Volunteering through sport
Doing good while developing your skills and personal values…
Imagine there was one thing you could do to help reactivate student life, meet new people, gain a sense of purpose, super charge your CV, and boost your skills & values…..
The good news is that there is and it’s free! Volunteering has been a quiet force during the pandemic with good Samaritans everywhere contributing, connecting and supporting others. And as we tentatively look to move forward they will also have a huge role to play in the recovery process.
So what kind of student are you?
We’ve put together some ideas that may fit with your studies. (However, you may want to broaden your horizons and do something completely different to what you do day in day out!)
SPORTS STALWART? Get a head start
Support your peers and deliver student to student coaching sessions each week. This is ideal if you want to gain coaching experience and qualifications whilst also taking a leading role in your club or society.
Careers in sport are lively and fast paced. If you’re thinking sport is the sector for you Leeds Sport can offer you applied experience right here on campus as part of our sport development team. You’ll learn by doing alongside our professional team and help students to lead more active lives.
SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICT? Get a handle on this:
Looking to get into marketing or social media management? Are you a budding photographer, videographer or savvy social content creator? Volunteer with our professional sports marketing team and gain experience in sports and higher education, whilst providing the all-important student perspective!
MEDIC Too much time in LGI? Forever at St James’s? Heavy schedule? Dissect this list:
Parkrun is set to make its return this June and as always volunteers will be needed every weekend to facilitate the event. These roles are varied and very flexible, perfect if you are time poor. You could be time-keeping, barcode scanning or taking on the role of a marshal, to name just a few!
Similar to Woodhouse Moor parkrun, the junior parkrun is set to restart in April with weekly runs for little legs at Bodington. Again, there are many varied roles available — you don’t need any specialist skills and there is no minimum commitment required.
PSYCHOLOGY STUDENT? Have a good old’ think about this:
Lifestyle and wellbeing support volunteer
Our mental health is more important than ever before and you can get involved in our exercise referral programme as a volunteer. Students signposted to become more active by student counselling can access peer group support through our buddy scheme — both male & female students are encouraged to apply for this role to reflect the diverse student population here at Leeds!
BOOKWORM Read a lot? 6–8 contact hours a week? Settle down and look at these:
Leeds Hyde Park Football Coach
Get involved in a local grassroots club right on our doorstep in Hyde Park. The club offer roles and support for budding coaches but also look for volunteers to work behind the scenes in club administration, promotion and fundraising!
LAB LOVER? Sick of looking at those reports? Long days? Analyse these results:
Our thriving social netball league is a big part of the weekly calendar for over 300 girls. A team of volunteer umpires call the shots and help to ensure the league runs smoothly. You’ll be developing your decision making, problem solving and communication skills — all skills which are transferable into the graduate world!
Not sure how to proceed? Take a look at our volunteering webpage for some further information or sign up for the Leeds Sport volunteering mailing list and you’ll be the first to know when new opportunities arise.
