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Everything you need to know
Volunteering at Undeb Bangor. 2022/23
What do we do?
All Undeb Bangor Volunteering projects are student led, run by students know as project leaders. The project leaders recruit students to volunteer on each project.
What kind of volunteering can i do?
All our volunteering projects fit into at least one of our 7 volunteering categories. Can I volunteer?
Once you have found the perfect volunteering project for you, you will have to go onto the website and apply. The project leaders will then sift through the applications and either offer you the role or invite you in for an interview. All students can apply to volunteer with us. Some volunteering projects are subject to a DBS check being carried out first.
How do I get a DBS check?
Once you have been accepted onto a volunteering project you will need to come in to Undeb Bangor with three proof of ID and a proof of address, we will fill in the form with you. Your DBS will be sent to your address, you'll then need to bring it in to the office for us to check and then you can start volunteering.
I have more questions?
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch. All details can be found on our website.
www.UndebBangor.com/volunteering
Mental Health Projects
Wellbeing Buddies
The world is constantly changing and with that presents new challenges, which students must navigate whilst simultaneously settling into life in a new environment. Our incredible students have already worked and lived through the Coronavirus Pandemic and now Cost-of-Living Crisis. Support the mental health and well-being of our student community at a crucial time by volunteering on Connect, Walk and Talk or Wellbeing Buddies. Provide students with opportunities to unwind, connect, and enjoy the local area. www.UndebBangor.com/volunteering Wellbeing buddy is a peer peer support scheme, whereby volunteers support other students facing difficulties and are paired with students with similar interests. Volunteers are not there, however, to provide therapy or mental health advice to students.
Gardens
Connect @ Bangor
Walk & Talk
The Healing Garden is run by a Bangor University Student Volunteering group in partnership with the Brain Injury Charity Headway Gwynedd & Mon. The Healing Garden aims to provide a place of mindfulness and therapy for all who it may benefit, including people recovering from brain injury or mental health. Volunteer days are on Sundays and are open to all Students. www.UndebBangor.com/volunteering A pool of volunteers are available to assist fellow Bangor University students to settle in and get the most from life at university.
Healing
A pool of volunteers are available to assist fellow Bangor University students to settle in and get the most from life at university.
Elderly Projects
Volunteers at the Students' Union have been working to support and engage with the elderly community for an impressive 70 years. Become part of the legacy and work on various projects which support the mental health and wellbeing of elderly members within our community.
Help organise and deliver opportunities for people living with Dementia,free trips in the local area with Out and About and celebrations such as our annual Tea Parties.
Dementia Friendly
The Dementia Friendly project aims to support the university in becoming more dementia friendly through Recruiting as many students as possible to Dementia Friends Awareness Sessions and Organising events to support people living with dementia in the local community.
Hafan Cafe
Run in partnership with Age Concern, volunteers assist in the running of the ‘drop in’ and café at the Hafan centre in Bangor.
Volunteers offer two hours a week at a time convenient to them.
Out and About
Out and About’s primary aim is to provide elderly people living in the community with an opportunity to explore and enjoy the local area and connect with others. It promotes independence and improves the quality of life for those who may have difficulty in travelling alone and appeals particularly to people who do not drive, are more comfortable travelling with others or who simply just want to get out and about!
Tea party
SVB Tea Party is the longest running project, which has been a continuous event every year since 1952. This project is an organised afternoon tea and entertainment for the elderly residents of the local area at Christmas and around St Davids Day. Project Leaders and Volunteers need to be willing to get into the party spirit and lead the celebrations to give the service users a nice day out that they will cherish.
www.UndebBangor.com/volunteering
Children's Projects
Leap Into Literacy
Looking for some experience relevant to your course? Or are you motivated to support young people's development and confidence? Either way, volunteering on one of our kids' projects will definitely provide you with this. Work with Spectrwm to support children who have been diagnosed or are awaiting a diagnosis of Autism, Sblat to deliver fun afterschool sessions or Leap Into to support children experiencing language and literacy difficulties. Leap into Literacy is a short six week program run by the Mile’s Dyslexia Centre. It delivers one to one mentoring to primary school aged children experiencing language/literacy difficulties. The project pairs student volunteers with a child and they work together during six Saturday sessions. Volunteers are expected to attend training/planning session on Wednesday afternoons and each Saturday session.
Delivers play and activity sessions for children with Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome every Monday and Thursday 6pm 8pm. Sbectrwm Organises arts, crafts, games and trips out to local attractions for 8 11 year olds from the Communities First area every Thursday evening. Sblat
Enviromental Projects
STAG
Are you an animal lover? Or do you want to support a student-led environmental initiative or gain some practical experience in conservation. Volunteer with our environmental projects and work on a variety of projects including Hedgehog and Donkey Projects, our student led Healing Gardens in the heart of Upper Bangor, Beach Clean or Hungry Dragons (a local food waste initiative). STAG is the student presence at Treborth Botanic Gardens. We help out growing things, digging holes, and learning other exciting skills. We accept people of all types and abilities-from the keenest of botanists to those who just want to dip their toes and try something new.
Fast Fashion is a student-led campaign and volunteering project which aims to raise awareness and educate around the negative impacts of fast fashion, whilst simultaneously offering solutions for students to make small changes to their lifestyle and consumer habits to reduce their individual impact. Fast Fashion Volunteer to help make Bangor as plastic free as possible Plastic Free Bangor Volunteer to support Fairtrade activities led by the Geography Society Fairtrade
Hedgehog Friendly
Greener Gwynedd
Monitoring The Dragons
Hedgehog Friendly Campus (HFC) is a joint project available to universities, primary schools and colleges to help hedgehogs on campus and get credit for it by completing certain initiatives. It can involve staff as well as students.
Work with the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) to monitor Welsh amphibians and reptiles, train Citizen Scientists and engage and educate the local population.
Greener Gwynedd is a practical action and conservation based student led volunteering project. We aim to introduce and educate people in a fun and friendly manner about local action and small ways we can work together to make a big difference!
Beach Clean aims to protect marine life and generally enhance the coastal areas of Gwynedd and Anglesey by organising litter picks and cleans at beaches and coastal areas. With large amounts of coastal waste washing up on beaches in the local area, Beach Clean provides students with a passion for the wildlife and the local area to get involved in keeping our beaches looking outstanding for everyone to enjoy. Beach Clean www.UndebBangor.com/volunteering
Community Projects
We are proud to say that almost all of our projects at the Students' Union have a community focus in some way. However, volunteering on key projects such as The Big Give (in partnership with the local food bank), Ffrind Cymraeg and ELCOS (projects to support students Welsh and English language skills), directly connect you with your local community and help you play an active role in supporting and developing it.
Guide Dogs- Name a Puppy Scheme
Our Guide Dogs project aims to raise money and awareness for Guide Dogs for the Blind and to provide life changing help for those with sight loss. It's perfect for dog lovers! Guide Dogs project has two aspects that volunteers can get involved with: Canine Calming sessions where students can meet some guide dogs and relax. These are organised around challenging periods for students to support mental health and wellbeing Raising awareness of the Guide Dogs charity and fundraising to support its work
Students take regular trips to the Snowdonia Donkey Sanctuary to work on 3 different volunteering projects: Wellbeing Donkey Project, Walking Donkey’s and Conservation and Land Management at the Donkey Sanctuary. Wellbeing Donkeys ELCOS Buddies is a project that connects ELCOS (English Language Courses for Overseas) students with an English Speaking Volunteer, with the aim of helping them develop their fluency and vocabulary through informal conversations. ELCOS volunteers are not required to tutor students, but to engage in conversation on topics that interest them. ECLOS Hungry Dragons is a sustainable food project saving surplus food in Bangor, Gwynedd. We convert surplus fruit and veggies from local supermarkets into yummy preserves and meals. Hungry Dragons www.UndebBangor.com/volunteering Take part in our biggest and most ambitious project of the year where we encourage students to leave behind their unwanted food at the end of term so we can distribute it to local food banks. The Big Give
Ffrind Cymraeg
Volunteer to support Welsh learners in developing their Welsh conversational skills
Undeb Bangor Drivers
The Undeb Drivers project is the recruitment of people in the local community and students, to then pass a MiDAS test and then drive for Undeb Bangor Opportunities.
Food Bank
The Big Give project aims to d ivertsurplus/waste food from students away from the waste stream and back into surplus food for the community. It works with Bangor Cathedral Food Bank to achieve this through the following: Collecting surplus food across the year at various points on campus and delivering them to Bangor Food Bank, Collecting surplus food at the end of the year at various points on campus and delivering them to Bangor Food Bank, and Recruiting volunteers to support by putting together emergency food packages together
www.UndebBangor.com/volunteering
Campaigns and Events
Period Poverty
Volunteer to campaign against Period Poverty and support the university in achieving period dignity for as many students as possible.
Marrow
Help fundraise for Anthony Nolan and sign people up to the Stem Cell Register
ST johns Ambulance
Volunteer with Bangor Links to develop your first aid skills, fundraise and support at events.
Heroes Project
The Hero’s project was inspired by “Heroes”. These are volunteers the Students’ Union recruits every September to support at Serendipity, the Freshers Fayre. From this, a wider Heroes Project has evolved, with it’s main aim being to recruit and coordinate volunteers for events the Students’ Union runs across the year. These events differ in purpose and nature, but often require volunteers to support activities.
Bangor
Fundraising
Raising and Giving
Charities
RAG members spend the year raising money for charity by any means possible! RAG is a great project for those who wish to volunteer on a one off basis but there’s also plenty of work to be done all year round. Each year the RAG committee open the nominations for charities. The charities put their names forward and then it's up to the student population to vote for the charities they want RAG to represent for the year. Each year. two local and two national charities are chosen.
Canine Calming Room RAG first dates Student Volunteering Week Societies and Volunteering Awards Night Rag are responsible for popular events such as; Popular events
Undeb@UndebBangor.com 4th Floor, Pontio, Deiniol Road Bangor, LL572TQ 01248 388000 @undeb_bangor @bangorstudentsunion @bangorstudents www.UndebBangor.com