As part of our #UCLInspireMe series, Adrian shares his insight into how volunteering helped him to secure his current role at, Body & Soul, an Islington based organisation that supports children, families and young people who have or are closely affected by HIV.  Here he talks to us about the skills he developed while volunteering at UCL helped him get his current role.  For more insights from recent graduates working for smaller organisations, visit https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/ucl-careers/ and search #SMEProfile.

“I became a much better communicator after volunteering. Volunteering also allowed me to put a lot of what I was writing about in my dissertation into context.”

Adrian Deen graduated from UCL’s MSc in Science, Technology and Society in 2014. We recently spoke to him about how his student volunteering experiences have influenced his career so far.

Where are you currently working?
I’m the Head of Adult Services at Body & Soul, an Islington based organisation that supports children, families and young people who have or are closely affected by HIV. My role involves planning and programming the workshops and events that take place on our Tuesday service evenings. I also liaise with our member’s medical teams, attend conferences and do casework on practical issued our members might face.

What volunteering were you involved with whilst you were at UCL?
Whilst at UCL I volunteered at Body & Soul and it was off the back of volunteering that I was encouraged to apply for the job that I now do.

I also volunteered at CORE Arts – an art school in Homerton for people with severe and enduring mental health problems. I also volunteered at the Grant Museum of Comparative Anatomy as well as for The Parent House – an Islington based charity for asylum seeker parents.

What useful skills and experiences did you gain as a volunteer when you were at UCL?
I became a much better communicator after volunteering. Volunteering also allowed me to put a lot of what I was writing about in my dissertation into context.

How has volunteering helped you in your career so far?
Volunteering has had a direct impact on my career – again, got my current job through it.

What would you say to UCL students considering whether or not to volunteer?
Absolutely do it! University (and school in general) can be a very self-absorbing pursuit. You tend to spend long hours thinking about your own thoughts, writing these thoughts down and usually getting told they’re good. Volunteering or just doing anything for anyone else can be an incredible humbling thing, it’s grounding which, for students can be a very good thing.

Make sure you volunteer at a charity that actually means something to you. Volunteering for the sake of it is no use to anyone, especially not the people/organisations who need enthusiastic volunteers to continue doing the work they do.

Interested in finding out more about volunteering? Visit UCLU Volunteering Services Unit’s webpages.

Calling all students interested in volunteering in the medical sector – UCLU’s Volunteering Services Unit is holding it’s first ever Health Volunteering Fair on Thursday 19th November, 5-7pm.

Come and find out more information on the many diverse roles available and how you can make a real difference to people’s lives through volunteering. Exhibitors include Centra Volunteering, Hestia, The Camden Society, Motor Neurone Disease Association, Centre 404, Resources for Autism, VoiceAbility and more.

The team from UCLU’s Volunteering Services Unit will also be on hand to answer your volunteering questions.

The event is catered, so you won’t need to miss dinner!

You’ll find us in the Haldane Room, off Wilkins North Cloisters, from 5 – 7pm.

Tell us you’re coming via facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/527398120769848/

At UCLU’s Volunteering Services Unit, we’ve got so many activities on offer that we couldn’t fit them all into one fair- so we’re having another one on Thursday October 29th, 12 noon – 3pm, Wilkins South Cloisters.

With 40 different recruiters, including: Age UK Camden, English Heritage, Westminster Befriend a Family, London Youth Games, Marchmont Community Centre, North London Cares, Parkinson’s UK, National AIDS Trust, London Air Ambulance, Macmillan Cancer Support, Camden Citizen’s Advice Bureau Service, The Foundling Museum, Latin American Disabled People’s Project, The National Autistic Society, and more.

Volunteering is a great way to discover London, meet new people and learn new skills whilst making a difference – so come along and find out what it’s all about.

Don’t miss out! To find out more, visit www.uclu.org/volunteer-fair

Considering a career in or want to find out more about the Arts, Cultural Heritage and Museums sectors? Then this is the week for you! All events are open to students from all degree disciplines. All events take place during week commencing 2nd November 2015 and need to be booked via your  ‘My UCL Careers’ account.

Arts Management Forum | 2nd November, 5.30pm-6.30pm
Confirmed panellists include:
> Dr Michael Hall – Curator and Dealer
> Marion Crick – Head of Collections Management, Victoria & Albert Museum
> Eleni Duke – Owner/Founder, Curious Duke Gallery

Museums Forum | 3rd November, 5.30pm-6.30pm
Confirmed panellists include:
> Frances Jeens, Jewish Museum
> Dr Neil Wilkin – Curator (European Bronze Age collection), The British Museum

How Volunteering can start your Career in Museums & Cultural Heritage (run jointly with VSU) | 4th November, 5.30pm-6.30pm

Confirmed panellists include:
> Marta Mrozek – Collections Management, The British Museum
> Stephen Wilson – Education Manager, Benjamin Franklin House
> Carly Lawrence – Volunteer Supervisor, Handel House Museum
> Charlotte Frearson – Undergraduate/Fieldwork/Museums Placement Administrator – UCL Institute of Archaeology
> Oliver Peachey – Volunteering Administration & Partnerships Coordinator, VSU

Cultural Heritage Forum | 5th November, 5.30pm-6.30pm
Confirmed panellists include:
> Dr Joe Flatman – Head of Central Casework and Programmes,English Heritage
>Alison Richmond – Chief Executive, Icon, Institute of Conservation
> Dr Gai Jorayev – Research Fellow and Senior Heritage Management Consultant,  Centre for Applied Archaeology, UCL Institute of Archaeology

All events need to be booked via your  ‘My UCL Careers’ account.

UCLU’s Big Volunteering Fair is this week on Thursday 8th and Friday 9th October, 12 noon – 3pm, South Cloisters, Wilkins Building

 
Come along to our Big Volunteering Fair on the 8th and 9th October and find out why over 2000 UCL students took part in volunteering last year. Organised by UCLU’s Volunteering Services Unit, There will be more than 80 different charities and student-run community projects to have a chat with, including Save the Children, UCL Student Hospital Fun Team, Bloomsbury Festival, IntoUniversity, NSPCC, St John’s Ambulance, Camden LGBT Forum, The Conservation Volunteers, Teenage Cancer Trust, Generating Genius, Mayhew Animal Home, The Hackney Pirates, University College Hospital London, Handel House Museum, London Nightline, UCLU MEDucate, Richard House Children’s Hospice, UCL Baking Project, The Science Museum and more!

There will be different exhibitors on the two days – you can browse the catalogues now:
Volunteering Fair catalogue for Thursday 8th October
Volunteering Fair catalogue for Friday 9th October

Volunteering is a big part of student life at UCL; it’s a good way to get to know London better, meet new people, and experience the world away from the lecture theatres, labs and libraries. You’ll also boost your chances of finding paid work. We hope to see you at the Fair.

You’ll find more information at www.uclu.org/volunteer-fair

Come along to the UCLU Volunteering Services Unit’s Green Volunteering Fair and find out about a world of opportunities to get involved.

UCLU WINTER VOLUNTEERING FAIR
12 NOON – 3PM THIS THURSDAY
SOUTH CLOISERS & MAIN QUAD MARQUEE
Will 2015 be the year that you make a big difference?  If so, a good place to get started will be our Winter Volunteering Fair on Thursday 22^nd January.

In the South Cloisters we’ll be hosting over 50 different London-based organisations for you to find out about, including Centra Volunteering, Diabetes UK, Action Tutoring, Health Poverty Action, Origin Housing, Keen London, West Euston Time Bank, Stemettes, St John Ambulance, ULU Links, London LGBT+ Community Pride, Anthony Nolan, Body & Soul, UCL Hospital, Theatre Royal Stratford East, UCH Macmillan Cancer Centre, St Joseph’s Hospice, MAC-UK, Stroke Association, Newlon Fusion, IntoUniversity… and many more.

In the Main Quad Marquee, UCLU Volunteering Society (VolSoc) will be hosting an international volunteering fair, with exciting projects from around the world.  There exhibitors include: Frontier, Otra Cosa Network, The Hope Foundation For Street Children, Kaya Responsible Travel, PSE For a Child’s Smile UK, The Daneford Trust, Tenteleni and more. For more information about the Volunteering Society and international volunteering please go to their website.

You’ll find us in the South Cloisters and Main Quad Marquee from 12 noon – 3pm on Thursday 22nd – we hope to see you there!

Add the Winter Volunteering Fair to your calendar

This post originally appeared on the UCL Researchers Blog

UCL Postgrads – Are you interested in making connections with local communities? Thinking about volunteering? Want to collaborate with people outside of academia?

If so, come and have some stimulating discussions at our Postgraduate Volunteering & Public Engagement Fair. There will be thirty stalls to browse, and staff from across UCL and UCLU to give advice about volunteering and public engagement. Oh, and we’ll have refreshments too.

 When: Roberts Foyer, Wednesday 26 November 6-8pm

Exhibitors include Access Sport, Body & Soul, Carnaval del Pueblo, Doorstep Library Network, Endometriosis UK, Family Mosaic, Future Frontiers, IntoUniversity, Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice, North London Cares , Real Action, Royal Mencap Society, Sova Support Link, The Camden Society, UCL Grand Challenges and more.

The event is jointly organised by UCL Public Engagement Unit, UCLU’s Volunteering Services Unit, and the UCLU Postgraduate Association.

To register, and to find out more about the volunteering on offer, visit https://uclu.org/whats-on/volunteering/postgraduate-public-engagement-volunteering-fair

Interested in volunteering in the museums & heritage sector? Come along to our special volunteering fair and speak to organisations from across London, including Avenue House Estate Trust, Benjamin Franklin House, English Heritage, The Foundling Museum, Handel House Museum, Jewish Museum London, Leighton House Museum, Museum of the Order of St John, and The Wiener Library for the Study of the Holocaust and Genocide

When: Wednesday 12 November 2014 – 5:00pm to 7:00pm

Where: Haldane Room, off North Cloisters, UCL Wilkins Building

To find out more and register for the event, visit http://uclu.org/whats-on/volunteering/museums-heritage-volunteering-fair

At the Volunteering Services Unit, we’ve got so many activities on offer that we couldn’t fit them all into one fair- so we’re having another one on Thursday October 30th, 12-3pm in the South Cloisters, with 40 all-new projects. Exhibitors include: ChildLine, MindFull, Good News Shared, FoodCycle Bloomsbury, Victim Support, Royal London Society for Blind People, St Pancras Community Association, Doorstep Library Network, Eastside Educational Trust, Camden Citizens Advice Bureaux Service, Muslim Aid, Central YMCA, Leonard Cheshire Disability, Resources for Autism, London LGBT+ Community Pride, Enterprise CUBE and more!

Volunteering is a great way to discover London, meet new people and learn new skills whilst making a difference – so come along and find out what it’s all about.

Find out more at www.uclu.org/volunteer-fair