Make a difference in the community
Are you looking for a way to make a difference in the community and learn new skills at university?
Volunteering is a great way to give make an impact in the community, boost your skills and meet new people.
Volunteering for a charity that you care about will enhance your time at uni — and improves you career prospects once you graduate. Some students even receive a professional reference from the charities they volunteer with, which helps them stand out in the graduate job market.
Benefits of volunteering as a student
As a student volunteer, you can:
- Build transferable skills to enhance your CV
- Network, meet new friends and boost your confidence
- Improve your wellbeing
- Give back to the community
- Apply your skills to the workplace
- Gain practical experience to include in future job applications
Roxanne's storyI have been a team captain for a sports club, a course rep and I have volunteered with local charities such as Citizens Advice Portsmouth.
Where to volunteer
There are loads of opportunities to volunteer a uni - whether you're working with a local or regional organisation, completing projects that support causes you care about, or volunteering at the University or Students' Union.
Join a cause
Use your free time to volunteer with a charity or a cause you care about.
Whether you want to help a local, regional or national charity there a plenty of chances to get involved as you study — some students even produce coursework that supports the charities they work with.
Represent your course
Become a Course Representative and take the opinions of your peers to the Students' Union and University.
Get to know students from your course and department, and be a part of making change at Portsmouth.
Lead a student group
Become a committee member in a society or club with the Students' Union.
Most groups have roles like President, Treasurer, Social Secretary and Media Officer — so you can get experience specific to your goals.
Volunteer locally with:
- Charities that support young people to reduce offending, help survivors of domestic abuse or help people in conflict to resolve issues
- Local museums, art galleries, charity shops and food banks
- Charities that provide extra help to hospital patients, visitors and staff
- Local schools helping pupils with reading, coding and other classroom activities
Support from the Volunteering Team
Our Volunteering Team supports around 100 local and national charities and not-for-profit organisations, including local theatres, schools, small community groups, social enterprises, the prison service, and the NHS.
The team also offer 1-to-1 support with finding and applying for opportunities. You can discuss volunteering opportunities that match your interests, whether you want to volunteer somewhere new, match your university coursework to a local cause, or prepare for your future career.
Read Hannah's storyI wanted to make the most of opportunities outside of my course, and got involved with the Volunteer Reading Scheme.
I spent an afternoon each week helping in a local primary school to support kids struggling with reading.
I really enjoyed this scheme and found it very rewarding, so I kept up my position at the same school for two years.
Further careers support at university
Careers and Employability Support
Get excellent careers support during your degree and for 5 years after graduation. We help you find part-time and graduate jobs, volunteering and work experience.
Placement year degrees
Increase your employment opportunities and strengthen your skills by taking a sandwich year degree with a placement.
Work experience opportunities
As a Portsmouth student, you'll get lots of work experience opportunities to try out job roles, apply your skills to different sectors and increase your employability.
