Enrichment - Greenhead Voluntary Service in the Community

Are you someone who gains satisfaction from helping others? If so, you may well want to participate in our GVS scheme for your enrichment activity.

It is an excellent opportunity to make a difference in the community, whilst gaining vital experience. It also fulfils the service requirements of the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme. The scheme runs September until Easter, generally on a Wednesday afternoon, but you can fit it around your studies on any other day, evenings or weekends.

When recruiting, a number of career areas will be looking specifically for the type of people who are selflessly and generously willing to help others. Medicine, physiotherapy, nursing and primary teaching particularly require evidence of the exact amount of voluntary service hours you have completed.

You may wish to participate in the GVS scheme in order to fulfil your enrichment requirement and enhance your CV, whilst making a contribution to the community. The College has limited organised places; therefore you are encouraged to find your own placement as soon as possible, preferably before the start of term in September.

Help is always needed in primary and secondary schools, supporting children on literacy schemes and foreign language conversation. Volunteers are welcome at local hospitals, hospices, residential homes for the elderly and special needs schools and centres, however these can take a while to organise, so you are advised to approach them allowing plenty of time.

Charity shops, Christian African Relief Trust and Oxfam Ebay are always on the lookout for help, as are HRI and Calderdale Royal Hospital to help take patients to and from their chapels. Brownies, Cubs etc, work for St John Ambulance, and coaching of any local sports teams are also counted towards your GVS.

If you think it’s for you, and you are interested in any of the areas listed above, why not make a start now? You can contact the organisations direct, and they will probably want to see you for a chat. Think beforehand, about what you want to know from them, what they are likely to ask you, skills and experience you can offer, and how much time you can commit.

There are a number of schemes run through college, such as helping pupils with special needs at Castle Hill and Longley schools, mentoring at Royds Hall High, Holmfirth High and Moor End schools and helping with the 'Playing for Success' study centre at the Galpharm Stadium.

You could carry out activities with physically disabled adults at Cheshire Homes, help out at the local resident's Tea Club, or be involved with conservation work in Greenhead Park.

Helping with the computer literacy scheme in college for pupils at St Pat’s is always popular. On Saturdays there is swimming at the stadium pool with children with autism and Down’s Syndrome, and a variety of activities at the Sports Centre with the Huddersfield Actionnaires (visually impaired children).

Whatever you choose to help in, there will be the opportunity to gain the Greenhead College Voluntary Service Award at the end of the year.

If you are already involved in voluntary service activities, please let us know so you can gain the benefits of being on our register.

If you know of any areas within the community that would benefit from some help from our students, please contact: cbarnes@greenhead.ac.uk