Student Volunteering Week runs from 10 – 16 February and we’re celebrating the many students who volunteer for Home-Start across the whole country.

Across the UK, students contribute an estimated 3,459,653 hours of volunteering each year and provide a £42m boost to the UK economy.

Volunteering allows students to gain practical experience alongside their academic skills that are needed to make an active and positive change within their community.

Many Home-Starts have students as part of their volunteer teams in a wide range of roles.

Talitha has recently finished her A-Levels and is going a part-time teaching apprenticeship and who has signed up to volunteer for Home-Start Ashford and District. “Volunteering is such a learning opportunity and can be essential to get a wider perspective on the job you want to go in to,” she says. “This is especially true for those in less practical courses as having a practical application of your skills through voluntary work looks great on a CV and gives you a more in-depth and personal understanding of the people you will be working with.”

Volunteering for Home-Start is a social role, helping families in their homes and in their communities, but volunteering not only helps society by producing positive change, but it can also support a person’s mental health and tackle feelings of loneliness. Studies have shown that young people feel lonely on a more frequent basis compared to any other age group.

Stay tuned on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to hear from three student volunteers and their experiences of working with Home-Start whilst balancing their studies. 

If you, too, would like to volunteer for Home-Start, you can register your interest, here.