From the 1-7 June, organisations across the UK celebrate Volunteers Week, to acknowledge and recognise the incredible contributions volunteers make in their roles.
The Association relies heavily on the hard work of student volunteers, and they impact every nook and cranny, assisting with the development of projects, campaigns, initiatives and day-to-day goings-on across the board.
Our volunteers allow the student voice to be heard at the Open University and beyond, offering their precious time to ensure roles are fulfilled to the highest of standards and undergo mandatory and role-specific training to be the best they can possibly be at their role.
There are currently 238 active volunteers in various roles across the Association and we want to thank every one of them from the bottom of our hearts for the hard work they put into their roles, often going above and beyond to achieve what is required.
They fulfil a huge variety of tasks across all areas. For example, Student Representatives make sure the views of students are shared across the OU, while volunteers sitting on the Envrionment & Sustainability Working Group have pushed forward an action plan to ensure the Association and university are working towards a more sustainable future.
Event and Meet-up Hosts have kept the student community alive delivering meetups across the country and online, and Graduation Stall Volunteers and Coordinators have travelled to their nearest ceremonies to represent the Association in professional and exciting capacities.
Library Study Volunteers have been vital for students in secure environments to continue their studies, while the Student Leadership Team are constantly working towards ensuring the Association’s priorities are completed with OU students the primary focus.
The Association also made the exciting move to enlist the students leading Clubs and Societies and support groups as volunteers, meaning their hard work ensuring students have communities linked to their interests and identities is acknowledged and represented within the volunteering umbrella.
Students in these roles alongside all our past and present volunteer opportunities are an asset to the Association and Open University, and you should all be incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication you have shown throughout your roles.
Introducing the Volunteer Recognition Hub
As part of the Volunteer Week celebrations, we are launching the very exciting Volunteer Recognition hub! This is a space for volunteers to share their stories, log their impact and for everyone to thank volunteers who you know have gone above and beyond within their roles.
We are introducing the Volunteer Praise page, where anyone can share an anecdote, quote or a simple thank you to the volunteers you work with. If you’re a fellow student, volunteer, Association or OU colleague, this is your opportunity to recognise the hard work of student volunteers. SImply complete the form in the recognition space, and this will be shared far and wide with the relevant volunteers, staff members and wider OU community.
It's very easy to assume volunteers know the impact they have made or are aware of how valuable they are. By recognising volunteers, you can not only make sure they know how important they are, but also show others how they impact many areas of the OU and Association.
Once again, we want to say a huge thank you to all Association volunteers past and present. Your volunteer work has been invaluable in ensuring the Association can continue to provide for Open University students for years to come.