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Want to change the world? Full of the feels to do something about a cause important to you? You're in luck! No other UK Students' Union has a Student Social Impact team. In fact, we don't think any other university has such a team. What's social impact, we hear you cry! It's the effect of your actions on people and communities - especially when those actions help make the world fairer, kinder, or more sustainable.

What does this mean for you at UCL right now? It's about using your time at university to do things that matter in this way - whether it's through your studies, your passions, or the way you show up in the world. You're here to study right? Wrong! Well, kinda wrong. You are here to shape the world around you. Your degree is one thing but exploring your ideas, passions, and projects can add soo-o much colour and light to your degree. Indeed, it'll add value and quality to your student life.

How to take positive, intentional, and ethical action and change the world around us is 100% our team's passion - it's what gets us all out of bed each morning!

There's lots of ways to take a little - or a large - step into the world of socially impactful activities.

News

Celebrating Student Volunteering Week at Students' Union UCL
Student Volunteering Week, 10 - 16 February, is a national celebration where universities and schools across the country step up to organise opportunities and events to celebrate students who have volunteered as well as encourage more of their students to volunteer and help local communities.
Reflections on a Big Help Out
What's a Big Help Out?Our 'Big Help Outs' bring a group of students together for a day of giving back, meeting new friends, all while supporting local community organisations.
"... this partnership made me feel braver about taking on other projects"
Laura from Coin Street shares her experience working with Empovthise UCL, a student-led project that focuses on improving technological literacy and achieving digital equity.
Volunteering brings something really unique to my time here in London

Events

Volunteering
Big Help Out: Hands-On Animal Care at Surrey Docks Farm
05/03/2026 | 10:00 - 16:00
Join Us for a Volunteer Day at Surrey Docks Farm – Animal Care & Horticulture, RotherhitheJoin fellow UCL students for a hands-on volunteering day helping with animal care and horticulture tasks at Surrey Docks Farm. Activities include mucking out stables, feeding goats and sheep, pruning hedges, and improving the farm’s gardens and paths.
Volunteering
Big Help Out: Canal & Community Volunteering at St Pancras Lock
10/03/2026 | 10:00 - 15:00
🚤 Join Us for Canal & Community Volunteering at St Pancras LockAbout the ActivityUCL students will take part in a hands-on outdoor Big Help Out at St Pancras Lock. Volunteers will be split into small groups and rotate through a range of practical activities that support the canal and surrounding area. Tasks are designed to be team-based, engaging, and accessible, with all equipment and…
Clubs & Societies
Crafternoon: Paint or Collage Notebooks for Charity
10/03/2026 | 15:00 - 17:00
Join the Social Impact Team and the Arts for Mental Health Society for a creative, wellbeing-focused volunteering workshop. Students will use collage and acrylic paints to decorate notebooks that will be donated to It's Your Life.