The LSE Community Engagement Programme is a supported initiative in which teams of LSE students volunteer as consultants for UK and overseas charities. Each team is given a project brief they must address within 10 weeks, and which focuses on a ‘challenge’ a charity faces. Student applications to the LSE Community Engagement Programme 2023 are open until 12 November to all current LSE undergraduates and postgraduates.
In this blogpost, we hear from Alex, a participant in the CEP who reflects on their personal growth while working with a charity surrounding social mobility and education.
My name is Alex, and I was selected to take part in a volunteer consulting project for a UK-based charity earlier this year. I want to take this opportunity to reflect on my experience on the programme.
I was really lucky to be paired with a charity that very much aligned with my passions in social mobility and education. You see, I grew up in an area where few attend university, and many face financial difficulties. Because of this, I found it a very rewarding experience to advise a charity and in turn, generate social change in deprived areas of London. Furthermore, as many of my team were studying subjects such as Public Policy, I found it a very empowering environment to be in as I was surrounded by other people who are also driven to generate social change in these areas.
That isn’t to say that this programme was not without challenges. Perhaps the largest challenge was balancing this project, with real stakeholders and real impact, alongside a demanding degree. However, this meant I came out of the project knowing how to best prioritize different tasks and balance many different commitments. I learned my strengths and weaknesses and how these complement other people in my team. For example, I have a very pragmatic approach to solving bumps in the road, while another team member was very good at coming up with caveats to my suggestions. This was an especially productive combination as we would brainstorm ways to mitigate the issues that could come up!
One person who was vital to the project was our alumni mentor. She wasn’t just someone who was a touch point for us throughout the project, but also someone who I could ask career-related questions to. One thing that I really appreciated was the personal branding workshops that she ran for us. Figuring out what makes me unique, my personal purpose and my brand has allowed me to apply to jobs with purpose and stay true to myself. I also think it really resonated with the Community Engagement Programme’s purpose: I gained a deeper understanding of myself, but also of my teammates. I think exploring the things that make us unique definitely strengthened the team bond and made me see the true diversity of the LSE community.
To say this project was invaluable to my personal development would be an understatement. I learnt so much about volunteering, myself, and other people. Thank you to my alum mentor, my team, and Rosie for being there for me throughout this project!
If Alex has inspired you to volunteer, check out one of our other ongoing opportunities or book a one-to-one with David Coles, the Volunteer Centre Manager if you have more questions. And why not follow us on Twitter, and Instagram to stay up-to-date with our events and opportunities and read our blog for more volunteering tips and stories.
