Courtesy of Beatrice Montedoro
Have you ever thought about being a volunteer at a local charity?
Below are a few options for you!
If volunteering is new to you, or simply you would like to work along with some of your friends from the MCR, remember that we are organising one termly outing to a local charity!
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For this term we have thought of working with KEEN, a charity helping children with special needs.
KEEN offers a series of activities every week (see schedule attached) and they are always looking for volunteers to help them. As a group it seems most appropriate for us to help in the Saturday sports sessions.
All we need to do is to join their bus that leaves from outside the Taylorian Institute on St Giles' at 1.10 each Saturday. Just wear trainers and comfy clothes, no need to be particularly sporty to join. The indoor sport centre is 10 minutes away from Oxford and the activities will take place from 1.45-5 p.m..
The suggested date for doing this as an MCR group is Saturday, 26th November, when KEEN have their Christmas session, and expect a larger than normal number of kids participating. However, if this date does not suit many of you we would like to suggest a second date: Saturday, 3rd December, which is at the end of term.
If you would like to join us and participate in this afternoon of sporty games please fill in this doodle poll indicating your preferences (either the 26th or the 3rd or both if you can make both!).
http://doodle.com/poll/s8z5gp8cwwgqt7qk
I hope this outing will help some of you find their passion for volunteering or those who would like to help but are a bit hesitant or simply didn’t know about this charity. If you would like to become a more regular volunteering worker for KEEN here is a short bio blurb of what this charity does and how to join them as a volunteer:
"KEEN is a student-supported Oxford-based charity that provides free social and sporting activities for young people with special needs in Oxford and the surrounding area. Behind every single one of our sessions is a dedicated group of student volunteers who plan and deliver the activities and provide one-to-one support for our participants so that they can join in regardless of their ability level. The people who participate have a very broad range of needs and disabilities and many have limited social interaction in their day-to-day lives. At KEEN they have the opportunity to take part in activities similar to those enjoyed by their able bodied peers, and can make new friends while having a lot of fun!
Prospective volunteers can find out more at www.keenoxford.org/volunteer. Volunteering with KEEN is extremely flexible as volunteers can attend our regular events as and when they please. You can drop in occasionally or be more actively involved in organising a whole range of events, from bringing stories to life at our “Zig-Zag” drama and crafts session, to helping our users get active at our “AllSorts” Saturday Sports sessions with giant footballs and many other fun bits of kit!
If you have any questions or would like further information, please do get in touch through [email protected]."
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Other volunteering possibilities suggested by MCR members:
Adaptive rowing at CORC:
"Just like KEEN, adaptive rowing is about helping people with disabilities to get out on the water, exercise and have fun. We cater for learning, physical and sensory disability. Wheelchair, deaf, blind, you name it.
When I first joined the club it was a very small thing, run by two to three volunteers. We had one boat, so each of the 4-5 athletes got about 20 minutes watertime. Now athlete numbers have risen to 9 and we have a fleet of boats which can be adapted for all sorts of different needs. Each athlete spends about one hour on the water, meaning that at least six volunteers are needed each week. There is boat capacity and demand to expand (there are usually some people on the waiting list) but the high dependence on volunteers makes it difficult.
Regular sessions are once a week on Sunday morning 10-1. Whenever possible they will be on the water, but during adverse weather conditions these are replaced by gym sessions.
Volunteer tasks range from steering the boat, coaching, or safety related duties. Just getting all the boats from the shelves and onto the water is a monumental task."
For a better idea of what it looks like I would recommend checking out the website:
http://www.oxfordrowingclub.org.uk/squads/adaptive/
"I've volunteered in the past for a charity set up by an old Lincoln undergrad called students4students, which involves getting uni students to tutor children from disadvantaged backgrounds in Oxford.
Essentially, it involves some one-on-one teaching of junior school kids on the outskirts of Oxford for one hour a week during term time, in either basic maths or English. Having done it for a few terms I can vouch for it being a really good thing to get involved with!"
For more info please visit:
https://www.students4students.org.uk/
"I used to volunteer at Isis House, a residential care home for elderly people, which is right up Iffley Road. They’re really lovely there, and it could be getting a few people to come up for a session of arts and crafts, games, or just chatting over a cup of tea. The coordinator there is Chanice Lyne c.lyne@osjct.co.uk"
Below are a few options for you!
If volunteering is new to you, or simply you would like to work along with some of your friends from the MCR, remember that we are organising one termly outing to a local charity!
***********************************************************
For this term we have thought of working with KEEN, a charity helping children with special needs.
KEEN offers a series of activities every week (see schedule attached) and they are always looking for volunteers to help them. As a group it seems most appropriate for us to help in the Saturday sports sessions.
All we need to do is to join their bus that leaves from outside the Taylorian Institute on St Giles' at 1.10 each Saturday. Just wear trainers and comfy clothes, no need to be particularly sporty to join. The indoor sport centre is 10 minutes away from Oxford and the activities will take place from 1.45-5 p.m..
The suggested date for doing this as an MCR group is Saturday, 26th November, when KEEN have their Christmas session, and expect a larger than normal number of kids participating. However, if this date does not suit many of you we would like to suggest a second date: Saturday, 3rd December, which is at the end of term.
If you would like to join us and participate in this afternoon of sporty games please fill in this doodle poll indicating your preferences (either the 26th or the 3rd or both if you can make both!).
http://doodle.com/poll/s8z5gp8cwwgqt7qk
I hope this outing will help some of you find their passion for volunteering or those who would like to help but are a bit hesitant or simply didn’t know about this charity. If you would like to become a more regular volunteering worker for KEEN here is a short bio blurb of what this charity does and how to join them as a volunteer:
"KEEN is a student-supported Oxford-based charity that provides free social and sporting activities for young people with special needs in Oxford and the surrounding area. Behind every single one of our sessions is a dedicated group of student volunteers who plan and deliver the activities and provide one-to-one support for our participants so that they can join in regardless of their ability level. The people who participate have a very broad range of needs and disabilities and many have limited social interaction in their day-to-day lives. At KEEN they have the opportunity to take part in activities similar to those enjoyed by their able bodied peers, and can make new friends while having a lot of fun!
Prospective volunteers can find out more at www.keenoxford.org/volunteer. Volunteering with KEEN is extremely flexible as volunteers can attend our regular events as and when they please. You can drop in occasionally or be more actively involved in organising a whole range of events, from bringing stories to life at our “Zig-Zag” drama and crafts session, to helping our users get active at our “AllSorts” Saturday Sports sessions with giant footballs and many other fun bits of kit!
If you have any questions or would like further information, please do get in touch through [email protected]."
***********************************************************
Other volunteering possibilities suggested by MCR members:
- CORC, suggested by Anne ([email protected]), who has volunteered with this charity for 6 years.
Adaptive rowing at CORC:
"Just like KEEN, adaptive rowing is about helping people with disabilities to get out on the water, exercise and have fun. We cater for learning, physical and sensory disability. Wheelchair, deaf, blind, you name it.
When I first joined the club it was a very small thing, run by two to three volunteers. We had one boat, so each of the 4-5 athletes got about 20 minutes watertime. Now athlete numbers have risen to 9 and we have a fleet of boats which can be adapted for all sorts of different needs. Each athlete spends about one hour on the water, meaning that at least six volunteers are needed each week. There is boat capacity and demand to expand (there are usually some people on the waiting list) but the high dependence on volunteers makes it difficult.
Regular sessions are once a week on Sunday morning 10-1. Whenever possible they will be on the water, but during adverse weather conditions these are replaced by gym sessions.
Volunteer tasks range from steering the boat, coaching, or safety related duties. Just getting all the boats from the shelves and onto the water is a monumental task."
For a better idea of what it looks like I would recommend checking out the website:
http://www.oxfordrowingclub.org.uk/squads/adaptive/
- students4students, suggested by Iain ([email protected])
"I've volunteered in the past for a charity set up by an old Lincoln undergrad called students4students, which involves getting uni students to tutor children from disadvantaged backgrounds in Oxford.
Essentially, it involves some one-on-one teaching of junior school kids on the outskirts of Oxford for one hour a week during term time, in either basic maths or English. Having done it for a few terms I can vouch for it being a really good thing to get involved with!"
For more info please visit:
https://www.students4students.org.uk/
- Isis House, a residential care home for elderly people, suggested by Leah Rand:
"I used to volunteer at Isis House, a residential care home for elderly people, which is right up Iffley Road. They’re really lovely there, and it could be getting a few people to come up for a session of arts and crafts, games, or just chatting over a cup of tea. The coordinator there is Chanice Lyne c.lyne@osjct.co.uk"