Glasgow University Students Representative Council

What Do We Do?

GU Volunteering is your “one shop University stop” to find out about a wide range of options available to you;

• to build your employability skills,
• connect to the wider community beyond the University,
• and do something fun and rewarding!

We are able to offer you help and advice in choosing an option that works for you, as well as acting as a support during the length of your involvement, and help with any issues.

We work with a wide range of partner organisations in the community and on campus, seeking to find the ideal opportunity for you.

How do I apply?

Register and apply via our online database.

If you are interested in one of our many external opportunities an email will be sent to connect you with the contact person for that organisation, who will then take you through the application process.

How many can I apply for?

The database is set up to allow you to apply for two opportunities. This does not mean that you can not apply for more if you have the time or your first choices turn out to be not what you hoped for. You can email volunteering@src.gla.ac.uk to speak to the Volunteering team, who will help you add more opportunities to your account.

Reapplication

If you plan to continue your volunteering in the next Academic Year, you will be required to “reapply” via your online database account after the 1st July each year. This allows us to help you keep track of the amount of time you have devoted to helping others.

What can we do to help?

As well as match you to your chosen volunteering option we can also process a PVG form for you which you may need for some of our volunteering opportunities Classroom Support, that require you to become a member of Disclosure Scotland’s Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme. To find out if the opportunity you are interested in requires this form please check the database or pop in to see the Volunteering team in the McIntyre Building.

How else do we support student volunteers?

• Training & Support: Our external partners provide training,induction and support to you as a volunteer.
• Travel Expenses are paid by the SRC for Classroom Support volunteers. Our partner agencies usually reimburse you directly.
• Help to decide which volunteering options work best with your schedule and needs.

What recognition do students get for volunteering?

Some of our volunteering opportunities are HEAR eligible (details below) and this year we are working on redeveloping the annual “Volunteering, Clubs and Socieites” (VCS) Awards to include a “Volunteer of the Year” award nominated by our partner organisations.

We are also working on a partnership with Volunteer Glasgow to pilot the “Saltire Awards”, a scheme designed to encourage young people up to the age of 25 to get involved in volunteering.

This scheme does not replace the Higher Education Academic Record (HEAR) Scheme, but serves as an additional token of recognition of your ongoing volunteering.

What are the Saltire Awards?

The “Saltire Awards “are a Scottish Government accredited awards scheme for 12-25 year old volunteers. The Awards are designed to recognise contribution and prove commitment to a volunteering role. There are 4 levels of awards, so whether you have completed a volunteer Challenge day or completed 10-500 hours of volunteering these awards are for you.

Any student who has signed up via our database and who is actively volunteering will be able to add a record of the hours they have volunteered to their online account.

In order to claim your hours as a volunteer, you will need to be registered on our database, and have applied for one of our registered partner projects.

When you have achieved 10, 25, 50, 100, 200 or 500 hours, we’ll make contact with the organisation you volunteer with to verify and will then let Volunteer Glasgow know that you have achieved one of the milestones.  We will then send out your certificate to you.

Volunteer Glasgow is the local “awarding body” for the Saltire Awards, and they will send your certificate directly to you.

What is HEAR?

Since 2011/12 the University has recognised many extracurricular activities on the University transcript which you receive upon graduation.

The Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) will not only list all of your academic achievements, but also many other achievements as well, providing you meet the criteria for each activity. This helps to demonstrate that you have developed skills and knowledge that contribute to your personal and professional development and enables you to provide employers with an official record of your accomplishments, verified by the University

These officially recognised extra-curricular activities include:

• Being elected council member or board member of one of the 4 student bodies on campus (QMU, GUU, GUSA and the SRC)
• Being elected as a class representative
• Being an office bearer in an SRC affiliated Club or Society (e.g President, Secretary, Treasurer)
• Many of the volunteering opportunities offered by GUSRC Volunteering

How to apply for HEAR recognition

If you have a recognised office bearer role or are an eligible volunteer we will contact you by email and ask you to complete an online reflective log.

If you are involved with QMU, GUSA, GUU then you will be contacted by them directly, and if you are a Class Representative then your individual school should be in touch with you.

It is really important, and expected, that students take personal responsibility for completing and returning their HEAR form within the given time period as HEAR is not generally recognised retrospectively.

The list of activities eligible for the HEAR is not exhaustive and you should check with the body responsible for supporting your extracurricular activity if you are unsure of its HEAR status.