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The 2022 Volunteering Awards...

...a major success, if we do say so ourselves! We got to recognise the hard work and effort from countless UCL volunteers, partner organisations, student-led projects, and more.

The stage was set for a great ceremony!

We recognised outstanding contributions from individual volunteers with our Volunteer(s) of the Year Award. The award-winners include Daria Duda, Ethan Neo, Nvard Chalabyan and Yici Zhang.

We also got to highlight the Volunteering Organisation of the Year, Oxford & District Mencap! This organisation arranges fantastic holidays for teens and young adults with disabilities. Check out more about them and their current volunteering opportunities on offer!

This year's Oliver Hare Altruism Award went to Ram Sabaratnam. Amongst his volunteer work is experience with with the Refugee Law Clinic.

Engineers are busy people that have an amazing toolset for making positive change. That's why our UCL Engineering Tutors & Mentors Volunteer of the Year recognised volunteers Harikesan Baskaran, Matthew Lui, Ronaldo Baker, Nihal Karanth and Nabihah Sharif for their amazing contributions.

The UCL Evaluation exchange aims to connect UCL Postgrads to Voluntary Sector Organisations in Camden and East London. The UCL Evaluation Exchange Project of the Year went to Street Storage, a charity that provides storage space to people that are experiencing homelessness.

Sabbatical Officers, such as Ilyas (Activities Officer) helped in presenting some of our awards.

We also had a variety of Student-Led Projects Awards! The first SLP award presented was The Most Innovative Project, and it went to Extracurricular Day Project! This SLP aims to use outdoor areas to teach children about climate change, geography and more. They are currently looking for a new Project Leader - so if you think that could be you, then make sure you apply before 27 June!

The Student-Led Project of the Year went to UCL Student Hospital Fun Team. This project has been running for many years, and their main focus was to spend time with children in the paediatric wards of different hospitals, and playing games with them to provide a sense of normalcy between the continual medical care. This year it was not possible to volunteer in the wards as a result of the pandemic, and the project ventured into volunteering in other areas of the community, namely with the Afghan refugee children who were staying in temporary accommodation in London. They were able to preserve their organisation’s ethos and transfer the skills developed by volunteering with ill children in hospital, to a completely new setting and audience.

CTRL Your Tomorrow won the SLP Best Newcomer Award.

Finally, the SLP Partner of the Year went to the Royal Hospital for Neuro-Diversity. Did you know that the SLP PROJECT MY PALS bring the power of music and befriending to long-term care patients at the Royal Hospital for Neuro-Diversity every week? If you are a befriender, performer or both, then this could be a great way to use your skills!

The After Party

After the award presentation concluded, we made our way to the Wilkins Terrace for canapés, drinks, goody bags, and certificates for all of our volunteers this year. It was a fantastic day for different organisations, volunteers and other members of UCL to connect and celebrate the past year!

Volunteers and Partner Organisations celebrated at the reception! Volunteers also collected their volunteering certificates.

Once again, we are grateful to all of our wonderful volunteers, partners, and other supporters. Together, we have had an incredible year of volunteering, and we look forward to the next year as well. Thank you all!

If you are looking for opportunities to start or continue volunteering, then have a look at our Opportunity Finder. You can search or filter for opportunities that suit you.

If you'd like a bit more volunteering inspiration, then check our instagram or newsfeed for student profiles and other volunteering stories! To be featured in a student story or ask about other enquiries, please reach out to us at [email protected].