Learning

Students volunteer for a range of reasons. Some reasons outlined in our research included to find a community of likeminded people, to learn skills associated with their degree, or because they felt an obligation to contribute to society. However, an underlying assumption with university student volunteering is that students will learn from the experience. 

What do students learn from volunteering?
Students report that they learn ‘soft’ skills like communicating, working with others, problem solving and leadership skills, as well as personal confidence and awareness, and employment related knowledge and behaviours.

Do students ‘learn to volunteer’ from participating in volunteer activities?
Certainly some university students learn about volunteering and community engagement from participating in volunteer activities. Our evidence suggests that this may be more likely when volunteering is extra-or co-curricular, rather than part of the curriculum of their university studies.

Further information can be found in the Learning Concept Guide.

Learning Concept Guide