New survey looks at the impact of volunteering on students at Imperial

Imperial’s Volunteer Centre helps people develop key skills for the future - News

Tuesday 7 April 2009
By Naomi Weston

Over 450 students currently take part in community projects through Imperial College London’s Volunteer Centre (IVC). They help others but what impact does volunteering have on them?

IVC projects vary from providing computer coaching for older people to helping organise sporting activities for children and offering support to migrants and refugees who are experiencing distress or mental ill-health through the Migrant and Refugee Communities Forum, who provide full training and supervision.

Now new research undertaken by the IVC shows that volunteering can enhance people’s skills such as working in a team, problem solving, communication skills, which can help improve employability, self-confidence, give students opportunities to try something new and learn new skills.

81% of participants said that their confidence in their own abilities increased as a result of volunteering and 96% of participants agreed that volunteering through the IVC improved their experience at university through meeting people from different backgrounds and being part of the local community.

In addition everyone who took part in the survey said they would recommend volunteering to their friends.

New research undertaken by the IVC shows that volunteering can enhance people’s skills

Minna Ruohonen, Community Relations Manager in the IVC said:

“The results are very positive and it’s great to know our volunteers are benefiting from their experience. This is particularly important in today’s competitive and challenging job market. Volunteering is a great way of gaining transferable skills and this research shows clear evidence on how volunteering can be used to enhance students’ learning and development here at Imperial.”

The IVC was awarded a College Teaching and Development Grant to measure the impacts of volunteering on students. An on-line survey was developed and over 200 volunteers took part. Participants were asked a range of questions about how volunteering has affected them.

The survey also showed that over 70% of participants agreed that their networks of friends with similar interests had increased. Similarly, over 70% felt that their willingness to meet and help other people had increased.

Case study

Arul Arumugam, a postgraduate student from Malaysia studying in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has taken part in two long term projects organised by the IVC.

Arul is involved in two different projects

She is a mentor for IntoUniversity, which helps school pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds reach university or another goal such as an apprenticeship and she also volunteers at a homework club at the Rugby Portobello Trust in North Kensington, which works with young people to help them reach their goals through helping them find housing, providing cooking lessons and volunteering projects.

“At the moment I am helping my mentees with preparing for their GCSEs. When we meet up we look at their homework but also generally talk about any school-related issues they might have,” says Arul.

“My main motivation to start volunteering was to feel part of the community. This is my first time in London and you do feel a bit up-rooted at first so volunteering is a great way to integrate and at the same time give something back.

“Volunteering is great in terms of polishing ‘people skills’ like team playing, communication and time-management skills. You also learn about how you can adapt to different environments and be flexible. When you volunteer you learn a lot about working with people from different backgrounds and also about their cultures."

The IVC, which is part of Imperial’s Outreach Office, aims to give volunteers an opportunity to gain new skills and experiences while putting something back into the community. The Centre offers volunteer placements with external organisations such as charities, community groups and trust funds.

Both students and staff can get involved in projects. For more information please visit: www3.imperial.ac.uk/volunteering