vinspired students Pilot Project Grant Programme

We are pleased to announce that, through the vinspired students grant programme, we have selected to fund the following ten pilot projects (306 KB): 

University of Bath Students’ Union – “Oldfield Park Growing Together”

“Oldfield Park Growing Together” seeks to match underutilised student household gardens with local people who wish to grow their own food (responding to a local lack of allotments).  The proposal is for a research project that will lead to a pilot: designed and delivered by student volunteers working in and with the community.

University of Brighton – “On Our Doorsteps”

“On our Doorsteps Volunteering Project” seeks to create short-term and part-time volunteering opportunities that will enable students and local residents from the immediate deprived local area to work together to bring improvements to the community in which they both live.

University of Derby Students’ Union – “two to the left, two to the right”

“two to the left, two to the right” seeks to enable student led volunteering to be launched successfully at Derby. The project is based around the very simple idea of encouraging students to get to know their neighbours, ‘two to the left and two to the right’.

Newman University College – “Newman Community Volunteers”

“Newman Community Volunteers” aims to improve relationships between the University College, students and the local community through engaging students in voluntary activity in partnership with the local Extended Schools cluster

University of Northampton – “ArtBlast”

“ArtBlast” aims to interact with and support students studying in the creative arts technologies to volunteer with young people who are at risk of or who have been excluded from school.

University of Plymouth Students’ Union – “ViP:VIP (Volunteer in Plymouth : Very Important Project)”

The “ViP:VIP Project”  has been designed to compliment current student-led activities and specifically target disabled students studying at University of Plymouth. The idea to plant and maintain raised beds at Plymouth Station was initiated and will be lead by a student with disabilities. 

Royal Holloway, University of London – “Intergenerational Reminiscence Project”

The “intergenerational Reminiscence Project” aims to break down barriers between the elderly and local school children through student volunteer facilitated workshops, which focus on two-way communication of knowledge and life experience.

University of Southampton – “Integrating student coursework and volunteering”

"Integrating student coursework and volunteering" will offer voluntary work, as an additional coursework option, to students on the 3rd year undergraduate course on Corporate Social Responsibility. The objective is to offer students, who don't typcially consider volunteering, appealing consultancy style opportunties which in turn will help them to achieve their educational objectives in an innovative way.  

University of Warwick – “Double You”

"Double You" aims to shift Warwick Volunteers’ way of working with the community, from one of supporting specific activities to one of a dynamic relationship that allows flexible, creative input from volunteers that adds value to the work of community. 

University of York – “Kids College Transport and Cookery School modules”

“Kids College Transport and Cookery School modules” aims to facilitate inter-disciplinary student teams who will volunteer together to design, develop and co-deliver innovative and exciting learning modules for children at risk of disengaging in the disadvantaged area of Tang Hall, working closely with key business supporters, schools and university departments, as part of the new Kids College initiative.

We feel that these projects provide an excellent range of Higher Education Institutions, types of student volunteering project, and examples of innovation.  We will be sharing case studies and lessons learned from the projects as they develop, so that the work will have benefit to the wider sector.