Introducing a volunteering strategy can seem daunting, especially when staff workloads are already high. However, with thoughtful planning, it’s possible to create meaningful opportunities without overburdening staff.
Being part of Good for ME Good for FE and witnessing the incredible work happening across the sector has been a major source of inspiration for us. Winning three of the campaign’s awards last year was the icing on the cake, and has only motivated us all to push even further this year.
However, I understood from the moment I was appointed to lead student social action in 2022 that the key to success would be to find the right balance between fostering strong student engagement and minimising the impact on teaching staff.
Here’s how we’ve done that.
No new to-do’s
We have embedded volunteering into existing curriculum frameworks. This ensures the strategy supports personal and academic development while keeping staff involvement manageable.
Doing this involved dedicating six stand-alone Personal Social Development (PSD) tutorial sessions to planning and executing social action projects, guided by the #IWill Movement‘s six principles.
This is now aligned with project-based learning and embedded in the main body of the PSD curriculum, spanning a substantial number of weeks. In fact, feedback from staff and students after the six-week pilot encouraged us to provide extra time (eight to ten weeks) in 2024/25.
Dedicating part of the structured curriculum to volunteering projects allowed students to engage in meaningful community activities without creating additional assignments.
Student-led projects
Empowering students to take ownership of their volunteering projects is crucial. Our students lead the entire process, from selecting themes and developing initiatives to executing the projects themselves.
Tutors act as facilitators, offering guidance and ensuring each project aligns with personal and academic goals. This approach not only builds students’ autonomy but also equips them with essential ‘future-ready’ skills, including soft skills, digital literacy, numeracy and oracy.
The student-led model significantly lightens the administrative burden on staff while enhancing student growth and engagement.
Clear messaging
To streamline the process further, we established clear frameworks for social action projects. We developed structured guidelines that outline the steps, expectations and deadlines for each project.
Templates for project proposals, evaluation forms and other documents also help reduce confusion and keep students on track, limiting the need for constant staff oversight.
Vocational alignment
Volunteering initiatives should complement the academic or vocational focus of the students involved. For example, our projects are linked to real-world issues like sustainability and social entrepreneurship, allowing students to develop skills that enhance their employability.
Using peer and expert assessment to feedforward on project progress and outcomes can also negate the need to spend time assessing and grading.
By aligning social action projects and products with vocational pathways, students gain relevant, practical and hands-on experience while tutors can guide and signpost without adding significant workload.
Strong external partnerships
Partnering with local organisations and charities can create mutually beneficial relationships that support the volunteering strategy.
Last academic year, we worked with over 45 charities and organisations, enabling students to work on meaningful community projects. These external partnerships can offer resources and support that alleviate pressure on staff while strengthening the college’s connection to the local community.
Structured staff involvement
Our next step was to introduce a staff volunteering scheme as part of their professional development. This initiative, aligned with the college’s strategic priority of giving back to the community, will provide opportunities for staff to engage in community service without adding to their regular workload.
Integrating staff volunteering into existing professional development plans is allowing us to create a culture of service that benefits employees and the community alike.
And it’s working. Staff and students are engaging in a multitude of activities including refurbishing a local library, creating garden spaces and murals, singing in local care homes and raising awareness of homelessness with a ‘Big Student Sleepout’.
In the end, workload isn’t just about how much work we do. It’s about the value we place in it. If everyone in the organisation values it properly, from inception to design to delivery to impact, then workload isn’t an issue that arises.
And how can anyone fail to value this work?
Nominations for this year’s Good for Me Good for FE awards close on October 7. You can nominate here
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