It’s no secret that university is a busy time. The waves of lectures, tutorials, and meetings seem endless, on top of which trying to maintain a social life can be overwhelming. It’s hard to find the time to do something extra, to give back to the community. But upon investigating the various forms of volunteering that take place across Edinburgh, it’s been made clear to me that the benefits of volunteering stretch far beyond what I had initially imagined.
My intention is not to make you feel bad for not volunteering yourself — I haven’t myself while at university. I’ve always felt that a paying part-time job is the way to go: both professional experience on my CV and, of course, some extra income to ease the pressure on rent, bills, and day to day costs. Volunteering has always felt like something I couldn’t make time for. “It would be nice, but…” is my usual defence when the conversation arises.
While the benefits to the community in any form of volunteering are obvious, it’s important to remember how much the individual volunteer is getting out of it. Firstly, there’s benefits to mental wellbeing. The boost to your mood that you get after a good deed is huge, and doing this consistently has long term affects. Volunteer Scotland estimates that volunteering at least once a week with an organisation is worth £1,000 per person per year in terms of increased wellbeing. That’s like spending roughly £20 a week to help with your wellbeing.
Furthermore, a review of volunteering in NHS Lothian found that 78% of volunteers surveyed reported that their confidence had increased. In the case of this type of medical volunteering, and many other forms, the confidence boost is linked to an increase in socialisation. On top of this, Volunteer Scotland also highlight the impact that volunteer work has on the economy. The work of volunteers makes a £2.3 billion contribution to the Scottish economy in terms of economic and social value.
So what volunteering opportunities are there at the University of Edinburgh? As it happens, your options are wide and varied: anything from campaigning and social issues, to conservation and environment, or even technology and development. The amount of work that our student volunteering groups do is staggering.
I spoke to Ollie, a frequent volunteer with two student run organisations, Dirty Weekenders and the Permaculture Gardening Society. Both outdoors-focused forms of volunteering, Dirty Weekenders helps with conservation projects around Edinburgh such as planting trees or removing invasive species, while Permaculture Gardening Society teaches students about conserving nature on their plot at King’s Buildings. Ollie found the satisfaction for self-involvement and the friendship he got from volunteering with these groups extremely valuable. On top of this, it’s a really good way to get to know Edinburgh. Students can find themselves in a bit of a bubble: campus, Meadows, home. But in the case of Dirty Weekenders, volunteering across the city gives you an insight into places you might not have thought to visit or didn’t even know about in the first place.
We discussed the difficulties of finding time to volunteer when there’s paid work opportunities out there. He noted that this is on his mind but also pointed out to me that volunteering is low commitment — you choose how much time you want to spend doing it. People come back when they have time, and the environment of these groups is always welcoming. The nature of volunteering allows for people to do both paid work and volunteering, when they can.
Additionally, Noah, former president of Slurp (Students for Actions on Homelessness) noted his experience in a committee role has helped him to be offered jobs in management positions, that he doesn’t feel he would have been offered if he didn’t have this experience. So while there might not be the initial benefits of a paid position, volunteer work is valuable work experience. He also highlighted the culture we have of students who want to volunteer; giving them a place to do so felt like a meaningful part of his role as president.
It’s been inspiring to hear stories of fellow students’ impact on the community. The things that they do to help people in ways that I hadn’t considered until now. As a fourth year student with a part time job, I know all too well how it’s hard to find time. But even if it’s just one afternoon or evening helping out somewhere, the impact it makes on you and in the wider community is massive. I hope to pick up a spade, a spoon, or an apron when I can find the time, and I hope reading this will encourage you to do the same. Maybe I’ll see you there.
Photo by Neslihan Gunaydin on Unsplash