Welcome to 2024! Whether you are entering into the new year energized and ready to set goals, or you need some more time to recharge and are looking to set boundaries instead, January is always a good time to check in with yourself and be mindful of how you can live a happy and healthy life. At the LSE Volunteer Centre, we encourage students to consider trying volunteering in the new year as it can boost your mental health by giving you a sense of purpose, add structure to your life, allow you to make new friends, or develop a new skill! Volunteering can also look like many things, such as doing a one-off with us, or working with one of the charity partners that we promote on CareerHub.
To help guide your resolutions, we’ve come up with four ways to kickstart your volunteering in 2024 while at LSE. And if you’re not ready to volunteer yet, know that you can always reach out to us at the Volunteer Centre–beginning of term or not–and receive guidance and inspiration on how to kickstart your volunteering journey!
1. Have a good think
It sounds a little simple and obvious, but it’s really important that you think about your motivations. We wrote this blog last year about how to start thinking about volunteering and you can always book an appointment with the LSE Volunteer Centre if you’re still stuck. To get started, we reccommend writing out the answers to questions such as the following: What cause do you want to volunteer for? What size of charity you want to be become a part of? What skills you can offer? What skills would you like to develop? What do you want to get from the opportunity?
2. Volunteering Fair
Twice a year we invite a whole bunch of our amazing charity partners for the LSE Volunteering Fairs. On Tuesday 23 January, we’ll be hosting 25 organisations that are looking to recruit LSE student volunteers, because they know just how passionate and committed you are!
This year, the Volunteer Centre will be dedicating the first 30 minutes of the Volunteering Fair to welcome Disabled and Neurodivergent students, providing time and space to learn more about volunteering in a quieter and less busy atmosphere. We welcome any student who self-identifies as Disabled or Neurodivergent to register for this session if you are curious or passionate about volunteering. If you do not identify as a Disabled or Neurodivergent student, please book your spot for the Fair using this link.
3. One-off volunteering
Our one-off volunteering programme is great for students who haven’t volunteered before, or are afraid they don’t have time to volunteer. We have a range of opportunities coming up this term both online, on campus and off campus all focusing on a range of different causes so they’ll be something to suit you! Check them all out on our events page.
4. Student Volunteering Week
During Week 5 of Winter Term (12-16 February), universities across the UK will be celebrating Student Volunteering Week 2024. It’s a whole week dedicated to celebrating the amazing volunteering students do in their local and wider communities! So what’s happening during the week? All week, we’ll be showcasing causes students can get involved in and highlighting volunteering at LSE. For updates about the week, keep an eye on our Instagram (@lsevolunteering) and the blog!
If Sophie 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.
