You’ve heard it all before - it’s good for your soul, helps you gain a sense of belonging and purpose and is a great chance to meet new people. Why then, has there been a decline in the number of volunteers in recent years?
Data from the latest Community Life Survey found participation rates in volunteering to be the lowest recorded. With barriers to engaging in volunteering centred around time and lack of it due to other commitments.
The impact this has to our community partners, is significant, with many struggling to achieve their desired impact due to this decline in volunteers.
Service Time
At King’s, we are committed to meeting the needs of our society. As an anchor institution rooted in the heart of London, we are positioned to support and foster ambitions to increase volunteering contributions in our surrounding community.
That’s why all staff at King’s can spend up to three days or 21 hours per year (pro-rata’d) volunteering their time for a cause that is important to you.
This Service Time initiative enables colleagues across King’s to undertake community activity, beyond the university.
Not sure how to use your time? Below are three ways that colleagues have used their Service Time to give back to causes that are important to them.
You can also come along to our annual Volunteer Fair on Thursday 15 February in Bush House Arcade where 25 of our community partners will be available on campus to share information about their organisation and the volunteering roles they have available.
Baby blankets for Little Village
An incredible 391 granny squares were donated and stitched together to make 9 beautiful baby blankets, that were gifted to parents who have benefit from the support of Little Village. Little Village is a charity that runs a baby bank network of pre-loved items that can be passed on to families who need them.
Abbie Russell, Sonya Di Georgio, Hannah Sauer and Katherine Hughes are just some colleagues across King’s who volunteered their time to both teach staff and students to crochet granny squares, make their own and help sew the blankets together.
Interested in using your creativity to give back to your community or have an idea for a crafty project? Add your name here and we’ll keep you updated with any future projects we plan to run.
"The staff at King's have been imaginative, creative and generous with their time and skills. We’re so grateful for your collaboration with Little Village through the baby blanket project. Being able to gift unique hand-crocheted blankets, made especially for families struggling to keep warm this winter, has been wonderful, as we aim to share gifts, with love and a personal touch." – Helen Speedy, Partnerships & Volunteer Manager at Little Village
Business Support Team repair laptops with Community TechAid
In summer of 2023, organised by Suzanne Huggett-Jones in King’s Business School, the Business Support Team spent a day volunteering with Community TechAid, a grass-roots charity trying to close the digital divide by providing technology and skills to communities, whilst recycling, reusing and repairing e-waste.
Spending an afternoon repairing donated devices, their work resulted in 22kg of e-waste being diverted from landfill and 542kg of avoided CO2 emissions, by preventing the building of new electrical equipment.
"Volunteering with Community TechAid was an enriching experience that went beyond just giving back. It was a day filled with learning, teamwork, and the joy of making a tangible impact to society." – Shalen Fu, Centre Manager, Centre for Sustainable Business
Interested in volunteering with Community TechAid? Get in touch with the team to sign up.
King’s Community Business Services host their Community Support Day
Organised by Business Support Manager, LaiHa Diamond, the Community Support Day welcomed over 70 guests, who are experiencing homelessness, to the King’s Sport Wellness Centre.
Over the course of the day, the team hosted guests by providing them with hot meals, showers, haircuts, and new clothes, giving them a space to rest and connect with others. Check out this Instagram post to see what the team achieved.
The day wouldn’t have been possible without the support of over 70 colleagues who volunteered their time to set up, welcome and serve guests.
"It was great to be able to host our second community support day welcoming guests from the Waterloo and Strand area. It was a successful event where guests felt looked after and a huge thank you to all our volunteers all coming together to make this happen" – Charles Gallagher, Director of King’s Community Business Services
Not sure where to start? Join the King’s Volunteering Fair
We’ll be holding our annual Volunteer Fair on Thursday 15 February in Bush House Arcade.
Over 25 of our community partners will be available on campus to share information about their organisation and the volunteering roles they have available. King’s students and staff will be able to enquire about a range of opportunities in areas such as sustainability, education, mental health and much more.
Find the full details on our event page and register to receive updates about the event here.
And if you haven’t done so already, sign up to King’s Volunteering to access over 100 community partners and opportunities.
Related Opportunities
Our award-winning ESOL project offers English language classes to young people at a wide range of levels. This provides vital skills, opportunities and social contact and is crucial for enabling young people to do well at school or college.
Volunteers are required to help in the running of our Five Sisters Café which is located in our Community Hub, on the ground floor of the Hospice. Our café sells a range of freshly made sandwiches, snacks, and hot meals. Hot and cold drinks.
Do you want to find out more about environmental issues while gaining skills associated with auditing? Volunteer as a Sustainability auditor and make a positive impact at King’s and receive an IEMA certificate. Audit days are 29th and 30th of May.
