The HEAR Award

/ March 19, 2021/ Uncategorized

Are you wondering how volunteering can assist in adding some ✨ spice ✨ to your CV?

By volunteering with us at Discovery, you can apply to earn the university’s HEAR award based on the number of hours you’ve completed!

What is the HEAR Award?

The Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) award is a university verified document that represents your academic and personal achievements within the university. The award shows, not only your assessment marks but wider achievements too such as volunteering. That’s right, by receiving this award you get a nice, shiny certificate for your academic portfolio (and CV). You can apply for the award a couple of months before you graduate and it doesn’t matter if you haven’t volunteered with us for a while, if you have volunteered with Discovery whilst at University you should apply. You can find out more how to apply further down this blog.

How it Works

Within the HEAR achievements, there are three levels of awards up for grabs: Bronze, Silver and Gold. As you aim for a higher step, there are more requirements you need to meet. But not to worry, as Discovery make it a natural progression to help you achieve the higher awards!

How to Achieve a Bronze Award

  • You have to complete 50+ hours of volunteering with Discovery and have logged these hours onto the volunteer database
  • You must write a 200-300 word reflective piece on your volunteering

How to Achieve a Silver Award

  • You must be an active project coordinator, a Discovery Ambassador, student trustee or be part of the Siavonga summer programme
  • You have to complete 75+ hours of volunteering with Discovery and logged these hours onto the volunteer database
  • You must write a 200-300 word reflective piece on your volunteering
  • You must attend all relevant meetings

How to Achieve a Gold Award

  • You must be an active project coordinator, Discovery Ambassador or student trustee
  • You have to complete 100+ hours of volunteering with Discovery and logged these hours onto the volunteer database
  • You must write a 300-400 word reflective piece on your volunteering
  • You must attend all relevant meetings
  • You must have represented Discovery at two events, Events that you can represent Discovery at can include:
    • The Virtual Sofa on Facebook
    • Promoting Discovery at lecture talks
    • The Discovery fayre
    • Speaking at Discovery webinars
    • Representing Discovery on digital media in films
    • Quotes about volunteering
    • Doing Instagram/Facebook takeovers etc.

How do I apply?

If you want to apply for your HEAR Award just fill in this form: https://forms.gle/w5a8qcacogz2gLPJ8 by Monday 7th June.

Find out More

If you have any questions about the HEAR Award or want to have a quick chat about it with Sian then come along to the informal HEAR Award drop in session on Wednesday 19th or 26th May. Sign up on Fatsoma.

You can also check out this recording of the HEAR Award information session held on Wednesday 24th March .

Don’t worry if you’re not able to join us for the event, you can get in touch with Sian Davies for more information.

How you can Boost those Hours

At Discovery we understand that it can be difficult to commit to weekly volunteering activities. But you can still increase your hours by doing some virtual volunteering! Some of the virtual activities that you can get involved with include:

  • Spotting animals in a cloud library of images to help with animal conservation from your home
  • Playing word games to help raise funds for the World Food Programme.
  • Supporting blind and low-vision people via an app
  • And so many more, just check out our website on Virtual Volunteering

To find out more about our volunteering opportunities, check out our website at https://discoverysvs.org/ or send us an email at discovery@swansea.ac.uk.

How you can apply for your HEAR Award

To apply for the HEAR Award all you have to do is hit the criteria, write your reflective piece and then submit it via this HEAR form. You can apply for the award a couple of months before you graduate and it doesn’t matter if you haven’t volunteered with us for a while, if you have volunteered with Discovery whilst at University you should apply. We are asking for those graduating this summer have have their applications in by the 31st May.

Don’t forget to follow us on social media!

Facebook = /DiscoverySVS

YouTube = Discovery Student Volunteering Swansea

Instagram = @DiscoverySVS

Twitter = @DiscoverySVS

Linked In = Discovery-Student-Volunteering-Swansea