Why volunteer?

At the Students Association, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do without the persistence and support of our student volunteers. Without our Meet-up and Events Hosts and Club Leads, we wouldn’t be able to build community here at the OU; without our Graduation Ceremony volunteers we wouldn’t be able to spread the word about the Association, raise vital funds for the OU Student Educational Trust (OUSET) and if we had no Student Representatives, the student voice would be quieter and less focused.

I could go on, and on, and in thinking about volunteering at the Association, I can see many reasons why volunteering benefits other students, the Association and more widely, the OU itself. 

The benefits of volunteering

But what’s in it for our volunteers? What is the wider benefit of volunteering, and in particular, the benefits of volunteering with the Association?

Volunteers give up their precious time for a wide variety of reasons and every volunteer gets something different from their volunteering experience, including:

• Improving self-esteem and confidence.
• Gaining valuable transferable skills for other volunteering roles and work.
• Using your skills and knowledge.
• Develop new skills through training and experience. 
• Enhancing the feeling of connection and belonging at your university.
• Giving something back.
• Helping students.
• Making new friends.
• Feeling part of a team and valued.
• Having fun!

Many of our volunteers go on to other roles after building up confidence and experience, including elected roles as Student Leaders and Trustees, to volunteering with other organisations, employment, and career advancement. It also feels good to know you’re making a positive difference to the lives and experiences of others, and, importantly, changing the way things work for the better at the University. 

Wellbeing through volunteering

Thinking about wellbeing, volunteering has been shown to improve mental health in many ways. Building relationships, achieving goals, and feeling fulfilled help us develop a sense of purpose. If we feel we’re contributing to our community and have fun along the way, this can lessen the effects of stress, anger, and anxiety. 

Furthermore, building bonds and connections with people we volunteer with counteracts the isolation of distance learning that often causes stress and anxiety. By strengthening our bonds with our community here at the Association, we can also create a support system for ourselves to lessen these feelings and increase feelings of positivity. 

It may be we have to leave our comfort zone to even take the first step in applying for a volunteering role, and this can be personally challenging. Be reassured that volunteering with the Association is a safe place to take those first steps, learn, develop, and practise your skills. And who knows where it may take you…

If you’d like to talk about wellbeing and taking that first step in volunteering with the Association, please reach out to Nicola, Training & Wellbeing Officer,  at oustudents-volunteer@open.ac.uk

For more information about the benefits of volunteering see:

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), of which the Students Association is a member, Time well spent 2023.

The World Happiness Report 2024 talks about the rise of benevolence and volunteering since the pandemic.

The Royal Voluntary Service Volunteering – a powerful social prescription.

The Mental Health Foundation’s guide on Kindness and mental health.