How the Student Volunteer Programme Works

SVP ‌STRUCTURE

All student volunteers are divided into small groups, with each group volunteering at a specific site once a week for a minimum of an hour per week. Eg. If you volunteer at a site every Monday at 10:30 with three other people, the four of you constitute on student volunteer team (SVT). As each group of students will visit their community partner together, one student will be nominated to coordinate their specific SVT group, this student will be the Student Leader (SL) of that group. The SL will report to the Student Leader Coordinator (SLC), who will also be a nominated student. The SLC will meet regularly with the RUCE Student Volunteer Program (SVP) Coordinator, who is an employee of the Community Engagement office.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Student Volunteer Program (SVP) Coordinator: RUCE OFFICE

• Manages the student volunteer registration at the beginning of each semester.
• Works with Community Partner Coordinator in order facilitate communication between student volunteers and volunteer site managers.
• Meets with SL once a month to go over registers and get team updates
• Reads and gives feedback to Student Leader’s termly report for their each community partner site
• Handles LOAs, deregistration and responsible for enquiring into absentee volunteers, as well as writing letters to volunteers who will be asked to no longer volunteer.
• Keep record of all volunteers who have failed to meet the minimum requirements for volunteering through RUCE
• Meet with community partner volunteer management least twice a year with regards to the workings of the SVP
• Reports to RUCE office any SL or SLC who has not fulfilled the minimum requirements for their position. Also makes reports to RUCE office any SL, SLC or Student Volunteer Team (SVT) who have gone above and beyond within their volunteering duties
• Councils any student queries, concerns or problems with regards to SVP placement
• Attempts to the best of their ability to resolve any conflict within SVT, or between SVT and community partners

Student Leader (SL):

 As all volunteers will be divided into small working Student Volunteer Teams (SVT) the SL will be a nominated position who has written a motivation letter and undergone the interview for the position.  Student leaders are organized, reliable and creative student who facilitate team cohesion in each volunteer group. They will be required to submit reports, attend meetings and communicate regularly with the SVP Coordinator regarding any team queries or projects.  SLs are required excesice their leadership role with the support of team members and be aware of the ethical responsibilities they have to their community partner and fellow student team members.

• Experienced student volunteer (need not have experience directly through RUCE). This position is preferably suited for someone who has experience working with the community partner concerned, but this is not mandatory.
• Coordinate & assist their group with the specific tasks required of the volunteers as per their community partner’s requests
• Communicate regularly with community volunteer site manager.
• Communicate regularly with fellow team members and ensure everyone understands the teams activities at the site. Familiarize yourself with what is expected of their volunteering group, as well as the responsibilities the community partner has to their student volunteering group
• Make a point of building relationships with the volunteers within your group
• Report to any issues to the SVP Coordinated when appropriate.
• Meet once a month with fellow SL’s of your community partner as well as the SLC to discuss, update and plan the workings of your groups
• Check the volunteer register every week and make notes of volunteer attendance in your term report. Inform the SVP coordinator of any consecutive absenteeism. 
• Be present every week for volunteering. The SL may not miss a single volunteering session without a valid excuse.
• Be easily contactable by SVT members. Be efficient and reliable with regards to responding to SVT queries.
• Take inventory of resources and materials used during your teams volunteer session

Student Leader Coordinator (SLC):

The SLC will also be a SL, and as such will have to fulfil the roles and responsibilities mentioned above. The SLC will further coordinate their community partners’ SLs, and as such will have added responsibilities. 

• Manage registers, and hand them to RUCE SVP coordinator once a month
• Accompany SL and RUCE SVP coordinator to meet with their CE partner’s
• Chair monthly meetings with Student teams

Student Volunteer Team (SVT) Member:

• Reliable and mature ambassador for the University
• Attend all training sessions before volunteering commences.
• Volunteers will not be assigned a group if they have not be permitted to volunteer under the SVP without attending all training sessions
• No student will be permitted to miss more than one volunteering session per term without submitting an LOA with a valid reason.
• Volunteers who miss more than three sessions within a term due to reported illness, for example, will be have to meet with their SLC before continuing to volunteer
• All students will be required to take the RUCE transport to their volunteering session, as this will be the time that the SL will be taking register. If a student volunteer will not be making use of the transport offered, they will need to contact their SL at least one day before hand.
• SV’s will be required to inform their SL beforehand if they will be absent from volunteering for any reason
• Students may validly miss their volunteering session for family emergencies, illness (their SL can ask them to produce an LOA from the San in this instance), or unforeseen circumstances that places them outside of Grahamstown on the day of their volunteering.
• Students may not miss their volunteering session due to other university based responsibilities, such as having to study for a test

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

What happens if I am having problems with my placement, either with the organisation or with my fellow volunteers?

If you are experiencing any problems with your placement please come and see the SVP Coordinator. Please bring any problems or queries that you may have to us, or to your Student Leader. In most instances the problems can be easily solved. Do not simply drop out of the Programme without discussing it with a CE programme co-ordinator. If the problem is severe, please call on us immediately. If required, we will try to arrange a new placement.

 What if I cannot make it to my placement?

 Generally, it is unacceptable to miss your volunteering placement. Once you have committed to it you should treat it as you would a tutorial or a job. Your placement should take priority.  Meetings and appointments should be planned around your placement. If you cannot make it to your placement please phone your SL and the organisation or project at which you volunteer in good time. The only acceptable reasons for absence are academic tests scheduled at the same time as your volunteer session, or debilitating illness or personal crisis such as death in the family. If your timetable has changed in such a way that you will no longer be able to attend your  registered placement, please let the SVP office know as soon as possible and we will attempt to allocate a new placement to you, preferably within the same organisation.

 What if other members of your placement group are not arriving for their placement or taking it seriously, or in any way behaving inappropriately?

Please let us know if there is any fellow volunteer who you feel is being unreliable and not attending when they should.  Also if any volunteer is behaving unprofessionally and/or inappropriately please inform the SVP co-ordinator or any other CE co-ordinator. We will follow up and investigate confidentially.
 

Is it possible for a volunteer to be dismissed?

Volunteers who do not adhere to the rules and procedures of the Student Volunteer Programme or who fail to perform their volunteer task satisfactorily may be dismissed from the Student Volunteer Programme. No volunteer will be dismissed until s/he has had the opportunity to discuss the reasons with the Student Volunteer Programme Co-ordinator. A letter confirming their dismissal will be sent to the volunteer by the Student Volunteer Programme Co-ordinator.

 Can I resign as a volunteer?

Although commitment is heavily stressed in the Student Volunteer Programme, should a volunteer need to leave for any reason, please give the Student Volunteer Programme Co-ordinator as much notice as possible, preferably a month in advance so alternative arrangements can be made.  Please inform the SVP co-ordinator in writing of your intention to leave the Student Volunteer Programme.

Why should I volunteer?

•  Discover your own potential & attain personal growth
• Use a skill or talent to make a difference
• Get to know your community
• Gain leadership and interpersonal skills
•  Meet friendly action-minded people & make important networking contacts
•  Increase your awareness of issues
•  Work towards social justice
•  Learn or develop skills & gain work experience
•  Develop your interpersonal skills and meet people from various backgrounds
•  Explore new areas of interest & expand your horizons