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Bethan Wilson

April 9th, 2019

LSE Volunteer of the Year 2019 Nominations: Part One

4 comments

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Bethan Wilson

April 9th, 2019

LSE Volunteer of the Year 2019 Nominations: Part One

4 comments

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

The LSE Volunteer Centre has had a record breaking year for nominations for LSE Volunteer of the Year Award 2019, with 38 different students being put forward by charities, fellow LSE students and LSE members of staff. We’re incredibly proud to be home to so many committed, enthusiastic and passionate student volunteers. The winner will be announced at the LSE Volunteer Awards evening on Tuesday 30 April, and we’ll be tasked with the difficult decision of choosing them. Check out Part Two of the nominations here!

You can read about last year’s award ceremony and the winners on our blog.

Name: Aadil Khan
Course: BSc in Government and Economics
Nominated by:
Anthony Mensah, The Literacy Pirates
Opportunity student has been involved in:
Volunteer Crewmate

“Aadil has been a volunteer with the Literacy Pirates over the past 18 months. In this time we have seen him really develop in his own ability to engage with a wide range of different kinds of young pirates. We can always rely on Aadil in sessions, and he has previously been one of our ‘Volunteers of the Month’ listed on social media. He is brilliant at helping shy and unconfident children come out of their shell, particularly when preparing them for performing in front of the class room. He has been involved in our Steering Groups in which he has given advice on how we continue to increase the impact we continue to have on young people in London. When he is on our register it genuinely will put a smile on my face knowing that I will have him supporting some of the children. We are fortunate to have such an inspiring volunteer among our rich pool of supporters.”

 

Name: Alex Selway
Course: BSc in International Relations and History
Nominated by:
Natalya Sharapova, LSE Students
Opportunity student has been involved in:
LSESU RAG President

“Alex is a very active person who is just in love with the fundraising. He has been a perfect RAG president this year, and his achievements include organisation of the RAG week and more than ten fundraising events and activities. And he always supported other societies initiative to fundraise money for a good cause. So far under his leadership RAG has fundraised more than 10,000 that are going to be transferred to different charities.”

 

Name: Alya Athira Binti-Mogamed-Rafick-Kahn & Emily Otvos
Course:
BSc in Accounting and Finance &  BSC in International Relations and History (respectively)
Nominated by:
Angharad ThainLSE Faith Centre
Opportunity student has been involved in:
Interfaith Ambassador

“Emily and Alya have been an amazing interfaith team this year, volunteering from Michaelmas Term as part of our Interfaith Ambassadors programme to expand interfaith dialogue across campus and create student-led activities in Interfaith Week. Their work together culminated in an amazing afternoon session of sandwich-making for the Islamic Society’s soup kitchen, engaging Jewish and Muslim female students on campus in collaboration with the Jewish-Muslim women’s network Nisa-Nashim. At a time of growing polarisation in our world and in our politics, Emily and Alya are an example of what can be done when women come together across faiths to build relationships and transform attitudes across difference.”

 

Name: Andrea Ploeg
Course:
MSc in Environment and Development
Nominated by:
Katie Rees, Sustainable LSE, Estates
Opportunity student has been involved in:
Sustainability Project Assistant Coordinator for Green Impact

“Andrea brought initiative, ideas and commitment to her role volunteering as Sustainability Project Assistant Coordinator. She developed and delivered a great, interactive Professional Development workshop for other students and I loved that she used her professional networks to inform the content of it. She showed leadership in her role of coordinating the students and took initiative to arrange socials and make it more of a community group. Thank you and good luck with future adventures!”

 

Name: Annie Thomlinson
Course:
BSc in Social Anthropology
Nominated by:
Emily Frampton, LSE Student and Laura Reynolds, Coin Street
Opportunity student has been involved in:
Young at Heart Party, Choir, Family Fun Day, Pole Fitness, Youth Stop Aids

“Annie goes above and beyond to help those around her. Having been the face of the volunteering campaign throughout the year, Annie has not only inspired people to join in fundraising activities, but has also helped to improve the lives of those less fortunate than herself. Annie has not only done this alongside her degree, but also alongside a part time job and whilst supporting multiple societies at LSE.”

“Annie has been an excellent volunteer for two years at Coin Street. This year she has provided essential support for people with access needs at our weekly choir sessions, been a fantastic extra pair of hands in our busy family Sunday sessions and a friendly face for local older people at our coffee mornings. Annie was part of the LSE team which volunteered at the Young at Heart seniors party, serving dinner to over 90 local older people, and has supported other community events during the year. She also helped run the Coin Street stall at the LSE volunteer fair, promoting volunteering to other students by talking about her experience with Coin Street. Annie is practical, hardworking and always smiling. She really values being part of her local community and brings a sense of fun to every session she attends, a star of our team!”

 

Name: Arya Gerard
Course:
LLM
Nominated by:
Angharad Thain (LSE Faith Centre) & David Coles (LSE Volunteer Centre)
Opportunity student has been involved in: Interfaith Ambassador, LSE Student Volunteering Ambassador and FoodCycle volunteer

“Arya has been one of our most committed Interfaith Ambassadors this year, working to create, plan and execute our busiest Interfaith Week yet with events including: an Interfaith Meet and Greet across societies, an Interfaith Quiz; coffee with the LSESU society Women Leaders of Tomorrow to discuss faith and gender; an interfaith primary school visit, an I am your protector photo exhibition; a stall to ask about people’s experiences of engaging with other faiths and finally volunteering at East London Mosque for Mitzvah Day. Arya was involved in our Lent Term Hackathon, asking how we can improve the experiences of LSE students of faith, and was a participant in our term-long Faith & Leadership programme combining religious literacy across faiths with leadership development. She is kind, curious and always willing to go the extra mile in a team. It has been a pleasure to have her as one of our Interfaith Ambassadors this year.”

“Arya is one of the most dedicated volunteers that I’ve ever met. This year she has been an Interfaith Ambassador with The LSE Faith Centre, a Student Volunteering Ambassador, has volunteered with FoodCycle and taken part in numerous one-off volunteering opportunities.

In her work as a Student Volunteering Ambassador she has worked tirelessly to inspire other members of the LSE community to give their time for causes that they’re passionate about. She’s done this through writing blogs, posting on our social media account and attending stalls to talk to students face-to-face. It’s clear that she’s passionate not just about volunteering, but improving the LSE experience for every student across the School. She’s an incredibly inspiring individual and she’s made a huge difference at LSE this year.”

 

Name: Bader Almutawa
Course:
MSc in International Relations
Nominated by:
Alex Pollan, LSE Student
Opportunity student has been involved in:
Volunteer Arabic language tutor and various one-off volunteering opportunities (incl. mapping areas where humanitarian organizations are trying to access, transcribing WWI diaries, and sending terminally ill children letters)

“Bader has made the most of his time at LSE by spending his time volunteering in many different areas of need. He quite enjoys the lessons he learns in each opportunity and enjoys any chance he gets to make other people’s lives easier. His dedication to events throughout both terms on a regular basis shows his steadfast commitment to volunteerism and an authentic desire to improve the quality of life in all areas he works in”

One-Off Volunteering Opportunity: Young at Heart, Coin Street Christmas Party

Name: Bianca Manacorda
Course:
MSc in Development Studies
Nominated by:
Olivia Darby, The Wonder Foundation
Opportunity student has been involved in:
Communications, Research and Advocacy Intern

“Bianca has been a rock to the WONDER team, especially with our FATIMA project. Her deep love for empowering migrants and refugees infuses her work, and she has been diligent, committed and committed to her own learning. She is a fantastic listener and brilliant team player. Using her wealth of experience working with migrants and refugees in Italy, her home country, she has brought compassion and insights to our work to understand trends in migration and how best to support vulnerable migrants in Europe. I am delighted to recommend her.”

 

Name: Calvin Teoh
Course:
BSc in Sociology
Nominated by:
Katie Rees, Sustainable LSE, Estates
Opportunity student has been involved in:
Sustainability Communications Assistant

“It’s been a delight to work with Calvin and Chiara this year as the first students to fill these roles of Communications Assistants. They brought ideas, enthusiasm and commitment to every meeting and their work and I was really impressed with how they jumped into making a fun and engaging video without previous experience! They showed initiative and leadership in their work. Their diligence in communicating and openness about their own commitments has made it smooth and easy to work together. Thank you and good luck with future adventures!”

 

Name: Charlotte Buckingham
Course:
BSc in Mathematics and Economics
Nominated by:
Guzide Sofi, LSE Student
Opportunity student has been involved in:
Volunteer for GirlGuiding

“I would like to nominate Charlotte her role in Girlguiding, helping run the weekly meetings, giving the girls involved in the programme a safe space to be themselves. She has been volunteering as a unit leader since starting university. Whilst I have known her, she has always put her voluntary work first. Every week, she runs a weekly meeting with the girls, and as a unit leader, she is also in charge of all admin work. As well as these weekly meetings, I have seen Charlotte work to recruit new volunteers and new girls, as well as trying to be an active part of a new diversity push.”

One-Off Volunteering Opportunity: Painting at St Ethelburga’s

Name: Chiara Morfeo
Course:
MSc in Politics and Communication
Nominated by:
Katie Rees, Sustainable LSE, Estates
Opportunity student has been involved in:
Sustainability Communications Assistant

“It’s been a delight to work with Calvin and Chiara this year as the first students to fill these roles of Communications Assistants. They brought ideas, enthusiasm and commitment to every meeting and their work and I was really impressed with how they jumped into making a fun and engaging video without previous experience! They showed initiative and leadership in their work. Their diligence in communicating and openness about their own commitments has made it smooth and easy to work together. Thank you and good luck with future adventures!”

 

Name:  Claire Brewin
Course:
 BA in Social Anthropology
Nominated by:
Susie Ward, LSE Student Wellbeing
Opportunity student has been involved in:
LSE Peer Supporter

“Claire has been a peer supporter for the second year running, and puts in a lot of time, checking in on other students, and thinking about ways to increase the ripples of care for others across LSE.  She is committed to publicising mental health awareness, and was the driving force behind the Wellbeing and Mental Health Awareness Day which the peer supporters put on for all students on 21st Jan 2019 – hopefully the first of many.”

 

Name: Clara Mottura
Course:
MSc in Environmental Policy & Regulation
Nominated by:
Elena PearceGreen School Project
Opportunity student has been involved in:
Volunteer  

“Clara is dedicated and passionate in all that she does. Every week, she works with an Eco-Team in a Primary School in Waltham Forest to run environmental projects for the children and the wider community. In this role, Clara brings countless energy, enthusiasm and the biggest smile. She truly believes in the power of young people to change the world and fight climate breakdown, and this shows in the work that she does for us. She has worked extremely hard throughout the year and in the face of challenge, going above and beyond what is required of her and always trying to improve and develop our programme. We are so grateful for the work that she does and recommend her for this award without hesitation.”

 

Name: David Satrio
Course:
MSc in Management
Nominated by:
Katie Skea, Age UK Islington
Opportunity student has been involved in:
Choice & Control Volunteer

“David was volunteering at Age UK Islington within its Choice & Control team for 4 months – helping the service to research services suitable for personal health budgets, for adults with complex needs, including mental health issues. This is a pilot service, funded by the Clinical Commissioning Group.  David also called clients to book appointments for case workers to visit.  He was passionate about working with vulnerable people and when he spoke to clients, took great care to understand their specific circumstances. He was a great communicator and co-ordinated really well with the different team members, making sure that he got to know everyone professionally and socially.  He also showed good leadership skills, making suggestions to resolve issues and was listened to by the team. He was also very hardworking and thorough, and altogether a great asset to the team.”

 

Name:  Desiree Chew
Course:
MSc in Public Administration and Government
Nominated by:
Aline Monaghan, Future Frontiers
Opportunity student has been involved in:
Volunteer Career Coach

“In my time of managing volunteer programmes, Desiree has stood out as one of the most passionate and committed volunteers I have ever worked with. She repeatedly impressed us with the great lengths she took to engage with her pupils and build a rapport, despite their initial shyness and reluctance to participate. She was incredibly skilful in guiding her pupils in finding careers that excited them and motivated them to work hard at school. Desiree’s brightness and positivity inspired not just her pupils, but also the rest of the team. She was always happy to pitch in and support other coaches when they had issues or if anyone was absent, ensuring all pupils on the programme had the best possible experience. She continuously has demonstrated outstanding communication skills and passion for helping young people. She was a real asset to the team!”

One-off volunteering opportunity: CPR with the British Heart Foundation

 

Name: Éléonore Soubeyran
Course:
MPA in Public and Economic Policy
Nominated by:
Isabelle Wilson, Street Child 
Opportunity student has been involved in:
Volunteer in Sri Lanka

“Upon arriving in Sri Lanka Éléonore immediately became involved in the monitoring and evaluation of Street Child’s Teacher Training Programme in Batticaloa West – a six-month training with 90 English teachers, that sought to improve their pedagogy and subject knowledge through in-house training sessions and in-classroom coaching.

Éléonore made a highly valuable contribution to the project’s monitoring and reporting; collating data from endpoint surveys submitted by teachers participating in the training and carried out an endpoint analysis of teacher perception and feedback forms. In addition to this, Éléonore carried out a comparative analysis between the baseline, mid-point and endpoint feedback surveys. Éléonore’s analyses have been central to the project’s final evaluation.

In her final few weeks volunteering, Éléonore worked upon the development of a child rights education project in Batticaloa West zone. In particular, Éléonore looked into possible approaches for community outreach work – by carrying out research into and conducting stakeholder interviews with Village Child Development Committees (VCDC’s), to determine the scope of VCDCs as possible a mechanism for improved awareness of child rights and responsiveness to child protection at community level.”
 

Name: Ellie Cottrell
Course:
LLB
Nominated by:
Vicky Wallace, Hope for Children
Opportunity student has been involved in:
Ambassador for Kilimanjaro climb for Hope for Children

“Ellie signed up to be an ambassador for Hope for Children at the beginning of the academic year. She did exceptionally well in recruiting a team of 25 people to climb Kilimanjaro this year, well exceeding her target of 15! Since then, alongside all her other university and society commitments, she regularly runs her own workshops and helps to organise fundraising events to assist her team in their fundraising. She is a true example of a first year LSE student fully immersing themselves in volunteering. I hope she will be considered for LSE’s Volunteer of the Year Award.”

 

Name: Emily Bayfiled
Course:
BSc in Government and History
Nominated by:
George Linfield, IntoUniversity
Opportunity student has been involved in:
Volunteer

“Emily is a very committed, compassionate and patient mentor at our Lambeth learning centre. She has been mentored a student for over a year and a half and always ensures that meetings are valuable and engaging for her mentee. In the past her mentee struggled to engage with academic work, preferring more social activities. However, thanks to her creativity and care, Emily has been able to boost her mentee’s inclination towards her school work, in particular Maths. In fact Emily’s mentee often asks to do extra sessions on Maths together so that she can improve and learn even more than she does in school! Emily is a real asset to IntoUniversity Lambeth and we are delighted to nominate her for this award.”

 

Name: Erin Mysogland
Course:
MSc in International & World History
Nominated by:
Katherine Nichols, LSE Student
Opportunity student has been involved in:
Big events and also weekly duties such as phone calls and writing to MPs etc, for Migrants Organise 

“Erin goes above and beyond each week, often staying till the late hours of the day. Works events that fall on the weekend or weekday evenings happily. Also willing to do whatever, including clear up or run check ins. She is passionate, professional and dedicated every week. She also never complains about her other work or making time to volunteer, but every week manages to. I am honoured to know her and hope she will be recognised.”

 

Name: Federica Babagioni
Course: MSc in Human Rights
Nominated by:
Lucia Zaupa, Medair UK
Opportunity student has been involved in:
Writing applications for Trust and Foundations; Applying for CSR Awards, Helping plan and run events; Representing Medair at university career fairs; Helping create content for the Medair Folk Facebook page; Creating content for the Medair Prayer Diary; Helped engage UK field staff

“We believe that Federica would be a great candidate for the LSE Volunteer of the Year award. Her commitment, achievements and dedication to go the extra mile has greatly helped the team at Medair UK. Examples of some of her greatest achievements are:

  • Helped to write a number of high quality applications for CSR Awards: got to grips with this process and style and tone of application very quickly and very well; some of these applications have then successfully been shortlisted for awards.
  • Willing to stay late and come in on extra days when required in order to get things done / completed: very responsible and proactive approach to time management and task management.
  • Very helpful and flexible. Very thorough, e.g when adding new supporter to the CRM database or editing existing ones.
  • She has been promoted to Senior Volunteer after 3 months and is now training other volunteers, i.e how to use our CRM database and giving an introduction to Medair and our programmes.”

 

…. This isn’t the end! Lookout for Part Two of the nominations for LSE Volunteer of the Year 2019! We’ll also be publishing the nominations for Voluntary Organisation of the Year. We’ve got more than 200+ ongoing opportunities on CareerHub so make sure you search them for further volunteering information. You can also book a one-to-one with David Coles, the Volunteer Centre Manager, if you have more questions. And why not follow us on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram to stay up-to-date with our events and opportunities and read our blog for more volunteering tips and stories.

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About the author

Bethan Wilson

Beth’s main responsibilities are working with a fantastic team of Student Volunteering Ambassadors and coordinating the centre’s marketing and communications. As an LSE alumni, Beth strives to put the LSE student experience at the heart of everything the Volunteer Centre does.

Posted In: Charity | Discover ID | Environment | International development | International organisation | LSE Careers | Media | NGO | Volunteer Centre

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