Students have endless opportunites to get involved with volunteering activities both with College but also at a wider Universtiy level. Information about University level opportunites are detailed below.
Durham University Student Volunteering and Outreach
We are delighted to announce that Ustinov College is partnering with Karbon Homes to support Silver Talk, a local volunteering initiative, as part of our Global Citizenship Programme. If you are able to spare thirty minutes of your time, twice a week, and can commit to being in Durham for at least the next six months, then this may be the opportunity for you!
Silver Talk provides elderly, local residents with named contacts who chat with them over the phone once or twice each week. This is an invaluable resource for many of our local, elderly residents who may have become even more isolated and lonely during recent times. Karbon Homes will pay for a full DBS check and will provide you with a dedicated Silver Talk phone so that you can make your calls and record them on their system. Full training is provided and out of hours support is available, if you are making calls in the evenings or at weekends, and have any concerns or queries following a call. Volunteers will be matched with one or possibly two local residents who will then become regular contacts, so that a rapport can develop. Ustinov is a college firmly embedded within our local community and we are very keen to support this initiative as fully as possible.
If you are interested in finding out more, please contact ustinov.college@durham.ac.uk and we will be happy to discuss this opportunity with you further.
As part of Volunteering at Ustinov, we have partnered with the West End Refugee Shelter (WERS) and West End Food Bank in Newcastle.
WERS is a Newcastle based organisation that provides support to asylum seekers and refugees by helping to reduce the isolation and hardships that these individuals face. The West End Food Bank is an emergency food bank that is one of the busiest food banks in the UK with over 30,000 people depending upon its services annually.
Please donate any of your non-perishable food items and toiletries in the collection points located in Sheraton Park Reception.
Food Items particularly needed:
Toiletry Items particularly needed:
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