Are you wondering how volunteering can assist in adding some ✨ spice ✨ to your CV?
Volunteering with Discovery gives you the access to apply to earn the university’s HEAR award depending on the number of hours you’ve completed which is eligible to all students in the university!
What is the HEAR Award?
The Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) award is a formal university-verified document that provides records of your academic and personal achievements or extra-curricular learning experiences within the university. The award seeks to go beyond the traditional degree classification system and show your assessment marks and more comprehensive achievements you’ve explored or undertaken at university, such as volunteering. This award recognizes your achievements outside the class by getting a certificate for all the volunteering you do and your academic portfolio (and CV), which enhances your employability. You are eligible to apply for the award a couple of months before you graduate.
It doesn’t matter if you haven’t volunteered with us for a while; as long as you have ever volunteered with Discovery while at university, you should apply. Find out what it entails and how to apply down this blog.
How it works
The HEAR awards are set at three different levels each being handed out based on meeting the requirement of that level. There is the Bronze, Silver, and Gold. As you aim to grab a higher level, there are more requirements to meet to attain it. But with Discovery you can naturally progress to achieve higher awards without stress.
How to Achieve a Bronze Award
- You must complete 50+ hours of volunteering with Discovery and making sure to have logged these hours onto the volunteer database.
- You must write a 200–300 word reflective piece on your volunteering reflecting on the skills that you can gained through volunteering. Alternatively you can submit a two minute video with you talking to camera about your volunteering experience and the skills you gained.
How to Achieve a Silver Award
- Been an active Project Coordinator, a Discovery Ambassador or a Student Trustee.
- A complete 75+ hours of volunteering with Discovery and logged these hours onto the volunteer database.
- You write 300 word reflective piece on your volunteering. Alternatively you can submit a three minute video with you talking to camera about your volunteering experience and the skills you gained.
- You attend all relevant meetings!
How to Achieve a Gold Award
- Been an active Project Coordinator, Discovery Ambassador or Student Trustee
- You must complete 100+ hours of volunteering with Discovery and logged these hours onto the volunteer database.
- You must write 300-400 word reflective piece on your volunteering. Alternatively you can submit a three-five minute video with you talking to camera about your volunteering experience and the skills you gained.
- You must attend all relevant meetings.
- You must have represented Discovery at two events. For the type of events see below.
Suitable events include:
- Attending employability/ career fayres etc.
- 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?
To apply for the HEAR Award all you have to do is hit the criteria, write your reflective piece or film yourself on camera and then submit it via the following form: https://forms.gle/EnKrjWQywCE9zaz3A
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.
The link for the form to apply is below:
https://forms.gle/EnKrjWQywCE9zaz3A
You can also come along to an information session on either Wednesday 13th March 130-230pm on Singleton Campus or Wednesday 20th March 1-2pm on Zoom to find out more. To book onto those sessions go here: https://volunteering.discoverysvs.org/volunteers/opportunity/10200279
