How do I join the Student Volunteer Programme?

Volunteering is open to all students, whether you are in undergrad, international student or are a post graduate student. Students in their 1st year may only register to volunteer in the second semester of the year.  All Rhodes University students are encouraged to actively participate in the Student Volunteer Programme, giving at least an hour of their time, skills and energy to make a positive difference in the Grahamstown community.

BE A PART OF THE SVP IN 5 EASY STEPS

1) Application Form:

All students (including returning volunteers) interested in volunteering will be required to complete an application form. Collect an application form from RUCE or download it from the RUCE website. Ensure you fill in the whole form, which includes 3 vital agreements.

• The first is an agreement to adherence to the code of good practice of community engagement, including attendance of meetings. This agreement is found at the end of your form.
• The second is an indemnity form, a legally binding agreement detailing the scope of RUCE’s ability to protect you from harm during volunteer activities undertaken as a SVP member.
• The third is a confidentiality agreement, binding you to reasonable ethical expectations of confidentially and guarding against non-consensual disclosure of private information gained through volunteering. All use of material  (academic, journalistic, research etc) gathered during volunteering must be cleared with

2013 SVP Application Form

2) Submit form on time:

All students must submit their application form before or on the date specified on the form. Failure to submit on time disqualifies you from joining the SVP  in that semester.

3) Attend the two mandatory training sessions after registration:

All students are required to attend two training workshops before they can begin volunteering. These workshops are a space for you to learn more about the volunteer sites RUCE partners with as well as helping you to understand community engagement practice at Rhodes. The few hours spend in one weekend will allow you to meet your fellow volunteer cohort for the semester and form new friendships.

2013 mandatory training sessions for new volunteers will be held on the 3rd and 4th of March from 09:00-13:30 in Eden Grove

4) Project placement:

Sign up for a project placement during training. During your training sessions, you will be advised about Community Projects by the coordinators of these projects, ensure you attend the training sessions to inform yourself of the best place for your interests. It is vital that you check clearly the times you are available to volunteer against your timetable. Failure to attend a volunteering commitment due to known academic clashes in your timetable will not count as an LOA.

5) Turn up and begin your work as a Volunteer:

You can start volunteering on the first week after you have attended training. Make sure you arrive on time for the bus (10 minutes before leaving time) and ensure you introduce yourself to the driver and the community partner student volunteer supervisor. On the bus and at the site, there will be a register for you to sign, make sure you sign at least one of these registers everytime you volunteer. The first day of volunteering is always an orientation process, so ensure you ask questions and familiarise yourself with the partner site. Dont forget to have fun :)