Warwick Volunteers- Student leadership

Overview

Project: Warwick Volunteers- Student leadership

Format: Project Management and Facilitation

Length of project/engagement: Yearly (exec recruitment and student posts)

Why this approach: To empower students to create the opportunities they wish to see from a volunteering perspective. As well as create a two-way dialogue that ensures volunteering remains relevant and accessible to all students.

Contact this team

Image of a person standing at the front of a room pointing to a screen, with someone in a burgundy Warwick Volunteers hoodie sitting in the foreground

Involvement

Staff Involvement:

Designated staff member to help support each student project leader
Running training for student leaders
Mentoring and guidance of projects chosen by student leads

Students:

All students involved are recruited through Warwick volunteers with a pipeline of students going from committed volunteers to student leaders to exec.

x6 Student Executive Committee members
x60 Student leaders (which is broken into project and session leaders)
x10 Warwick Volunteer Ambassadors
Over 1,100 student volunteers and volunteering opportunities- recruited through Warwick Volunteers portal and through Warwick Volunteer students to participate.

Objectives Outcomes

Key Outcomes

You can see our key facts over the years, however in 24/25 alone there were:

16,580 hours of volunteering logged
1,172 active volunteers, with 73 student leaders and exec members
129 charities and community groups reached

In 2024-25, one project, Warwick Youth Mappers, contributed over 400 hours to supporting international NGOs, with 80 student volunteers registering hours to contribute.

Working with Students

Student workers

Recruitment: Student leaders recruited through Warwick Volunteers page, listing the vacancies available based on project or need. Students are offered a volunteering drop-in session to talk to a staff member and better understand the requirements. Student complete an application form and an interview that takes approximately 30 minutes.

Induction: ran by Warwick Volunteer staff, with some handover documents provided by previous role holders. Students receive project leader training, and start building the project plan with guidance from staff.

Post type: yearly, students hired on a yearly basis, with Student Exec working closely year on year with staff to better support delivery of objectives and outcomes.

Personal development support:

Designated staff member to provide support with running projects
Warwick award points (20)

Exec Committee (adhoc hrs p/wk)

Length in role: full academic year

Responsibilities:

Promoting and supporting Warwick volunteers events throughout the year
Recruiting volunteers through awareness raising events and activities
Liaise with volunteers, student leaders
Leading social activities to promote community building amongst volunteers
Gather evidence of impact

Remuneration: 20 Warwick Award points, HEAR role recognition, Volunteers hoddie and micro fleece

Support structures: named staff contact and training

Project Lead (adhoc hrs p/wk)

Length in role: full academic year

Responsibilities:

Recruit volunteers for the project and incoming student leads
Support volunteers throughout the project (awareness of processes and procedures involved informing volunteering)
Inform volunteers about training, transport, expenses, DBS checks etc- coordinate this with staff
Organise information sessions, volunteer meetings and project activities (including updating the project website)
Get feedback from volunteers, and use to inform handover documents for

Remuneration: 20 Warwick Award points, HEAR role recognition, Volunteers hoddie

Support structures: named staff contact and training

Session Leaders (adhoc hrs p/wk)

Length in role: project length

Responsibilities:

Prepare sessions- reading and review documentation, risk assessments, volunteer briefings, sign-ups etc
Lead sessions- set up activity, supervising and supporting volunteers
Update records of attendance, feedback, issues
Support project leaders as needed

Remuneration: 20 Warwick Award points, HEAR role recognition, Volunteers hoddie

Support structures: training and safeguarding checks, student project lead support

Back to all case studies

Student Engagement Toolkit Home Page

Student Experience

Warwick Volunteers- Student leadership

Staff Involvement:

Students:

Key Objectives

Key Outcomes

Student workers

Exec Committee (adhoc hrs p/wk)

Project Lead (adhoc hrs p/wk)

Session Leaders (adhoc hrs p/wk)