A student in the Houses of Parliament

How to spend a Wednesday afternoon? How about in the Houses of Parliament?! It’s not too shabby, in fact, it’s rather lovely.

Yesterday I donned a smart dress, painted my nails and wore matching earrings because I was off to the Houses of Parliament.

EEKIEJFjsgid – doesn’t even describe how excited I was. I am pretty happy to just go to the Bridge Bar on campus so you can imagine how much of a flap I was in!

So, why was I in the Houses of Parliament?, I hear you cry. And I will tell you; because students are awesome!

Tasha and I at home in our very fancy setting!

We were mid-way through the incredible Student Volunteering Week and what better way of celebrating volunteering in all its glorious forms than by attending a Parliamentary Reception in London. Students spend 3,000,000 hours a year volunteering (mind-boggling statistic!), and this event showcased the wonderful stuff that happens every day all over the country and I felt very honoured to be there.

It was a pretty awesome reception; we had Nick Hurd (the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Charities, Social Enterprise and Volunteering) as the keynote speaker, big names from NUS and Barclays (the generous sponsor of a lot of student volunteering activities), Adam O’Boyle the CEO of Students Hubs, and a bucket load of other incredible people. Yes, these people were incredible, but I couldn’t help thinking that the students were so much better (I might be a bit biased…).

I was lucky enough to attend the event because my good friend Tasha Unwin was nominated for a national award on account of all the volunteering she does, all the time, without fail. I tagged along for the free tea and cake, whereas she genuinely is amazing. I volunteer with her (though not as much as her) and so know just how much she gives back to her community, along with all the nominees. Whilst they were reading off what each nominee did I not only felt terribly underachieving, but also, and more importantly, extremely proud to be part of the wider Student Volunteering Community which freely give so much of their time to so many great things. These people change lives. That is no exaggeration; they quietly get on with their degrees all the while chipping away at the inequalities they see around them. I felt all warm inside; people are nice, very very nice. 

So I go back to my original premise; students are awesome. I know I am a student, but I don’t care, I can still say it; students are AWESOME! But, not only that, Student Hubs and NUS are pretty awesome as well because they put on this event, indeed, they put on the whole of Student Volunteering Week. I am lucky enough to know one of the ladies that made this snazzy affair happen, and this woman is a multi-tasking, level-headed, super-efficient ninja. The idea that a new graduate is organising a week dedicated to the wonderful work students do felt so appropriate, it could be no other way.  The organic nature of the event was important, only reconfirming that when people volunteer as a student it becomes a journey that never ends, these people are always giving back. These types of people always care. And they should care because it is a big deal, student volunteering is massive, it affects so very much! 

By giving your time you gain things you never knew you needed, trust me, I know. When people ask me what I’ve learnt from volunteering I struggle to adequately explain it… it becomes this massively important thing that, without you even realising, seeps its way into every aspect of your life. I work differently, communicate differently, my relationships with my friends, tutors and parents are all different now. I appreciate the intention rather than the result. I care about things differently and I see problems differently – most importantly, I think differently. And you can’t even pinpoint when it happened, but somewhere along the line something will click and you will just see everything a little bit clearer, you will notice a need; you will see the problem, and not only that you will address it!

We’re students, let’s embrace that! Be all amounts of awesome I know you can be and volunteer, because honestly, you will get so much out of it. So, I urge you – be proactive, be positive and be persistent – and you will change the world. 

Where the magic happens: Student Hubs team!

Florence