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Many student volunteers have previously spent their time in schools, working with local children to expand and broaden their experiences and the people and cultures they meet. When in-person teaching stopped, these student volunteers found a way to move online and carry on.

One such project revolved around World Book Day. World Book Day Goes Global was a one-off project open to students who speak an additional language. They recorded videos of themselves reading aloud a short children’s story in their native language, offering a simple English translation at the end along with suggestions for accompanying activities. These videos, with languages ranging from Urdu to Dutch, were sent to schools across the city in time for World Book Day 2021.

One of the student volunteers explained how much they enjoyed the project:

I really enjoyed knowing that I could share a part of my childhood and culture with the younger generation. It was fun revisiting a story that I loved so much as a child.”

Ferham Primary School who showed some of the videos responded by saying: “Thank you so much for the stories read in foreign languages, they are wonderful. As a diverse school we love to be involved with things such as this.”

While for Language Buddies, students collaborated in teams on video lessons designed to encourage language learning among primary school children. The students introduced simple vocabulary and phrases, as well as fun facts about different countries and cultures.

Language Buddies volunteer Astrid said:

In the times of Covid, meeting others has been difficult, and I felt my skills in this area including teamwork had somewhat diminished. Therefore, this was a good opportunity to build them up again.”

After the success of the pre-recorded videos sent out to schools, some of the student volunteers have followed up with a livestream session for pupils in year 3 at Arbourthorne Primary School. They are also looking to continue Language Buddies in a range of schools next year once they can return to face-to-face sessions.

Students have also been using their language and communication skills to combat loneliness among more isolated members of the public. Students from the Students’ Union’s volunteering group have linked up with 91ֱ�� Church’s Council for Community Care’s (SCCCC) ‘Good Neighbour Scheme’, which matches volunteers with isolated, older residents. For many of these people, English is not their first language, which is where our wonderful international student community comes in. Drawing on their native language, they are able to reach out over the phone to have a weekly chat with people who may be at home shielding, or for whom daily conversations on the street have fallen off in the pandemic.

Student volunteer George explains how he got involved:

“I’ve been volunteering with SCCCC for more than six months now. It all started when I was travelling on a bus. I said hello to an older person, and they stopped and had a conversation with me for about twenty minutes. They kept talking to me every time they saw me.

“At first, I thought they were just being friendly, but it then dawned on me that this person was talking to me because they had very little interaction with other people - despite having the advantage over some older people of being mobile and able to go outdoors.

“My own lockdown experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic have also made me better understand the issue of adult loneliness, prompting me to carry out further research.”

91ֱ�� Volunteering’s Digital Skill Share is another scheme drawing on students’ skills – this time their affinity for technology and digital media. Many charities have reported a lack of resource, knowledge and ability to run online activities and make the most of digital tools. This has been a real limiting factor, highlighted particularly by the pandemic.

That is where our students come in. Digital Skill Share matches students who have experience in video editing, social media management and website development to local charities who need assistance. The project aims to embed these skills within the charities, making a tangible difference in the services they are able to offer, as well as ensuring a lasting impact. It’s also great practical, real world experience for student to take away and draw on in their careers a few years down the line.

Lucy Jones from the National Trust said that the Digital Skill Share is a “really good project that allows students to grow in confidence and develop links with local organisations”. They are just one of about 20 charity organisations who have been matched with a 91ֱ�� student.

These are just a few of the 91ֱ�� Volunteering stories which have seen them thriving thanks to our amazing community of student volunteers!