THE ANTONY NOLAN TRUST PROJECT

CODE: VVORAS01

The Anthony Nolan Trust takes back lives from leukaemia by managing and recruiting new donors to the UK's most successful bone marrow register as well as undertaking vital research leading to improvements in the effectiveness and safety of bone marrow transplants. The Anthony Nolan is responsible for finding suitable unrelated donors for patients who require bone marrow transplants. Fewer than 30 per cent of patients who need bone marrow transplants are able to find a compatible donor within their own families. The rest rely on the generosity of strangers who have volunteered to donate bone marrow to anyone in need. The Anthony Nolan Trust is an independent charity. It continually relies on financial support from individuals and companies. Type of work Students will be expected to help with fund-raising, office duties and assisting with charity events.

THE OXFORD PLAYHOUSE PROJECT

CODE: VVORAS02

Oxford Playhouse has a well-earned reputation as one of Britain's leading theatres. From its foundation in the 1920s to the present day, it has been associated with the launch of many stellar careers and productions; its repertory years saw companies which included such names as John Gielgud, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Ronnie Barker and Dirk Bogarde. Its association with the University of Oxford brought Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor to our stage (in a memorable 1960s production of Dr Faustus). Other notable student performers include Rowan Atkinson and Dudley Moore, as well as future talents who were destined to grace a different kind of stage, like politicians Shirley Williams and Nigel Lawson, director John Schlesinger and writers Alan Bennett and Christopher Hampton. Overcoming the difficulties and changes that have beset theatres across the country in recent years, the past decade has seen The Oxford Playhouse re-emerge as a vibrant presenting theatre, a key date on the national touring circuit, with strong support from its wide audience. We host a rich programme of drama, dance, music, music theatre and children's theatre, and we are taking an increasingly active role in producing, launching and commissioning new work. The Oxford Playhouse has a close association with Siobhan Davies Dance Company, whose award-winning work we have co-commissioned and premiered over the past five years. Recently, The Playhouse has also launched several tours from some of our best national companies, including the Royal National Theatre, Almeida Theatre, Out of Joint, the Young Vic and Donmar Warehouse's touring arm, Warehouse Productions. Type of work Students will be supervised in the marketing department, help with publicity campaigns and assisting with props and theatre production.

BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION PROJECT

CODE: VVORAS04

The British Heart Foundation is the country’s leading heart charity. Its work has three vital aspects:

• Investing in pioneering research – the BHF funds around 1,200 research projects investigating every aspect of heart disease, from causes and safer drugs to improving surgical techniques.

• Supporting and caring for heart patients – the Foundation funds BHF Nurses who visit heart patients with all types of heart conditions in their homes. We provide defibrillators and echocardiograph machines for hospitals, emergency services and first-aiders.

• Providing vital information to help people reduce their own risk of dying prematurely from a heart or circulatory related illness – the BHF produces publications, videos and other materials for health professionals and the public including children. We inform people about how to improve the health of their heart through public information campaigns, advertising and the media.

There are over 260 BHF Heart Nurses caring for patients across the UK. Over 1,620 BHF Heartstart UK schemes teach people what to do in an emergency. More than 1.2 million people have been trained by Heartstart UK in schools and the community. The BHF invests over £100 a minute on research to keep the nation's hearts healthy.

British Heart Foundation Shops’ Division was established in 1987 as a means of raising crucial funds for this valuable work. Since 1987, the division has grown to over 500 shops throughout the UK. It relies on the generosity of supporters who give us regular donations of items to sell, the time of volunteers to help run our shops and the increasing customer base – all of whom have helped the Shops’ Division contribute over £66 million since opening its doors. Shops also act as local communication centres for the charity, providing the public with information about BHF National events, local fundraising events and leaflets on heart health and how to become a regular donor, as well as an opportunity to contribute money directly across the counter.

Type of work: Students will be given various tasks in their outlets ranging from office work to merchandise sorting and customer help.

LEAGUE OF FRIENDS PROJECT

CODE: VVORAS05

The League of Friends is a voluntary organisation which supports the work of the John Radcliffe, Churchill and Horton Hospitals in Oxford. The League of Friends is able to provide much needed equipment and comforts for the benefit of patients and staff through the income raised by the work of volunteers.

Volunteers run a cafeteria and tea bar for patients, visitors and hospital staff.

Type of work: Students will be assisting this busy voluntary organization in its provision of services and meals to visitors and patients in Oxford’s leading hospitals.

CHRISTIAN AID PROJECT

CODE: VVORAS06

Christian Aid is a UK and Ireland based charity that funds projects in some of the world's poorest countries. It helps people to improve their own lives and to tackle the causes of poverty and injustice. It was set up in 1945 by churches in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It works wherever the need is greatest – irrespective of religion or race.

Because Christian Aid believes in strengthening people to find their own solutions to the problems they face, it supports local organizations, which are best placed to understand local needs. It also gives help on the ground through 16 overseas offices.

Christian Aid strives for a new world transformed by an end to poverty and campaigns to change the rules that keep people poor.

Type of work: Students will be involved in office duties, including help with specific projects and computer records updating.

PRO-NATURA UK PROJECT

CODE: VVORAS07

Pro-Natura is a non-governmental organisation, created in Brazil in 1986, that specialises in sustainable development.

Pro-Natura's mission is closely aligned to the objectives of the United Nations conventions on biodiversity, climate change and combating desertification. Its efforts are focused on the social, economic and environmental problems facing rural communities in the Tropics. Twenty years of working with rural communities to these ends has allowed Pro-Natura to adapt innovative, poverty-reducing solutions towards the other sustainable development goals of environmental protection and restoration.

Pro-Natura offers viable economic alternatives to people struggling to make a living from these imperilled environments. This Pro-Natura synergy is achieved by linking the preservation and restoration of natural resources to the (re) establishment of participative local governance.

Pro-Natura’s projects span the globe, with projects in Brazil, Nigeria and Guyana.

Type of work: Students will gain a new appreciation of global conservation and environmentalism by helping with particular projects and related office work.

PEGASUS YOUTH THEATRE PROJECT

CODE: VVORAS08

Pegasus Theatre is the home of Oxford's youth theatre and is famous for its provocative productions. It was opened in 1975 with help from the the Oxfordshire County Council Community Education.

It is one of the few arts organisations in the country to offer a wide range of cutting edge contemporary performances for young people to engage with.

Staff, professional performers, young people and adults explore the theatre world together through watching or participating in drama, music and dance to discover different perspectives and attitudes.

Type of work: Students will gain exposure to various kinds of work through assisting with administrative, production and marketing duties.

SOS SAHEL PROJECT

CODE: VVORAS09

SOS Sahel was set up in 1985, and is the only British development organisation to focus exclusively on the semi-arid lands of the Sahel and Horn of Africa. It supports activities in Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Niger and Mali, some of the poorest countries in the world. Projects are designed by local people to meet their needs and address their problems. SOS Sahel specializes in:

• Securing Rights - Helping groups of herders and farmers to negotiate long-term management agreements so that they have rights to the forest, land and water resources that their livelihoods depend on.

• Improving Livelihoods - Improving crop and livestock production, providing credit for income generation, raising literacy levels and ensuring safe water supply to help poor men and women meet their immediate needs.

• Changing Policy - Lobbying governments to change laws and codes of practice in order to help the poorest people fight poverty and environmental degradation.

Type of work: Students will be involved in computer, office and other administrative tasks.

OXFORDSHIRE RACIAL EQUALITY COUNCIL PROJECT

CODE: VVORAS10

Oxfordshire Racial Equality Council is an independent voluntary organisation working to promote racial equality in Oxfordshire. Its aims are the elimination of racial discrimination, and the promotion of equality of opportunity and good relations between persons of different racial groups. OREC pursues these aims through:

• Policy development work with statutory, private and voluntary sector to address racial discrimination

• Community support to organisations concerned with the promotion of racial equality issues

• Assistance to individuals in cases of racial discrimination offering advice, support, and where necessary representation at employment tribunals

• Public education work to raise general awareness of racial equality issues.

Type of work: Students will assist the office manager with data entry and related work.

FRIENDS MEETING HOUSE PROJECT

CODE: VVORAS11

Quakers believe that all can have direct experience of God. In their Meetings for Worship at the Friends Meeting House they believe they can meet with God in the un-programmed quiet time and in the vocal contributions of others. Worship is not separate from, but part of, Quakers’ daily lives. They make no distinction between the sacred and the secular as they try to live our convictions in the every day.

Quakers’ beliefs are rooted in the Christian tradition, but they think that the Bible is not the only source of God's truth and are open to the insights of other faiths. They do not have a clergy but organise their affairs collectively.

The Friends Meeting House in Oxford has a shop on site which raises vital funds for charity through selling indigenous and religious items.

Type of work: Students will assist the director with office management and also helping in the charity shop.

INTERNATIONAL INTERFAITH ASSOCIATION PROJECT

CODE: VVORAS12

The International Interfaith Centre promotes inter-religious understanding and co-operation between different faith communities and organisations of religious or spiritual conviction. In support of this aim, IIC:

1. Facilitates communication between international interfaith organisations including an annual meeting of the International Interfaith Organisation Network.

2. Develops a Study Centre for high quality research and education on interreligious issues.

3. Organizes projects and conferences which promote religious conflict resolution and dialogue.

Type of work: Students will assist with multiple office and promotional tasks relating to interfaith dialogue and harmony.

BIG VILLAGE MUSIC PRODUCTIONS PROJECT

CODE: VVORAS13

Big Village is an Oxford-based roots and world music organisation in receipt of funding from the Arts Council and others to produce a range of one-day cultural festivals from some of the world’s finest musicians.

More than just a concert: In almost all cases the artists themselves offer a master class on the afternoon of the performance for which the ticket prices are kept affordably low. In addition to this, each event also features a variety of cultural flavours from that particular region – from film showings to food – so that we may appreciate more fully the culture and background represented.

Each of the main events also feature satellite concerts and workshops in celebrating that particular culture taking place during the same week in a rural venue elsewhere in Oxfordshire. All Big Village concerts are open to all ages unless otherwise specified.

Type of work: Students will assist with this organization that brings world musicians to Oxford. Aside from computer and publicity work, they will also be exposed to different musical traditions.

 

Why do a volunteer placement?

Undertaking a volunteer placement undeniably makes a real difference to the lives of others and, through the application of your skills and experience to needy causes, helps to make the world a better place. What you may not realize is that volunteering also benefits you as an individual. With Oxford Royale Academy’s volunteer programs you can:

Improve your job prospects and employability

Volunteering proves to potential employers that you have developed necessary skills and are a committed person. This is especially useful for application forms and job interviews. A survey carried out by TimeBank through Reed Executive showed that among 200 of the UK’s leading businesses:

• 73% of employers would employ a candidate with volunteering experience over one without

• 94% of employers believe that volunteering can add to skills

• 58% say that voluntary work experience can actually be more valuable than experience gained in paid employment

• 94% of employees who volunteered to learn new skills had benefited either by getting their first job, improving their salary, or being promoted.

Additionally, volunteering lets you try out different kinds of work, giving you hands-on experience of how different professions operate. It might also involve some form of informal training that could be useful to you as you seek future employment. Additionally, volunteering brings you into contact with all kinds of professionals and people from every walk of life. In fact, the networking opportunities it can provide are among the least publicized but most exciting benefits of all. A good network, even with contacts overseas who you might never expect to be helpful back home, can guide your career pathway right through life and help you take giant steps towards your ideal job. Indeed, up to 60% of job vacancies are not advertised and end up being filled internally or through external networking.

If you are already working, volunteering can help you change your career direction.

Have fun

Volunteering is a fun and fulfilling way of allowing you to experience masses of opportunities not usually available to you. Many volunteers are surprised at how much fun it can be to help others! Not every volunteer experience is the same, but by finding a placement with Oxford Royale Academy that matches your interests, you have a good chance of having fun while making a difference.

Improve your English

There is no better way to improve your English than by using it intensively in the work place! Oxford Royale Academy’s volunteer placements offer excellent opportunities to practise your English while working and with the students with whom you live on or off campus.

Build your confidence

Many volunteers encounter a variety of new challenges when they begin. Sharing new experiences with new people, they can learn new skills that can give them confidence to face challenges in other areas of their lives.

Make new friends

There’s no better place to meet like-minded individuals than through volunteering for an organization in which you are interested. Working together for a common cause is a great way to bond with others and become part of a community that can stay in touch long after your work is done. In the course of your volunteer placement you will meet people from a diverse range of backgrounds – people you may never come across in your daily life. As a fully registered student at Oxford Royale Academy you will additionally be able to fully participate in our social and leisure programs alongside students on other programs, and will be living with them either on or off campus.

Improve your health

There is evidence that volunteering can improve your health. In The Healing Power of Doing Good, writer Allan Luks found medical and scientific documentation supporting the health benefits of volunteering, such as:

• a heightened sense of well-being

• an improvement in insomnia

• a stronger immune system

• speedier recovery from surgery

Volunteer Programmes –
Make a Difference this Summer.