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Volunteering & Student-Led Engagement Working Group Gabriella Hanrahan (UL) Joanna Ozarowska (DCU). How It Began…. Dec 2012. Actioning Engagement Conference (HEA, Campus Engage) at DCU. Outcome:
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Volunteering & Student-Led Engagement Working GroupGabriella Hanrahan (UL)Joanna Ozarowska (DCU)
How It Began… Dec 2012 Actioning Engagement Conference (HEA, Campus Engage) at DCU Outcome: 4 HE civic engagement activities identified for further development: SLE, Vol, CBL, CBR 4 working groups established Apr 2013 Convenors invited all HEIs to action plan meetings: Vol WG meeting at UL SLE WG meeting at DCU Outcome: Agreed action plan for Vol WG Agreed action plan for SLE WG Jun 2013 WGs Convenors prepared and presented action plans to Campus Engage Steering Committee and HEI reps Outcome: Agreement and proposal to merge the Vol-SLE WGs, and CBL-CBR WGs Gabriella Hanrahan (UL), Joanna Ozarowska (DCU)
National Student Volunteering/Student Led Engagement WorkplansAgreed (1/2) Gabriella Hanrahan (UL), Joanna Ozarowska (DCU)
National Student Volunteering/Student Led Engagement Workplans Agreed (2/2) Gabriella Hanrahan (UL), Joanna Ozarowska (DCU)
Delivered So Far NSVMS Documents & Processes: Proposal, Tender, Procurement, Project Plan, SC Approval Process Phase 1 – Discovery Completed Training & Development April 13 – present Project Plans, SC Approval Process, CE Away Day, Volunteering Day, Today’s Event Promotion Convenor Meetings, Reports to WGs (Plans, Collaborative Day), SC Reports, CE website (case studies). How-To Volunteering Guide Networking & Shared Resources HEIs Collaborative Days, Volunteering Day, SC Updates, Vol Ireland, SU, Socs, Community Orgs Gabriella Hanrahan (UL), Joanna Ozarowska (DCU)
NSVMS - Context • Student volunteering and student led engagement make a valuable contribution to HEIs internal and external communities and the profile of HEIs. • The administration of student volunteering involves a significant range of activities: • building University/Community relationships • creation and dissemination of volunteer opportunities • promoting student volunteering • connecting volunteer organisation and students and supporting both in the process • capturing the diversity of communities and students engaged • reporting all this activity • The problem: even though a small number of HEIs have built a volunteer infrastructure, no HE infrastructure exists. Gabriella Hanrahan (UL), Joanna Ozarowska (DCU)
NSVMS - Context • Effect on Stakeholders: • Students: No national picture on the range of volunteering activities students are involved in and/or student led volunteering initiatives and/or their impact on their student experience and communities’ experience. • Community Organisations: No national picture or database on the organisations engaging with HEIs. • HE Civic Engagement Practitioners: Duplication of effort and costs involved in building bespoke volunteer management system; student volunteering policies and practices; creation and dissemination of volunteer opportunities; promoting student volunteering; connecting volunteer organisations to HE students. • HEIs: No national demographics, experiences, impact on HE students, the communities they serve, HE profiles, and HE award systems. Gabriella Hanrahan (UL), Joanna Ozarowska (DCU)
NSVMS - Concept • The development of NSVMS, a centralised single national system, built in such a way to offer bespoke dimensions and flexibility for individual HEIs, will encourage, develop, support and report this activity across the sector. • NSVMS will provide functionality to support the administration/management activities, provide evidenced based research on this extra-curricular student activity, and establish a national clubs, societies, and internal/external community based organisation database. Gabriella Hanrahan (UL), Joanna Ozarowska (DCU)
NSVMS - Concept • The NSVMS will: • profile student volunteers, and their volunteer preferences • profile clubs & socs and community organisations (internal/external) engaging with student volunteers • profile student led engagement activities • monitor performance of both students volunteers and their clubs, socs, community organisations • produce local and national reports to facilitate responses to this activity • provide a resource that will stimulate research in this civic engagement area Gabriella Hanrahan (UL), Joanna Ozarowska (DCU)
Why a National Student VMS? • Embed volunteering as an extra-curricular student activity • Acknowledge contribution of student volunteers to local, national and international communities-innovation, social and financial contribution • Establish a network of HEI volunteer practitioners • Stimulate and share good volunteer practice across HEI sector • Develop a local, national and international voluntary/community organisations database • Promote cross-sectors dialogue, partnership and collaboration, HE & Community • Cost-effective, ready made infrastructure – less duplication of effort and cost • Increase in student volunteering and student-led engagement activities across the HE sector Gabriella Hanrahan (UL), Joanna Ozarowska (DCU)
Why a National Student VMS? • Cost-effective national infrastructure: Less duplication of effort and cost of sustaining and building student volunteering activity across the HEI sector • Increase student volunteering and student led engagement activities across the HEI sector • Embed volunteering as a normal extra-curricula HE student activity • Promoting cross-sectors dialogue, partnership and collaboration between HEI colleagues and national/local based organisations • Stimulate and share good volunteer practice across HEI sector • Acknowledge the contribution HEI student volunteers make to their local, national and international communities (innovation, practices, social and financial contribution • Develop a local, national and international voluntary/community organisations database • Establish a network of HEI volunteer practitioners with expertise in the National Student Volunteer Management System, student volunteering, student clubs/societies/internal/external community based organisations/oversees community based organisation Gabriella Hanrahan (UL), Joanna Ozarowska (DCU)
NSVMS - Work So Far • Tender process and interviews with tech companies – Monsoon Consulting selected (Nov-Dec 13) • Consultations with Volunteer Ireland and Monsoon – strategic alliance, technical details and schedule of works (Dec 13-Mar 14) • Prepared and submitted project proposal and funding proposal for Campus Engage Steering Committee – signed off (May 14) • Discovery Phase for NSVMS completed based on UL PVAs spec; secured hosting on HEAnet (Apr 13-May 14) • Project and funding proposals sent out to HEIs who expressed interest – 7 HEIs on board for the Development Phase (Jun 14) Gabriella Hanrahan (UL), Joanna Ozarowska (DCU)
Future Plans • Student-Led Engagement and Volunteering Roadshow (Oct 2014 – May 2015) – Working Group Needed • To cover 5-10 campuses • Student competition to showcase SLE initiatives • Training events and workshops for students at launch and awards ceremony (Common Purpose, Enactus, Social Entrepreneurs Ireland, RAG, Volunteer Ireland) • National Volunteering and Student-Led Engagement Conference (2015) – Working Group Needed • Call for papers, posters and presentations • International speakers • Roll-out of National Volunteering Management System (February 2015) – Working Group Needed Gabriella Hanrahan (UL), Joanna Ozarowska (DCU)
Conversations • Q1: Community-based learning and volunteering – how do they differ? • purposes & ethos • accreditation • student leadership • value in HE sector • Q2: The value HE place on student volunteering • contribution to student experience • contribution to communities • HEI profile • student employability • recognition – seen as “less”? • Q3: Definition of higher education student volunteering Gabriella Hanrahan (UL), Joanna Ozarowska (DCU)