Volunteering

Contribute to your community and enhance your CV at the same time!

Volunteering is an excellent way to gain both valuable experience and practical transferable skills to put on your CV. Volunteering shows that you are a proactive and enthusiastic person and that you are willing to do extra to help others. At the same time worthwhile community causes can benefit from your enthusiasm and energy. And it's a good way to meet people too!

How to Volunteer

We have collected the following Volunteering links:

Exchanges, Study Abroad & Volunteering	Our aim is simple: to help more Leeds Metropolitan students and staff to engage in volunteer work both in Leeds and abroad. Why? Because volunteering enhances our personal and professional development and because Leeds Metropolitan has a commitment to support its many Community Partners. Our volunteering opportunities can be found on Prospects @ Jobs & Careers, accessed via the student portal Website: http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/volunteering
Leeds Met Students Union Volunteers	The SU facilitates bright and ambitious volunteers who use their initiative to make a difference in an area they are passionate about. We provide an excellent service to help students become more employable after graduation. A graduate who can boast having led a successful volunteer project will have a real competitive edge, and of course the project can easily be one that is relevant to the student's career ambitions.Opportunities for students' union volunteers include STAR's (academic reps), clubs & societies, community action volunteering, events, campaigns, student media and student training. Our volunteering opportunities can be found on Prospects @ Jobs & Careers accessed via the student portal Website: http://www.leedsmetsu.co.uk/
Voluntary Action Leeds (VAL)	Voluntary Action Leeds (VAL) is the Council for Voluntary Service in Leeds. We provide innovative and direct support, services and specialist advice to hundreds of Third Sector organisations across Leeds, helping them to carry out their work and ensuring they are well represented in partnership work. Website: http://www.val.org.uk/
Vinspired	Voluntary website for 16-25 year olds with nationwide opportunities Website: http://vinspired.com/
Do-it.org	National database of voluntary opportunities Website: http://www.do-it.org.uk/
Skill Will	Created to help charities and community groups find volunteers with business skills and vice versa. Website: http://www.skillwill.co.uk/

International Volunteering

There is a wide range of international volunteering and gap year projects, though there is often a cost associated with these. (You may be able to fundraise to help pay for these).

Careful planning and research are important to make sure you get the most out of your trip and we would suggest that you ensure you travel with a reputable organisation.

Leeds Metropolitan University has a range of international volunteering opportunities available to students and staff members.

What to consider

What type of volunteering do you want to do?
What skills do you have to offer?
What experiences would you like to gain from the trip?
Where do you want to go? Consider the culture, language and climate of the area that you want to visit.
What type of organisation do you want to go with? Do your research on the organisation you want to travel with, (e.g. speak to previous volunteers and research feedback from previous volunteers on the web).

Teaching English as a Foreign Language can be a good option to consider if you are also hoping to earn some money whilst travelling.

Partnership Volunteering

We dedicate ourselves to ensuring a successful student experience, whilst also seeking to develop students personal and career skills. We achieve this through great relationships, exclusive opportunities and vast knowledge of the events industry.

We recruit and manage staff and volunteers at a variety of events. In 2012, we gave over 1000 students and alumni unique placements at music festivals, sporting spectacles and arts events.

Opportunities for 2013 and beyond:

Music

Latitude Festival
Hove Festival (Norway)
Leeds festival

Sport

Rugby League World Cup 2013
Tour de France 2014 (Yorkshire)
Common Wealth Games 2014

Art

West Yorkshire Playhouse
Geraldine Connor Foundation
Edinburgh Fringe Festival

By volunteering, you can expect:

to meet new friends;
friendly peers to work with friendly peers;
to be supported by friendly and helpful staff; ·
to have a great experience
to make memories that last a lifetime
enjoy a fantastic atmosphere.

For more information on roles, opportunities and to apply, please visit our Partnership Voluntering Page - www.leedsmet.ac.uk/partnershipvolunteering

International Volunteering Web Resources

Prospects Gap Year	If you want to take time out, see the world and learn new skills, a gap year is the perfect way to round off university life. You will find everything you need to know here about choosing and planning a gap year in the UK and abroad.
Leeds Met International Volunteering	International Volunteering at Leeds Metropolitan University
Platform	Funded Volunteering Experiences
Year Out Group	Year Out Group provides a total reference and resource for all you need to make the most of your year out. This includes over 35 provider organisations offering a superb choice of locations and activities.
United Nations Association Exchange	We offer thousands of diverse volunteer opportunities in over 60 countries worldwide.
Voluntary Action for Peace	Volunteer Action for Peace (VAP) is a UK-based charity organisation which works towards creating and preserving international peace, justice and human solidarity for people and their communities
Voluntary Service Overseas	VSO is the world's leading independent international development organisation that works through volunteers to fight poverty in developing countries.
Jobs Abroad Bulletin	The Jobs Abroad Bulletin (JAB) is a bulletin board full of job vacancies posted by employers looking for staff. We allow employers to post vacancies to us for free so JAB can contain as many jobs as possible.
i-to-i	If you're looking for a unique travel experience abroad, look no further! i-to-i's programs are the perfect way to meet new people, immerse yourself in new cultures and make a difference abroad. Abroad Jobs, Abroad Graduates Guide, created by i-to-i and Prospects
Intercultural Youth Exchange	Inter Cultural Youth Exchange (ICYE) UK, a charity that sends volunteers to work with communities overseas in social and welfare placements.
Projects Abroad	Projects Abroad is one of the largest volunteer abroad organizations in the world. Founded in 1992, we send over 8,000 people abroad each year on a variety of service projects and internships overseas.
Raleigh International	Raleigh International, working as part of a consortium of respected volunteering organisations funded by the Department for International Development is very excited to be delivering International Citizen Service (ICS).
Leonardo de Vinci Programme	The Leonardo da Vinci Programme funds practical projects in the field of vocational education and training. Initiatives range from those giving individuals work-related training abroad to large-scale co-operation efforts.
CIEE	CIEE is a non-profit, non-governmental international exchange organization. For over 60 years, our mission has been: "to help people gain understanding, acquire knowledge, and develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world." We develop and administer programs, advocate for the advancement of international education, and build knowledge through CIEE research, publications, and conferences.
AIESEC	Present in over 110 countries and territories and with over 60,000 members, AIESEC is the world's largest youth-run organization. It focuses on providing a platform for youth leadership development.
BUNAC	BUNAC offers a range of exciting summer camp, work abroad and volunteer abroad programmes. BUNAC is the work and travel expert and has been helping young people work and volunteer abroad since 1962. Popular gap year destinations include: USA, Canada, New Zealand, Ghana, Australia, Britain, China, South Africa and many more.
Real Gap	Real Gap Experience are the UK’s leading gap year and student travel adventure specialists and have sent over 50,000 people on adventures abroad. We offer over 200 trips around the world so whether you want to do volunteer work abroad, get some overseas work experience, try your hand at teaching abroad or simply travel round the world to satisfy your wanderlust, we’ve got the perfect adventure travel option for you!
Gap Year Jobs	GapYearJobs is a specialist job site, dedicated to helping you find the best job for your gap year. Whether it be in adventure, catering and hospitality, charity, leisure, sport or travel and tourism, GapYearJobs is the place to start your search.

What help can I get? If you wish to discuss your choices further you might like to book an appointment to speak to a Careers Adviser

Get in touch

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