check out the Newham Conservation Volunteers for opportunities. With the 2012 Olympics being staged here, there are plenty more ways to volunteer and young people can contribute a lot to that – just check out the 2012 Olympics website for more.

Right now, I’m volunteering at school in the Homework Club and also taking part in help building an allotment area at school. I know people who have been helping teachers in after school clubs (in particular Art Club), work in charity shops, collect donations outside train stations etc. These are just a few more examples. There’s plenty more out there, so get browsing!

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