Check out this inspiring blog from Action Tutoring on how volunteering can help the volunteer as well as the students they work with!

With 2021 starting with a new lockdown, Action Tutoring have been amazed by the number of wonderful volunteers who have applied to tutor with us this month. In January, we received over 600 tutor applications, and over a quarter of those were from university students!

With the help of our inspiring volunteer tutors, collaborative partner schools and supportive parents and guardians, Action Tutoring has been delivering online tutoring sessions for pupils who are learning from home as a result of school closures. Programme Manager for London, Nargis Taylor, said: “It has been really reassuring to see that the young people are able to have some consistency and normality whilst being unable to leave the house. It was lovely to see the pupils chatting away with their tutors. In many ways, it looked like most of the other school-based online tutoring sessions I have delivered for pupils.”

“Consistency and normality” are vital in positively impacting the mental health of the young people in a world where they have spent almost a year being in and out of school, and often locked in for long periods. In a national lockdown, children are bound to miss their usual structure, friends and family, which can lead to feelings like uncertainty, boredom and restlessness. Action Tutoring are proud to be able to offer some kind of normalcy in the continuation of our tutoring programmes; not only for our pupils, but also for our fantastic volunteers.

Volunteer tutor Sam, from the University of Nottingham, said: “Just having my two scheduled weekly tutoring sessions has been great. It gives me something to look forward to each week – something to think about and plan for, and I’d have to say it’s made me more productive during the pandemic.”

Making a genuine difference to the lives of others gives us purpose and a sense of focus during a time where usual routines have been disrupted. Volunteering develops wellbeing by providing the opportunity to meet others (virtually!), supporting you to feel connected to the community you live in during term-time, and make a positive impact on the lives of others who might not receive support without your help. In any volunteering venture you undertake, you can support others as well as supporting yourself.

You can find out more about Action Tutoring here.

If you were inspired by this blog, it’s not too late to get your volunteering started! 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 happening over the rest of Lent Term, organised by the LSE Volunteer Centre. If you want to share your volunteering experience with us, why not write us a blog? Have a scroll through our blog page to read what other students have written and get inspired!