By Emily Addison, MSc Occupational Psychology
The University has over 25 volunteering/fundraising societies as well as a host of volunteering opportunities available if you visit the Activities Zone in the Students’ Union.
I wanted to get involved in volunteering so that I could enhance my CV, and I can honestly say I have done so much more than that. Volunteering helps give back to the community of Sheffield as well as helping you develop new skills, make new friends and most importantly have an impact on those around you.
There are so many students at this University, the potential impact we could have on the communities around us is endless. The great thing about volunteering at Sheffield is that it can be as formal or informal as you’d like. For example, if you go through the Activities Zone and sign up to volunteer in a primary school every week, you must be committed and cannot let them down. Equally, there are a number or opportunities where even a one-off helping hand is enough.
I joined The CoppaFeel Society’s University Boob Team (UBT) in my second year at Sheffield as a volunteer. This meant that I helped at fundraising events when I could and there was no pressure to attend meetings nor help at every event. The aim of the UBT is to spread the messages of CoppaFeel on campus. To do this, the committee members and volunteers put on a wealth of fundraising events to raise money and increase awareness of CoppaFeel, so that people understand what they do and their key messages.
Joining as a volunteer meant that I could see the positive impact we were 
having on campus and I wanted to help even more. So, the following year I ran to be on the committee, which meant I was involved in everything that the UBT did that year; from the organisation to the running of the events, with the rest of the committee. I made so many new friends and we had so much fun while doing something for a great cause, which is why I would recommend getting involved in volunteering to everyone!
To find out more about the volunteering opportunities at Sheffield visit: https://www.sheffieldvolunteering.com/