ABOUT SVW

Student Volunteering Week 2016 will take place from 22-28 February and it’ll be our 15th year. We’re delighted that SVW has become a fixture in many college and university calendars, with 86 different institutions taking part in 2015.

We believe that all students should have access to volunteering and social action opportunities while they’re at college or university. SVW is a unique opportunity for student volunteers, colleges and unis, charities, social enterprises, businesses and government to collaborate, discuss challenges and opportunities in student volunteering, and showcase innovative individuals and projects. Check out our ‘Get Involved’ pages to find out how you can join the fun.

Our national team coordinate a range of activities before and during the week, as well as all of our national communications, all of which are designed to inspire and enable more people to get involved in SVW.

Credit: Imperial Hub

HISTORY

2016 will be the 15th year of Student Volunteering Week in the UK. Student volunteering and social action in the UK have a long history, from university settlements and missions in the nineteenth century to workcamps for the unemployed in the interwar period to CND protesting and Student Community Action after the Second World War and throughout the later part of the 20th Century.

Students are often at the forefront of promoting different social issues and interests, like the sustainability agenda and social entrepreneurship. If you want to brush up on student volunteering history properly, you can watch this video or check out this book dedicated to the topic by our friend Georgina Brewis.

DELIVERY PARTNERS

SVW 2016 is delivered through a partnership between Student Hubs, NUS and the Student Volunteering Network.

Student Hubs believes that students have the power and potential to shape a better world. We inspire, connect and support students to get involved and make a difference while they’re at university. By promoting social action, social entrepreneurship and citizenship, we want to empower more students to become social leaders for the causes they’re passionate about.

NUS (National Union of Students) is a voluntary membership organisation that makes a real difference to the lives of students and its member students' unions. Our mission is to promote, defend and extend the rights of students and to develop and champion strong students' unions. Our vision is of NUS as a pioneering, innovative and powerful campaigning organisation: the national voice of students. We will fight barriers to education, empower students to shape both a quality learning experience and the world around them, supporting influential, democratic and well-resourced students' unions.

SVN (Student Volunteering Network) is a peer support network for anyone employed by a UK higher or further education institution to support student volunteering activity. Staff use the SVN mailbase and frequent regional meetings to share best practice and collaborate on activities throughout the year.

We've pledged to support Step Up to Serve's #iwill campaign. Throughout the year, we will highlight examples of youth social action and the principles underpinning youth social action to student volunteering centres across the UK. During the week, we will reach over 15,000 students at over 100 colleges and universities, and have a social media reach of over 4 million.