What do LIFT OFF Student Volunteers do?
Our Student Volunteers get themselves involved in lots of different parts of the programme. The main parts of the programme that Student Volunteers are invloved in are the school workshops and our summer residentials.
School Workshops
School workshops are the main activity that students volunteer for. It is a brilliant way to develop your interpersonal and communication skills by interacting with the pupils. The real-life experience and enthusiasm that students bring to the classroom can make so much difference to the pupils. Our workshops run through most of the academic calender, so no matter how busy your calender is you can usually fit in a few workshops around the other committments you have.
LIFT OFF To Success (LO2S)
Rachael: A student's perspective Jozette Video
This summer I signed up for the LIFT OFF 2 Success (LO2S) summer residential. In the past I had enjoyed participating in the LIFT OFF workshops and thought that it would be a great opportunity to do paid work with the same kind of pupils. The pupils were aged between 14 and 15, and we, as LIFT OFF Students, were each responsible for a small group of them (approximately 8). We were with them during all of the different daily activities, visiting different universities and colleges, where they participated in taster sessions on a wide range of courses. Even though the pupils in my group were from a variety of different backgrounds, we all bonded really well and there was a great sense of team spirit. I really enjoyed being able to use my personal enthusiasm for university life in order to give first hand advice about university and college.
There were a wide range of taster sessions which we attended from philosophy to hair dressing to golf studies. These were incredibly informative, not only for the pupils but also for the students! As well as visiting different universities and colleges in the surrounding area, we were able to take part in loads of fun activities every evening, such as bowling, a ghost tour, quizzes and a trip to the beach. LO2S, as well as being loads of fun, was also a lot of hard work.... In the mornings we had to get up really early in order to bang on the doors of somewhat bleary eyed pupils. At times like these it could be difficult to stay energetic and enthusiastic, especially towards the end of the week when we were all pretty tired. The effort however was definitely worth it, especially when you saw how much the pupils benefited from individual contact with ‘real’ students.
LO2S provided a fantastic opportunity for me to work alongside inspirational LIFT OFF leaders and fellow students from different universities. I was also able to gain experience working with young people, developing key skills whilst really enjoying myself. It was amazing to see the enthusiasm and ambitions that the residential generated in the pupils involved, and it was great to know that I had contributed personally to this experience. I would definitely encourage anyone wanting to work with children or young people in the future, or indeed anyone looking for an interesting and worthwhile summer job to get involved with LIFT OFF. LO2S was an invaluable experience for me and I would do it again without hesitation (even taking into account the early mornings!).
LIFT OFF Pupil Forum
As you can see from our photo, the Pupil Forum is a chance for our volunteers to do some team-building exercises, socialise and have a bit of fun with other volunteers, pupils and the LIFT OFF Team. It is a great opportunity to get your views across about the LIFT OFF programme and to suggest any improvements. The pupil forum happens once or twice per year depending on school holidays and is open to all our Student Volunteers.
Other Events
LIFT OFF holds different events throughout the year that our volunteers attend, for example a recruitment or career's faire. In October 2010 an event called the 'Right Brilliant Thing' was held. This ran as part of a nationwide initiative from Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People (SCCYP) to get young people in Scotland to show the Commissioner what the positives in their lives are. Our pupils chose L02S as their 'Right Brilliant Thing' and we all welcomed along Cathy Begley, a representative from SCCYP People to talk to our pupils and volunteers about their personal experience of L02S.
