This year, many students at City St George’s volunteered in a plethora of ways across London. This Student Volunteering Week, the Volunteering Team put on 12 events both on and off campus to get students involved who hadn’t considered volunteering before, or who can’t commit to a regular role.

A big highlight included the Eid Card Making event for children, their families, and NHS staff at Great Ormond Street Hospital. In just two hours, 50 students created 78 beautiful cards with creative motifs and jokes to put a smile on the children’s faces. Events like these are important to our students, many of whom are of Muslim faith, and who are very keen to give back to others during the time of Ramadan.

Another popular event was borne out of a new, local partnership with community centre The Peel Institute, nestled into the heart of Clerkenwell as a pillar of the local community. 13 City St George’s students got their hands dirty clearing up the children’s playground and removing invasive species of plants around the centre’s perimeter. The event highlighted the impact volunteering can have on wellbeing, with three students who were previously strangers discovering they were all on the same course and making friends through giving back.

To round off the week, a smaller group of students headed to Little Village baby bank in Camden, a London-wide charity supporting families in need with donations of pre-loved clothes and other children’s items. It was inspiring to see how much was achieved by just six students in a few hours, from making craft parcels out of miscellaneous pens and pencils to sorting through donated baby clothes to check quality.

To round off the week, a smaller group of students headed to Little Village baby bank in Camden, a London-wide charity supporting families in need with donations of pre-loved clothes and other children’s items. It was inspiring to see how much was achieved by just six students in a few hours, from making craft parcels out of miscellaneous pens and pencils to sorting through donated baby clothes to check quality.