Over 40 years of volunteering in Exeter

Every Sunday during term time at St Luke’s Campus, the Active Children in Exeter (ACE) programme run by student volunteers’ and sponsored by Sports Relief, encourages children to try sports like football or get involved in raft building exercises. Elderly people in sheltered housing at Eaton House are encouraged to try singing lessons attend music concerts or get involved in workshops reflective of the of University student societies. These projects plus the Christmas party held for children and their siblings at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital are all led by the Exeter students. Many other student volunteers work directly with charities like Childline, Riding for the Disabled, RNLI and Headway which supports adults with brain injuries.

The newest club led by Community Action involves the ‘West Bank League of Friends’ a Young Carers Scheme which has formed a close partnership with Community Action. East Devon Young Carer Development Worker, Jess Barnes said, ‘Working so closely with such positive and inspiring role models has proved to be invaluable to the young carers we work with and it has made a huge difference to the services we can offer. The student led projects provide the young carers with a break from their caring responsibilities in a fun and rewarding environment. Community Action has also referred a number of volunteers to help out on our internal projects. We are proud to have such a positive partnership and look forward to continuing to work together to support both young carers and student volunteers.’

Community Action is the student volunteering organisation within the Student Guild and aims to involve every student who expresses an interest in volunteering with a project or club that suits their interests, and in doing so supports local projects. The commitment to volunteering can range from a weekly dedication to children’s projects to a few hours, organising transportation to an event or fundraising for a community partnership programme.

Student volunteer Jess Standen, gives her perspective of why volunteering is of interest, ‘You get out of the student bubble of studying and solely being around students, through volunteering we are able to gain lots of additional skills and have fun doing it. We also get to be more involved in Exeter events and communities during our time at university.’

Gill Bullen was a volunteer in the 1970s working mainly with troubled families on a one to one basis and her daughter Elizabeth who graduated in the 1990s was also an active member of Community Action giving her time as a class room assistant. Elizabeth found her voluntary work influenced her future career, she said ‘When I first graduated, I wasn't sure what I was going to do, so I did some voluntary work while I was job-hunting, and then later (between jobs) spent six months working for Community Service Volunteers; that has led me into a totally new direction, and I'm now training to do mental health nursing as a result!’

Gill was pleased to hear that volunteering at the University was still going strong and making a difference, she said ‘You get at least as much out of giving your time and ability as someone else receives - everybody gains!’

Currently over 600 student volunteers are making a contribution to improving life in Exeter for many young and elderly people as well as underprivileged individuals who may need extra assistance in finding opportunities to rise to their potential.

The party at Reed Hall celebrated over 40 years of Community Action involving people who studied at the university in the 1970’s as well as current and more recent graduates who have participated in voluntary projects. Last year Owen Thomas was honoured as the Volunteer of the Year for his extensive services to the community clocking up over 800 hours of voluntary work. This year Vicky O'Brien was announced as Community Action's Volunteer of the Year and Jess Standen and Clare Hensman were also highly commended for their contributions.

The nationally recognised award for voluntary services particularly focusing on leadership, dedication and achievement is honoured through the Student Volunteering England’s Gold Awards where student’s achievements are honoured by their peersand are a prestigious mark of excellence in volunteering.This year three Exeter students were marked out for their continuous dedication and specific contributions.Tobias Beal acted as a transport officer who trained new drivers and his willingness to step in at the last moment to ensure a project was able to function was legendary. Jon Tilson oversaw the restructuring of student led projects and the management structure of Community Action and Emma Beauclair who like Jon has been a CA Officer for the last year and involved in a incredible number of projects including being a manager of the Summer Adventures, a two week residential for 60 young carers.

Emma Beauclair, said, ‘I have really enjoyed being part of CA and can't imagine what my university experience with out it. Being Manager of Summer Adventures last year was a definite highlight, especially when one child was asked what he had learnt this week and he said 'to respect other people'. I have also loved being CA Officer, supporting and working with so many fantastic people, who truly want to make a difference to the community in which we all live.’