Volunteering Week is an annual event here at the College which highlights the importance of giving up your spare time to support others, both for local and national causes.  As well as presenting to students all of the various volunteering opportunities that are available to them, the week emphasises how mutually beneficial it is to give back to the community.  

Throughout the week, students attended a variety of taster sessions across a host of organisations who rely on the dedication of their volunteers, including The Citizens Advice Bureau, Henry Tyndale School, ESOL Classes and Wokingham and Bracknell Mencap.  A small group of students also took part in a rebranding project for Yateley Industries, a charity that houses, supports and provides work for adults with disabilities. There was also the ‘Fun Maths’ session, where Year 6 students from St Bernadette’s School in Farnborough came in to College to complete a maths challenge led by our students.

The week culminated in the Volunteering Fair, a chance for our students to find out about the vast array of volunteering opportunities that are out there and get involved!  15 local organisations, including wildlife conservation groups and charities supporting young people with disabilities, came together in The Courtyard to speak to our students about what they can do to help in their local community.

Thank you to all the organisations who were involved - all the fantastic taster sessions and worthwhile conversations at Volunteering Fair resulted in lots of our students securing long term volunteering placements!  These placements will help our students understand the importance of sharing skills and giving back to those less fortunate.

During the academic year 2017 to 2018, students volunteered 21,600 hours in the local community - we can’t wait to see what they contribute this year!