Student Volunteers
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In our view, the most effective way of making young people aware of the benefits and challenges of higher education is by providing them with the opportunity to meet university students and to visit local universities. If you are a student in year 2 or above at any of the higher education institutions in Edinburgh you could take part in any the different activities listed below, as a LEAPS Student Volunteer. We welcome undergraduate, postgraduate, international and mature students into our team.
School Workshops take place in school, last for a single period (approximately one hour) and are delivered between November and March. The age group varies from 14 to 17 year olds (S4-S6) and the different workshops cover themes such as ‘myths and realities about student life’, ‘the typical student week’ and ‘getting by on a budget’. Transport is provided to and from the school. Each year we expect to deliver about 60 school workshops. As a volunteer you would work with a small group of pupils, completing a series of short, light-hearted activities.
Our Student For A Day events meanwhile are half-day, campus-based activities where S3 pupils (13-14 year olds) are challenged to answer a series of questions by exploring the university in the company of one or more student volunteers. Each group is provided with a Polaroid camera to document what they find, the results from which are used in a poster activity at the end of the visit. We typically deliver about 10 events of this kind, mostly during November, March and May.
The Student Conference is aimed at S6 pupils (17-18 year olds) who have by this stage decided to submit an application to university. The Conference takes place in the centre of the city each December and provides a range of information to help pupils enjoy a smooth transition into university. As a student volunteer you could help to lead workshops about student finance or be a member of the student panel that answers questions about starting at university.
Finally, each February S5 pupils (15-16 year olds) from more than 30 different schools take part in our S5 Student Conference.
The key qualities and skills that an effective volunteer possesses will include:
In order to participate in any of our activities a student must attend an Information and Training Session, complete a registration form and provide two references, one of which must be from their place of study. All of our events take place in a staff-supervised environment nevertheless we may request that a volunteer completes a Disclosure Scotland check.
Students choose to become LEAPS volunteers for a number of reasons. Some (but by no means all) are considering a career in teaching and are looking to gain experience that will help them to decide if they are suited for such a path. These students and others normally recognise that the type of experience that volunteering offers will enhance a graduate job application. Another motivation that has been cited by students in the past is the desire ‘to put something back in’ or because they believe in the principle that university should be open to all those who have appropriate talent.
What is common for nearly all LEAPS volunteers is that they expect to find the experience enjoyable (which feedback subsequently proving them correct!) and they wish to share their positive experience of higher education. As a student volunteer you can opt into as many or as few events as you like, to suit your workload – there is absolutely no arm twisting! This way we feel that every activity will be supported by student volunteers who are keen and enthusiastic.
To help you get a better idea of what to expect if you get involved in LEAPS activities, some of our existing volunteers have put together these short audio clips about their experiences. The clips can be played in Quicktime or Windows Media Player.
If you are thinking about volunteering with LEAPS, you might find these clips useful:
Clip
1 'What you can expect to take out of your experience as a volunteer'
Clip
2 'The skills and qualities that a volunteer needs'
Clip
3 'How to decide whether volunteering is for you'
Meanwhile if you have already trained as a LEAPS volunteers, these short sound clips will give you a flavour of what to expect in each of our activities:
Clip 4 'What happens in the S3 Student For A Day event'
Clip 5 'Challenges you might experience during Student For A Day'
Clip 6 'What happens in the S4 Courses, Qualifications and Careers workshop'
Clip 7 'Challenges you might face in the S4 workshop'
Clip 8 'What happens in the S5 Typical Student Week workshop'
Clip 9 'Challenges associated with the S5 workshop'
Clip 10 'What happens in the S6 Getting by on a Budget workshop'
Clip 11 'Challenges you might face in the S6 workshop'
Clip 12 'How S5 and S6 pupils are different from those in S4'
Clip 13 'How to break the ice with a quiet group'
If you have any questions or would like to sign up for an Information and Training Session, contact Claire Aitchison at the LEAPS Office on 0131 650 4676. Alternatively you can drop in and see us at 7 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9LW.
