Every year the LSE Volunteer Centre celebrates the fantastic student volunteering across the school at our annual Volunteer Awards. Whilst we are unable to host the awards this year, we’ve received some outstanding nominations which showcase the amazing work that students do through their volunteering. We’ll be opening nominations again for LSE Volunteer of the Year 2020 at the end of the summer, so get ready to nominate!
“As always, we’ve been so impressed with the dedication shown by LSE students to helping others through volunteering. The nominations that we’ve received so far show that our students are an inspiration and that they make a meaningful contribution to whichever cause they are passionate about. We were sad that our awards couldn’t take place in May, like in other years, but we’re committed to making them even more special when we hold them in October.” (David Coles, Volunteer Centre Manager)
Name: Daniel Lawes (BSc International Relations and History, 2022)
Nominated by: Simran Panchal (BSc in International Social & Public Policy with Politics)
Volunteering: Chief Executive of YouthPolitics UK
“Daniel volunteers by leading the non-profit organisation that he founded, YouthPolitics UK, as its Chief Executive. The organisation is dedicated to encouraging political engagement among young people and provides free, non-partisan campaigning sessions to help youth in deprived areas develop the skills to enact positive change. He has led the organisation to reach over 14,000 young people by embarking on grassroots initiatives like talks in schools, workshops and collaborations with youth centres. YouthPolitics has expanded into London and Edinburgh and Daniel now leads a team of around 45 young volunteers. He is also a senior volunteer with for the HRH #iWill campaign which works to promote youth social action. He represents the campaign at events works with senior government officials to expand opportunities for young people. Daniel also raised £300 this year for Parkinson’s UK after his grandfather’s death, bringing the total he has raised for the charity to nearly £4000.”
Name: Yie Shern Lo (BSc Economics, 2022)
Nominated by: Aiynah Hazni from Charisma Movement, Michael Ma (BSc Economics, 2022) and Justin Yui (BSc Accounting and Finance, 2022)
Volunteering: Events volunteer for Charisma Movement
“Yie Shern was delighted when his project proposal for an event raising awareness on breast and ovarian cancer was selected among dozen others to be executed by Charisma Movement. Yie Shern led and organised a one-day event with the aim of empowering women with the knowledge and skills required to tackle these cancers. However, his support in battling breast and ovarian cancer is not restricted only to this event. As of recent, he has been raising funds which are to be donated to breast cancer foundations and has been conducting interviews with breast and ovarian cancer specialists to learn more about the diseases. Yie Shern’s genuine passion and care for breast and ovarian cancer patients truly sets him apart, and he has been a delight to work with. It is refreshing to see someone who cares so much about an issue, regardless of whether the issue affects him directly or not. He is a kind and caring soul, and always succeeds at bringing the team together!”
Name: Naomi Sarfati (BSc Management, 2020)
Nominated by: Sahas Bhatia (BSc Management, 2020)
Volunteering: Mentor at ReachOut
“I am nominating Naomi Sarfati for her amazing dedication to bettering different parts of society this year. At ReachOut, she mentored a young person from a disadvantaged background, and built her mentee’s confidence immensely on both academic and personal levels. After every session, she could not wait to return and this was infectious to see. At Students for Children, she raised funds in creative ways for the charity Save the Children. At 180 Degrees Consulting, she led a team to help a renewable energy charity grow its energy-saving school competition to primary schools across the UK. And at Frontline, a social work charity, she helped recruit students to become social workers.I know Naomi very well, and believe she is the warmest, most thoughtful and caring a person can ever be. To me, she is the epitome of “Be the change you want to see in the world”. Next year, should things go as planned, she will become a teacher for TeachFirst, where she will continue to inspire lives!”
Name: Saachin Sivakumar (BSc Accounting and Finance, 2020)
Nominated by: Calvin Ooi (BSc Economics, 2022), Giap Ko (BSc Economics, 2022), Dr. Pik Liew (Programme Director for BSc in Accounting & Finance), Charlotte Kelloway (LSE Media Relations Officer) & Scarlet Prentice (LSE Sustainability Engagement Officer).
Volunteering: LSESU Enactus President
“Saach has been actively involved in a range of volunteering activities this year, particularly via his leadership role in Enactus LSESU. He is the team leader this year and has successfully led his team members in implementing a number of projects that have made remarkable social impacts to a wide range of stakeholders. One of their projects have recently been awarded as a runner-up of the semi-final (being one of the top 8) at the Enactus UK National Award. Saach was also being awarded the Best Team Leader of the Year by Enactus UK for his voluntary commitment to create positive social impacts. If you would like to find out more about the Enactus LSESU’s volunteering activities and social projects, please see here.Just to give you some brief information to support my nomination of Saach for the Award in terms of the social impacts of his volunteering activities. Saach worked closely with two charities, Baytree and London Youth, to provide guidance and support to some disadvantaged women to start their own businesses. Through this project, he has supported 7 disadvantaged women and 2 of which have eventually started their own businesses. Saach also liaised with ThamesReach, a homeless charity, to create and design a 4-week workshop on key employability skills to help some homeless people to get back into employment. He hosted 2 workshops for 18 people before the project was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Saach has also worked with Spiral Youth to create an 8-week programme to education and support the “Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETs)” on a range of key academic, personal and professional skills to help them get back into education or employment.I know that there are a lot more than Saach has done and it surprises me every time I hear from him and his team (rather regularly) that they are starting a new project and/or they have done “x” and “y” to support a group of people who need extra support in our society. I believe that his noble generosity of giving up his time at LSE to support and help various groups of people who need help in our society voluntarily should be recognised by the School. I warmly recommend Saach for the Award.”
Name: Emily Otvos (BSc in International Relations and History, 2020)
Nominated by: Angharad Thain (LSE Faith Centre)
Volunteering: Interfaith Ambassador
“Emily has been one of the Faith Centre’s most committed and engaged students over the last two years. She was an enthusiastic and committed Interfaith Ambassador, Interfaith Encounter: Israel and Palestine participant and Hackathon participant. This year, she had the vision and the drive to create a new student society, LSE Women’s Interfaith Group for women at LSE across all faiths and none to build friendships across difference through social action activities. The group met fortnightly, collaborating with FoodCycle to use food to make sandwiches for the homeless which could be distributed at the LSE Islamic Society’s Soup Kitchen on campus. They ran targeted collections for hygiene and toiletries, and used the meetings to discuss vital topics relevant to women of faith, including harassment against women, how to tackle religious based hate crime and improving LSE mental health provision. The project has now expanded to four other universities around the country. At this time of increasing division and polarisation across religions, initiatives like this show the possibility for faiths to come together and inspire change at the LSE on the most important issues of our time. I am nominating Emily in recognition of her contribution to the life of the Faith Centre, and of her courage and determination to set up this initiative, and to ensure it has gone from strength to strength this year.”
Name: Anmol Irfan (BA History, 2020)
Nominated by: Angharad Thain (LSE Faith Centre)
Volunteering: SU Faith Network co-chair
“Anmol has been an exceptional Faith Centre participant over the last two years, volunteering her time above and beyond to contribute to the life of the LSE campus. She has designed, supported and run numerous events during two consecutive Interfaith Weeks, bringing her passion, energy and ideas to a diverse team across faiths. She is always happy to pitch in last minute and help with events and social media campaigns, and brings a calmness and strength to any team. She was a stand-out participant on the Faith and Climate Action programme, leading a small team during a case study assignment between sessions and galvanising others in the group to contribute their skills and ideas. She volunteered her time to attend a roundtable with the Bishop of London, sharing her reflections on the future of interfaith and the challenges and potential she has seen through her engagement with other faiths at LSE. In Lent Term she took on the role of the SU Faith Network co-chair, advocating for faith groups on campus and helping make decisions on funding for faith activities. She has been an incredible volunteer for the Faith Centre and we are proud to nominate her this year.”
If these nominations have inspired you to volunteer, check out one of our other 200+ ongoing opportunities or book a one-to-one with David Coles, the Volunteer Centre Manager if you have more questions. If you are short on time, then take a look at the one-off opportunities that will return for Michaelmas Term 2019, organised by the LSE Volunteer Centre. And why not follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay up-to-date with our events and opportunities and read our blog for more volunteering tips and stories.
