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This 2022, February is a great time to start volunteering with a charity, or get involved with a project close to your heart!
As expected, you will find information about the Student Volunteering Week happening from the 7th to the 13th of February, the perfect opportunity to get a taste of what volunteering at the University of Manchester looks like!
February is also LGBTQ+ History Month during which the University commemorates the contributions made by people from our LGBTQ+ community. To celebrate this month, we wanted to bring to the invite students to reflect on the history of Manchester and the LGBTQ+ community and put to the fore several LGBTQ+ charities doing amazing work across Greater Manchester.
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Join us for Student Volunteering Week!
Monday 7 - Sunday 13 February 2022
Student Volunteering Week is an annual event that celebrates student volunteering in all its glory!
This year we’re hosting lots of exciting events, including information sessions and a chance to volunteer every day.
Come to the Get Into Volunteering Fair on Monday 7th February and find out about the many opportunities to volunteer in Manchester!
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Take Part in the Big Volunteering Day
Wednesday 9th February 2022 - 10am - 3pm
Big Volunteer Day is back for Student Volunteering Week 2022! With your help the Volunteering team will be cleaning and greening an area of Moss Side. You can join them anytime between 10am-3pm – why not invite your coursemates, housemates or society to join in the fun? Sign up for more information and to let them know you’re coming (so that they know how many biscuits to buy!)
As a team you will be cleaning up the area and tidying up a beautiful garden – improving the space for local residents, wildlife and for everyone passing by! You’ll be joining forces with local residents, but as many volunteers as possible are needed to complete all the tasks at hand! Have a look at this video to see what's in it for you!
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Become a Student Wellbeing Champion!
Do you have a passion for wellbeing? Would you be interested in organising wellbeing events and promoting the six ways to wellbeing to your course or school? If this is you, why not apply to become a Student Wellbeing Champion?!
Being a champion would also count towards the Step up and Lead section of the Stellify award and will be recorded on your HEAR!
Applications open on Monday 31st January and close on Sunday 13th February!
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Manchester and the LGBTQ+ Community
Many Mancunian LGBTQ+ figures such as Quentin Crisp and Alan Turing have made vital contributions to British Society and culture. However, historical contributions from the LGBTQ+ community have often been silenced or dismissed and more needs to be done to both collect these stories and give them the recognition they deserve!
This month of February, why not do a bit of research of your own? In Manchester, we are lucky to have access to a variety of archives, museums, and historical places commemorating the intertwinement of the history of our city with that of the LGBTQ+ community!
Have a walk along Canal Street and pay your respects at the Alan Turing's memorial site, explore the Manchester Archives or visit the People's History Museum, the possibility are endless!
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Become a Student Angel!
Since September 2019, the Students' Union and the LGBT Foundation have started the Student Angels Project in collaboration with Manchester City Council and supported over 600 people!
This project is a night-time street safety initiative: teams of trained student volunteers head out into the Manchester University and Oxford Road area at night over the weekend to support students in a variety of ways.
If you want to make a difference and help make the streets feel safer for every student, click on the link below to apply for this opportunity!
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Volunteer with the Proud Trust
The Proud Trust is an LGBT+ organisation that supports LGBT+ young people through youth groups, peer support, mentoring programs and the Proud Connections chat service.
They have three objectives:
- - Creating a better support network for LGBT+ youth groups and young people.
- - Keeping young LGBT+ people on other people’s agendas, so that schools, colleges, governments and other organisations considered and addressed LGBT+ needs.
- - Providing opportunities to bring young people together through regional events such as, Pride Youth Games, peer educator training and conferences.
If you would like to learn more about their work and volunteer with them click on the link below!
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Volunteer with the LGBT Foundation
The LGBT Foundation exists to support the needs of the diverse range of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans. They believe in a fair and equal society where all LGBT+ people can achieve their full potential.
Through their services, they reduce isolation amongst LGBT+, help people feel more confident and in control of their lives, and enable people to flourish.
At the moment, the LGBT Foundation is looking for volunteers to support them with their Helpline. You will be fully trained and will receive support throughout your volunteering.
If you have good communication skills and want to make a difference in someone else's day, this opportunity is for you!
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Volunteer with Just Like Us
Just Like Us is another LGBT+ young people's charity. They were founded five years ago for a simple reason: growing up LGBT+ is still unacceptably tough.
Their mission is to empower young people to champion LGBT+ equality and they want young people to know that being LGBT+ is something to be celebrated.
Just Like Us has volunteering opportunities for LGBT+ young people aged between 18 and 25 years old to become Just Like Us Ambassadors! Their recruitment has closed for this academic year but you can already apply for the next rollout!
You’ll be fully trained and then choose opportunities throughout the year to deliver school talks, create LGBT+ educational resources and media content, and support other LGBT+ young people.
If you want to help other LGBT+ young people develop pride and confidence in their identity, this opportunity is for you!
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With this monthly newsletter, we want to encourage students to volunteer more and become active members of their local community!
Members of the LGBTQ+ community are too often unjustly made feel like they don't belong. It is vital to celebrate their identities and to remember that Manchester (and the rest of the world for that matter!) would not have been the same without them.
This month, take the time to reflect on how you can better support your LGBTQ+ peers, read LGBTQ+ authors, learn about the history of the community, and share what you learn with your friends and family!
If you want to check out more opportunities or want to learn more about what the Volunteering Team is doing, make sure to have a look at the Volunteering Hub and to follow the Volunteering Team on social media!
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