Spirit of Volunteering comes aLIVE

Volume 7 Number 6 June 5 - July 10 2011

Blind Sports Victoria volunteer Gena-Marie Richards with Professor Philip Batterham, Provost’s Fellow in Student Experience. Photograph by Peter Casamento, Casamento Photography.
Blind Sports Victoria volunteer Gena-Marie Richards with Professor Philip Batterham, Provost’s Fellow in Student Experience. Photograph by Peter Casamento, Casamento Photography.

Volunteering is an important and enjoyable part of the student experience at Melbourne. Lyn Toh reports.

The University’s annual Leadership, Involvement and Volunteer Experience (LIVE) fair kicked off at the end of May, with thousands of student volunteer enthusiasts in attendance. The event is the University’s key platform for community involvement and volunteerism and typically consists of more than 70 not-for-profit organisations across a range of community interest groups taking part as exhibitors. This year these included the Sea Shepherd Society, UNESCO Observatory, The Salvation Army, Westcare and St Vincent de Paul Society.

Students had the opportunity to mingle with one another and volunteer group leaders to learn more about how they can involve their time and efforts in a worthy cause. Professor Phil Batterham, Provost’s Fellow in Student Experience, said that thousands of students are already active in community work and are also benefiting from exposure to career skills and development opportunities beyond the academic arena.

 “The event has two benefits: activating students as concerned and informed global citizens, while also reflecting the University’s deep commitment to improving lives and engaging with the wider community,” Professor Batterham said.

“In addition to raising awareness about student commitment and outreach through LIVE, an official course in volunteering will be launched in semester two this year with 100 hours of volunteer work constituting part of the course curriculum.”

http://cms.unimelb.edu.au/studentservices/live