This document provides information for students joining the Contact Student Volunteers organization at the University of Leicester. It introduces the organization, describes various volunteering opportunities and roles, explains how to get involved and receive support, and provides contact information. The guide aims to help new volunteers understand what Contact does and how to make the most of their volunteering experience.

1. 1

2. Welcome
to Contact
Student
Volunteers!
We’d like to take this opportunity to
congratulate you on deciding to join one
of the largest and friendliest associations
in the Students’ Union.
This Handbook is your one-stop guide
to everything you need to know about
Contact Student Volunteers. In it you will
find information about who we are, what
we do and how you can get involved.
You will also find everything you need to
see you through the year as a Contact
volunteer.
On page 13, there is a snapshot of
volunteering opportunities available, but
you’ll find detailed information on our
website. To help find your ideal volunteer
opportunity, or if you can’t find what you
are looking for, talk to a member of the
Volunteering Team who will be able to
help.
We hope that volunteering will be an
amazing experience for you and for the
people you help!
2

3. Why
become a What can
volunteer? you offer?
• To meet new people • Time, energy and
and have fun enthusiasm
• To learn and develop • Your specialist skills
new skills (e.g. maths, language,
• To gain experience law, computer, sports,
and enhance your arts, gardening or just
employability being able to listen).
• To road test a career
• To get involved in
your local community
• To help others and
make a difference
• Volunteering not only
benefits others it can
benefit you too
3

4. How can you make
a difference?
The most important things you can offer to any
volunteering project are your time and energy. It’s
amazing what an impact just a few hours each week
can have on the local community and other people’s
lives. Working with children and young people could
improve their educational opportunities and
achievements. Helping at a day centre could enable
more activities to be run than ever before. Listening
to a child read for 15 minutes a week will greatly
improve their reading ability.
Whichever projects you become involved with, and
whatever activities you participate in, your time and
energy will be greatly appreciated!
4

5. Becoming a Volunteer Who we are...
• A student led organisation associated
with the Students’ Union
• Seven elected executives volunteering
their time to run Contact
• A volunteering team who work with the
executives in running Contact
• Over 1400 members (in 2009/10)
volunteering in
• over 100 different projects each year
What we do...
• We enable students to become involved
with voluntary work in the local
community
• The Volunteering team will encourage
students to develop and run projects
themselves
• The Volunteering team help students
develop skills through a range of long and
short term projects and one-off projects
• The Volunteering team facilitate or
arrange relevant training
• The Volunteering team co-ordinate
the Leicester Award for Volunteering
(Community Engagement) to accredit the
skills gained through volunteering (the
award appears on the student transcript)
5

6. Our Goals...
To increase the number
of students engaging in
volunteering activities
Increase Contact’s presence
and accessibility within the
University
Provide quality volunteering
opportunities covering a range
of interests and careers
Help students increase their
employability and support
them in gaining new skills and
experiences through volunteer
work
Make students aware how
volunteering can play a part in
personal development
6

7. The Contact Executive
Committee
Contact is run by a committee of students, elected
each year at the Annual General Meeting (AGM),
which is usually held just before Easter. The
executives meet weekly throughout term-time
to direct the organisation, and also spend
some time promoting Contact and meeting
with students. Committee positions and the
current post holders are listed below, so feel
free to contact any of them to find out more.
Nickita Chauhan, President nc142@le.ac.uk
provides leadership and support to the Executive
Committee.
Alastair Naismith General Secretary adn2@le.ac.uk
takes minutes of meetings, oversees the election of new
committee and ensures the constitution is followed.
Tammy Haq, Treasurer th105@le.ac.uk
responsible for Contact’s financial affairs including refunding
volunteer expenses.
Hannah Elam hee2@le.ac.uk &
Sarah Macleod, sjm73@le.ac.uk
Contact Projects and Development
promote & develop volunteering projects set up and run by
Contact volunteers and support project leaders.
Gaz Hughes, Marketing gdh11@le.ac.uk
promotion of Contact through posters, flyers, Facebook,
website and general publicity throughout the Students’
Union.
Gavin Eade, Social Events & One-off Projects
ge23@le.ac.uk
responsible for planning, organising and promoting
socials and one-off volunteering events for Contact
members.
7

8. The Volunteering Team
The Volunteering Team support the Executive
Committee and help to ensure students get the
most out of their volunteering and have a positive
experience. The volunteering team liaise with local
voluntary groups to promote their volunteering
opportunities and provide advice and guidance
on volunteering to students. The team also help
students increase their employability and support
them in gaining new skills and experience
through volunteer work and run workshops and
training events.
The Volunteering Team divide their time between the
Students’ Union and the Student Development Zone
on the 2nd floor of the David Wilson Library. You can
make an appointment to see them for one-to-one
advice or to discuss your volunteering in confidence.
Vanessa Harris, Volunteer Development Manager
responsible for leading the volunteering team and directing
the volunteering programme.
B Lewis, Student Volunteering Co-ordinator
co-ordinates the Volunteering Award and supports the
Contact Executive Committee.
Chani Patel, Volunteering Administrator
provides administrative support for the team and deals with
volunteering enquiries.
Eilidh Kennedy, Volunteering Events Co-ordinator
co-ordinates and develops the community challenge
programme.
Nutan Goswami, Volunteering Assistant
assists in a range of volunteering projects and events.
8

9. Support
As a member of Contact you will be part of a large
organisation and you will have the support of the
executives and the co-ordinator as well as other
volunteers. Most individual projects offer support to
their volunteers, ranging from regular one-to-one
supervision meetings, to informal feedback sessions.
Contact is committed to ensuring that all our
volunteers receive support from us, and has the
opportunity to meet other student volunteers, make
friends, and enhance their social life. Once you have
registered with us you will get news of projects,
training and socials via a regular e-bulletin. You will
also be able to log on to our website to sign up for
information sessions, projects and training.
Rights and
Responsibilities
As a member of Contact you have certain rights such
as the right to a clear description of your role and
knowing who is responsible for supporting you in
your volunteering. There are responsibilities alongside
this, such as agreeing to a level of commitment and
acting in a responsible manner as a representative of
Contact. The full list of rights and responsibilities can
be found on our website along with our other policies
including Health & Safety; Child Protection & Equal
Opportunities.
9

10. Expenses
What you can expect It’s an important principle of Contact that
volunteering should only cost you your time;
so please remember to claim back any agreed
expenses you have incurred. (please refer
to the expenses policy that can be found on
our website) Some projects will refund travel
expenses. However, if they don’t, please see
the Treasurer or the Volunteer Co-ordinator in
Contact who will be able to help.
Criminal Records Bureau
(CRB) checks
Volunteers working with vulnerable adults
or children will be asked to complete a CRB
check which we can help you with. It can take
a few weeks for the check to be processed but
you may be able to get started on the initial
training of your chosen project while you’re
waiting. We’ll let you know which projects
require a CRB check when you let us know
which project you’re interested in and we’ll
from us...
explain how to complete one. If you have any
concerns about CRB checks, please get in
touch with us.
Training Opportunities
Many of our projects have their own specific
training programmes that cover the areas
needed to volunteer effectively on the project.
In addition, Contact organises several training
courses during the year, on anything from First
Aid to Sign Language. These programmes will
be advertised to you via the Contact e-bulletin,
on our website, and in the Contact office.
10

11. Making the most of your
volunteering
The Student Development Zone (SDZ)
The Student Development Zone is on the second floor of the David
Wilson Library. This is where the Volunteering Team are based and you
can make an appointment to see a member of the Volunteering Team
at the SDZ helpdesk. We run regular information sessions, volunteering
workshops & events in the SDZ to help you get the most out of
your volunteering. Visit the SDZ for information and guidance on
volunteering (local & international), work experience, careers and help
with your academic studies. You can also book an appointment with
a Careers Advisor or Study Advisor, have your CV checked and find
out more about events such as careers fairs, workshops and employer
presentations. On the web visit our website for up to date information
on volunteering events, training and workshops. You can register to
become a member of Contact online and sign up for all of our training
and events. Visit us online at le.ac.uk/volunteering
Virtual support for volunteers
We use the University’s virtual learning environment, Blackboard, to
offer support for some of our volunteers. This can often be helpful for
students who are volunteering on their own or in small groups such
as Right to Read. Be sure to ask if there is a Blackboard site devoted
to your volunteering activity… or talk to us about creating your own
virtual support and social networking site!
Leicester Award
Student volunteers can apply for a place on the Volunteering Award,
part of the University’s Leicester Award Scheme (Community
Engagement) which will appear on your transcript upon graduation.
The benefit of participating in the award is not only the formal
recognition of your volunteering on your degree transcript but also
the ability to articulate the skills and experience gained as a result of
your volunteering. In today’s graduate job market, employers want to
see evidence of transferable skills such as teamwork, communication
and problem solving which can all be gained through volunteering.
The Volunteering Award equips you with the tools to reflect on your
volunteering experience and provides you with evidence to use in your
CV and job applications. For information visit the website for details of
how to register.
11

12. How to get started
1. Make sure you’ve registered online with Contact
Student Volunteers. Once registered, you’ll receive our
weekly e-bulletin to keep you updated on volunteering
opportunities.
2. Browse the opportunities on the website. We keep the
website regularly updated with opportunities, news and
details of volunteering events coming up soon.
or...
3. Attend a volunteering workshop where you can find out
about a range of opportunities and to discover more about
volunteering. You’ll find details of the workshops on our
website.
If you do find your ideal project...
Email us with details of the project(s) you’re interested in and
we’ll give you all the information you need to get started.
If you don’t find your ideal project...
If you’ve browsed the opportunities and been to a workshop
but are still not sure what you’d like to do, book an appointment
with a Volunteer Adviser to help find a volunteering opportunity
to suit you.
e: contact@le.ac.uk
w: le.ac.uk/volunteering
t: 0116 223 1141
or...
Read the weekly Contact bulletins. We will publicise new
opportunities in our weekly updates. Get in touch (email:
contact@le.ac.uk or visit our website le.ac.uk/volunteering) to
sign up your interest.
Also...
You could think about setting up a new project that matches
your interests which could be an amazing experience. Come
and talk to us about your idea. We’re here to help.
And how about doing some research? Find an opportunity
yourself and come and tell
us about it.
12

13. Volunteering Opportunities
The opportunities to volunteer are almost endless, for example
you could…..
• Get experience in a local school
• Support children with literacy and numeracy
• Organise a community event
• Gain a sports coaching qualification.
• Get office experience
• Plan a marketing campaign
• Befriend an elderly or disabled person
• Protect and regenerate the environment
• Give advice to those in need
• Fundraise for a local hospice
These opportunities are just a snapshot. There are a wide
range of opportunities available, ranging from just an
hour to a year’s commitment. Visit our website to find out
what opportunities are currently available. To help you
choose, think about what interests you, how much time
you have available and what you want to gain from your
experience. Perhaps you’re looking for a project to help
you gain experience for a future career or maybe you have
an interest or passion for a particular cause? Don’t worry if
you don’t know what you want to do, have a look at what’s
available, pick a few that interest you and then email us for
further information.
13

14. Community Challenge
Projects
Curious about volunteering but cautious about
commitment? Try a one-off community challenge!
Contact runs a regular programme of one-off community
challenge projects taking place over just one day, or sometimes
just a few hours, so you don’t need to make a regular
commitment.
If you don’t have time to commit to an on-going project, this is
a fantastic way to get involved in volunteering.
Last year, volunteers helped paint a local playground, planted
vegetables at a community allotment, made eco-friendly bags,
organised a game of bingo at a special needs school and
played card games with elderly people. Visit our website to see
photo’s of last year’s event and to find out what’s coming up
this term.
The biggest one-off event of the year is ‘Make A Difference Day’
(MADD). This is a nationwide day of volunteering that happens
at the end of October. Watch out for news in the Contact
Bulletin and the online events calendar.
Can’t find what you’re
looking for?
Our project database
We have access to information on a wide variety of voluntary
activities, and should be able to point you in the right direction.
Over the course of the year, new projects will start up, and old
ones may close, so keep your eyes peeled for updates in the
‘Contact Weekly Bulletin’ and on the volunteering web pages at
le.ac.uk/volunteering
14

15. Where to find us
The Contact Student Volunteers Executive Committee can
usually be found in the ARC (Activities Resource Centre) in the
Students’ Union building. The Volunteering Team can be found
in the Student Development Zone on the 2nd floor of the David
Wilson Library.
Contact Student Volunteers
Activities Resource Centre (ARC)
Students’ Union
Percy Gee Building
University of Leicester
University Road
Leicester
LE1 7RH
t: 0116 223 1141
e: contact@le.ac.uk
w: le.ac.uk/volunteering
You can also contact the Volunteering Team in the Student
Development Zone on the second floor of the David Wilson
Library or call in to make an appointment.
Finally, good luck with whatever project you
decide to become involved with.
Remember that Contact is always here to support you in your
activities
The information in this handbook can be made
available in large print format or on a CD Rom if
required.
Please request a copy from the Contact office.
15

16. Contact Student Volunteers
Activities Resource Centre (ARC)
Students’ Union
Percy Gee Building
University of Leicester
University Road
Leicester
LE1 7RH
t: 0116 223 1141
e: contact@le.ac.uk
w: le.ac.uk/volunteering