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UCC Volunteering Fair Tuesday 18th September

17 Sep 2018

The annual Volunteering Fair is on tomorrow, Tuesday 18th September, in Devere Hall from 11am to 2pm.

Each year, hundreds of UCC students sign up to volunteer with over 300 organisations offering hundreds of community opportunities. Last year alone 10,200 hours of volunteering hours were logged online, and in the past two years over 18,500 hours were tracked – just by our own UCC students alone!

48 of these organisations are attending Devere Hall tomorrow – the full list is available here: 

https://www.ucc.ie/en/careers/careerevents/title-862780-en.html# 

 So – what is in it for our students?

1. Life experience

Volunteering is a great way to get life experience. Are you looking to do something along with your studies? Would you like to do something with your family? Maybe you have always loved animals, wanted to do something about homelessness or mental health, or knew someone affected by a rare health condition. Find a cause, find many causes and learn something new along the way.

2. Increase job prospects

Ok, so you have a degree, but what makes you different?  Voluntary work looks great on a CV and is a great opportunity to have something to write about in personal statements, applications for work or postgraduate study. Volunteering can bring you into contact with all kinds of professionals and people from every walk of life.

3. Accreditation

Volunteers are thanked – often! You can gain formal recognition of your work and the skills you have gained through the UCC Works Awards Programme

4. Make a difference

Be an agent of change. Advocate for a social justice issue, campaign for an equality measure or develop local community initiatives. Whatever your passion, however you get involved, volunteering offers a way to have a real and lasting impact on the world.

 5. Gain new skills

The best way to discover what you’re really good at is to get out there and do it. You will learn about your community, trends and concerns, people and resources, all of which can help you develop your leadership potential. Volunteer settings allow you to think strategically and teach you how to handle conflict.

6. Fun

Did you know volunteers skydive, attend concerts, organise parties and climb mountains? Every volunteer experience is different and by finding an opportunity that matches your interests, you’ll be sure to receive while giving.

7. Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

When you’re out and about in the community, your health soars. Fact. Research shows that people who volunteer live longer, have a heightened sense of well-being, a stronger immune system and experience a speedier recovery from surgery!

8. The ‘Feel Good’ Factor

It’s that warm fuzzy feeling, the feel good factor you get from helping someone without expecting anything in return. Knowing that you’ve made a real difference and seeing it first hand is incredible.

 9. New challenges

You can get involved in something that you’ve never done before or something that requires hard work. Facing that challenge will give you a brilliant sense of achievement!

10. Make new friends

Volunteering brings together a diverse range of people from varied backgrounds who are often a source of inspiration. You never know who you might meet, what new  information you will acquire and how this could impact your life.

For more on this story contact:

UCC Career Services

www.ucc.ie/careers 

International Office

Oifig Idirnáisiúnta

Roseleigh, Western Road, Cork, T12 R229

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