Inspired by the #WeAreUCL campaign to celebrate the UCL community in a time of crisis; its spirit of inclusivity, diversity and togetherness - we've compiled a selection of students who've managed to keep volunteering through this time - read on and find out how they're making a difference right now - you can also view new stories as they come in on our newsfeed.
Creating Content
With many organisations and people going virtual, there is a need to keep creating online content, which provides crucial information and activities to help and engage the community.
Yaning Wu has been volunteering with Med Supply UK as a committee member, with the task of leading the Social Media and Communications team. Through creating infographics, social media posts and even a music video, her efforts are contributing directly to the COVID-19 response efforts and to the advocacy for evidence-based public health policies.
Priyam Deka, on the other hand, is volunteering as a Grant Writer for Africa Health Organisation. As a Grant Writer, she writes grants to raise funds to combat communicable diseases and provide basic necessities to women in Congo. She mentioned that volunteering “gives a sense of fulfilment, satisfaction and increased sense of self-worth”.
Biomedical Engineering student Cristina Fiani is volunteering with two organisations – Girls Friendly Society and Bookmark. At Girls Friendly Society, she is volunteering remotely as a content creator that creates activities for a group of girls with the goal of instilling confidence in them. At Bookmark, she is volunteering as a reading mentor for young children. Which leads us to another popular way to volunteer virtually…
Mentoring and Teaching Online
Ameerah Patel is volunteering as a mentor once a week for IntoUniversity. Through online sessions from her own home, she continues to provide support and guidance to her Year 7 mentee. In fact, she has been using current affairs to make their discussions more engaging and insightful.
If you’d like to teach a different group in our community Age UK Kensington & Chelsea are looking for volunteers to facilitate their many classes for older people.
Sam Huddlestone is conducting online philosophy classes via Zoom, which according to him helps to “bring people together, especially older people who have been disproportionately affected by this virus.”
How can I get involved?
We’ve got plenty of different remote volunteering opportunities on our directory. You can also subscribe to our newsletter for featured volunteering roles sent straight to your mailbox.