Volunteering
Discovery has a whole range of interactive activities of volunteering that anyone can get involved in from home. These are not necessarily projects which entail any contact although this is an option there are a lot more virtual volunteering opportunities available today.
Discovery SVS offers a range of remote volunteering projects. From creative activities for children and disabled & older adults to weekly phone calls with people in the Swansea community to make them feel less lonely in lockdowns. There are opportunities to teach English, literacy, and homework classes for children.
Gamified volunteering is now very popular. The user can play games such as earthquake and disaster relief, helping with science and identifying solar systems the range is massive. These gamified volunteering opportunities help the organizations to gain important research.
Virtual Volunteering Activities
- https://www.zooniverse.org/ – A platform for many Digi-volunteering opportunities.
- https://freerice.com/game – Play a word game, raise funds for World Food Programme.
- https://instantwild.zsl.org/intro – Animal conservation from the comfort of home.
- https://www.bemyeyes.com/ – Helping blind and low vision people via an app.
- https://www.onlinevolunteering.org/en – UN Digi-volunteering portal.
- https://foldingathome.org/start-folding/ – Help cure diseases with your gaming PC.
- https://www.missingmaps.org/ – Help fill in the gaps on maps to support disaster relief teams around the world.
- https://www.antislaverymanuscripts.org/classify – Transcribe handwritten messages between anti-slavery activists in the 19th C.
- https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/dwhiter/aurora-zoo/classify a chance to look to the skies (by staring at your screen) and check out the amazing Northern Lights.
- https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/mzfasdg2/reading-natures-library Decipher handwritten notes on historic botany microscope slides.
Skills to be developed
There is a range of volunteering opportunities to get onboard at Discovery SVS. From digital campaigns to creating hospital packs for NHS patients. There is a range of projects that will enhance and boost your CV.
You can gain skills that will prepare you for your working career. The team are very helpful and will allow you to take part in a variety of activities that will enhance your career prospects.
Some of the skills that you can develop include, but not limited to:
Literature Skills – Create blogs, newsletters, articles, and many more.
Literacy – Enhance your numerical abilities. Get creative with word searches, sudokus, and puzzles.
Teaching – Teach English, Literacy, or help with homework clubs.
Time Management – Volunteering alongside your studies shows your ability to manage your time effectively.
Free Training – There is a range of free training courses including Autism Awareness, Safeguarding Training, and Disability Awareness.
Higher Education Award Record (HEAR) Award
One of the fantastic benefits of virtual volunteering is that it’s an easy way to increase your hours that you’ve volunteered to go towards your HEAR Award. Sometimes it can be difficult to make time for weekly commitments in other projects, whereas virtual volunteering activities can be done at a time that suits you.
The HEAR Award is a fantastic addition to your CV as it shows employers that you have been able to dedicate over 50 hours to volunteering work. A brilliant opportunity to showcase your commitment and hard work!
At Discovery, the certificates that we award are for:
50 hours = Bronze
75 hours = Silver
100 hours = Gold
To learn more about the HEAR award and how to apply, Discovery are hosting an information session on Wednesday 24th March & Wednesday 28th April at 2pm on Zoom. To sign up to the information session go here: https://www.fatsoma.com/discoverysvs
If you want to apply for your Discovery HEAR Award this year, then come along to the HEAR Award information session on Wednesday 24th March at 2pm on Zoom. All you need to do is register for the event by selecting Register. If you cannot make the information session but would like more information, email Sian Davies at sian.davies2@swansea.ac.uk.