Bursting the Bubble: Students, Volunteering and the Community

Students’ Unions 2011Jamie Darwen & David Owen

This initiative aims to create a culture within UK Higher Education where public engagement is formalised and embedded as a valued and recognised activity for staff at all levels, and for students.

Aims of the programme:

1. To inspire a shift in culture

encouraging universities to recognise the value of student volunteering as part of their core strategy.

3. To deliver high quality engagement activity

enriching universities, their communities and the lives of the students involved.

2. To build capacity

pooling the expertise of the student volunteering community, and working together strategically to galvanise a step change in the quality, quantity and diversity of student volunteering.

50 universities, 170 volunteer-involving organisations, 2,100 students

Bursting the Bubble: Students, Volunteering and the Community

www.publicengagement.ac.uk

“Volunteering plays a vital role in developing students community awareness, allowing them to break out of what many respondents describe as the ‘student bubble’” Jon Snow

To explore the motivations for, routes into and experience of volunteering among students, and the impact of participation on students;

Bursting the Bubble: Students, Volunteering and the Community

Research Aims

To develop a research methodology which makes maximum use of the knowledge, experience and resources within HEIs

To explore the motivations, enablers, barriers and capacity for community-based organisations involving student volunteers, and the impact on them from doing so;

Bursting the Bubble: Students, Volunteering and the Community

Research Design

Online Survey

3,083 valid responses from

students Over 5,000 valid

alumni responses

Participatory Mapping

Student ledFocus Groups and

InterviewsIn each HEI

In-depthCase

Studies

With students, VIO’s, volunteer managers and

senior managers

We carried out peer-led research in Six Higher Education Institutions selected as representative of the diversity within the UK.Developing a replicable methodology.

University of East LondonUniversity of GloucestershireKeele UniversityUniversity of LeedsUniversity of OxfordUniversity of the West of England

Student Volunteers Make a Significant Contribution

63% of students surveyed took part in formal volunteering since starting university, with 49% taking part in the academic year 2009/2010

Volunteer-involving organisations (VIOs) place high value on students seeking them out for specific skills, knowledge and expertise as well as being valued for their youth and enthusiasm and broadening the diversity of their volunteer pool;

Students report many positive impacts on their own personal development, skills and employability and derive high levels of satisfaction from taking part.

Rates of volunteering

% who had volunteered

since starting

university

% who had volunteered in

2009/10

% defined as community-orientated volunteers

% defined as university-supported volunteers

63 49 30 17

Likely to work in term time; take part in extra-curricular activities; to be 2nd year or above; have dependents; have a disability

1st years; not moved away to

study; study medicine

Female; overseas; younger

Base: 3,083 (All valid responses to the Student Activities Survey)

Motivations for volunteering

Women, younger students and students from less advantaged backgrounds are more motivated to volunteer to enhance their employability.

BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) students, students from post-1992 HEIs, students with dependents and those who did not move away to university are more motivated to volunteer by reasons connected to their personal values.

Routes into volunteering

What are the barriers for students?

Not feeling part of the community

Paid work

Need to connect to the curriculum

and ‘chosen’ career

Not knowing what is

involved

Study Pressures

The impact can be long lasting...

• A majority (67%) of students think volunteering whilst at university has increased their willingness to volunteer in the future.

• 82 per cent of recent graduates under 30 years old mentioned volunteering on a CV and 78 per cent talked about it in interview.

• Half (51 per cent) of recent graduates under 30 who are in paid work say that volunteering helped them to secure employment.

‘What I learnt from my experiences of volunteering has equipped me with a huge amount of knowledge in dealing and working with people, organising events and how to deal with certain situations and responsibilities. What I have done since, in my working and personal life, I believe would've been far more challenging for me if I hadn't had those earlier experiences.’ Graduate, 2006

There are significant challenges...

• VIOs are frustrated by lack of access to volunteers-see academic staff/departments as gatekeepers;-plurality of departments to access.

• Organisations are flexible in their approach to involving students and recognise that there are periods of the year when students will be less available. However organisations fear becoming overly dependent on students.

• VIOs report a number of issues with availability and reliability of student.

• Compared to volunteers in the general population, students feel less able to influence the direction of the organisation they help and are more likely to think things are badly organised.

For VIOs

There are significant challenges...

Experience Student Activities Survey % of all

volunteers

Helping Out

% of all volunteers

I feel things could be better organised

56 31

I am given the opportunity to influence the development of the organisation

55 96

I'm given the opportunityto do the sort of things I'd like to do

73 91

Base 1,942 818-833

Volunteering experience...

‘That’s what [university] does really well with the [volunteering unit] and the awards, they really make you reflect about your volunteering, about your experiences, and the key things you’ve learnt from it.’

(Student, volunteer, pre 92 University)

University- supported students report a more positive volunteering experience

• Derive greater personal development benefits than other volunteers;

• Develop better understanding of context and better relationships with community;

• Ability to cope with role, influence organisation, and do the sorts of things that would like to do.

Bursting the Bubble – a summary

• Student volunteers make a significant contribution• 63% have taken part in formal volunteering since starting

university• Student volunteers report many positive impacts on their

personal development, skills and employability• evidence from graduates that volunteering helps to secure

employment• Students’ main motivation is a desire to make a difference

• danger of too much emphasis on career development• Without adequate support, management and opportunities for

reflection, volunteering can fail to realise benefits• Linking volunteering more closely to academic subjects might

encourage more students to volunteer

resources – practitioners toolkit

www.publicengagement.ac.uk/about/vinspired-students/resources

• Case studies from pilot projects• Guides for involving students in public engagement

- eg. student-led volunteering projects, working with businesses• IVR guides for participatory research/evaluation• Guides and case studies for national campaigns

- BioBlitz, National Trust, Children’s University• Case studies of community-based learning• Research and toolkits for student involvement in Festivals

Public engagement is critical survival strategy for HEIs

Framework and manifesto

Learning and research

Partnerships and networking

Professional development

Communications

• Equip people with the tools to do effective engagement

• Ensure we engage our target audiences effectively

• Develop a strong brand and quality products

• Clarify what PE is and why it matters• Encourage HEIs to commit to PE

• Make a compelling intellectual case for engagement, and for how HEIs can effectively embed it in their work, based on robust evidence

• Draw on expertise• Generate support

for the engagement agenda

Reward

Learning SupportPROCESS

StudentsPublic

Staff

PEOPLE

Focal points for embedding public

engagement

PURPOSEMission

LeadershipCommunication

Embedding a commitment to public engagement in

institutional mission and strategy, and championing that

commitment at all levels

Involving students, staff and representatives of the community in dynamic ways and using their energy and expertise to shape the strategy

and its delivery

Investing in systems and processes that facilitate

involvement, maximise impact and ensure quality and value

for money

Reward

LearningSupport

PROCESS

BUILD A SHARED SEND OF PURPOSE

It is important to build a shared understanding of the meaning, value and role of student engagement. Involving key stakeholders – students, staff and community partners – will help to explore and then articulate the purposes and benefits that student engagement serves.

PROVIDE AN EFFICIENT AND ‘JOINED UP’ SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

Research from the vinspired students project suggests that support for student engagement is often piecemeal and fragmented across institutions, with little secure funding. A review of current provision can consider how best to ensure that it is ‘joined up’ and delivers maximum value for the investment being made.

ENCOURAGE LEADERSHIP AND ADVOCACY

A senior champion for student engagement, who can communicate clear and consistent messages of its value and take responsibility, is critical to ensure effective support and development of the service. The role of student leaders should be considered, and support provided for an active network of ambassadors across the institution.

RECOGNISE LEARNING AND CELEBRATE ACHIEVEMENT

A key way that institutions can demonstrate their commitment to student engagement is through celebrating and formally recognising students’ engagement activity. Our research shows that students have a more positive experience of engagement if they are supported by their universities through providing opportunities for reflection, and a range of ways that learning through engagement can be captured formally and informally.

COMMUNICATE A CLEAR AND EFFECTIVE OFFER

Students will be more likely to get involved if there is a clearly articulated ‘offer’ that articulates why engagement is valued as part of their experience at university, and how they can expect to access opportunities to engage with the public. A similar offer to community partners should clarify how they can expect to work with the institution and student body.

Students EDGE tool

Student Volunteering

Enhance student experience

The Student Volunteering Pledge

Student leadership

Quality opportunities

Partnership with local community Enable students

to articulate what they have

gained

A call to action...

• What kind of society do we want to see?• What role should universities play in society?• How does my university help me to engage with

the issues I see in society?• How does student volunteering have a role in this?

... from our Student Advisory Board

“We are looking for a university experience that is relevant to the needs of today’s society, and will equip us to meet the challenges faced by society. We believe that support for volunteering is one of the most effective ways that universities can help us to reach this goal.”

for more information:

www.publicengagement.ac.uk

nccpe.studentvol@uwe.ac.uk