Future Ready Award

Prestige Volunteers recognises volunteering efforts of students through certificates, endorsed by Queen’s Students’ Union, for 50, 100 and 200 hours of volunteering.

Students must register for Prestige Volunteers.  They will then be given access to a record book allowing them to record their volunteering hours.

Students must complete 50 hours of Prestige Volunteers (these hours will be verified by a volunteering supervisor) over the course of their studies.

Upon successfully verified completion of 50 hours, students must submit a 500 word essay to su.volunteer@qub.ac.uk detailing how volunteering has impacted on their personal and professional development.

Both the 50 hours and the essay elements must be completed by 1 April (summer graduation) or 1 November (winter graduation) on the students’ year of graduation.

Homework Clubs aims to raise the educational attainment and aspirations of children and young people living in areas of educational underachievement.

It also gives Queen’s students (volunteers) the perfect opportunity to gain hands on experience in supporting young people while also aiding their own personal development, raising their social insight and improving their employability prospects.

To achieve the Future Ready Award through Homework Clubs, students must complete the following:

• Participate in induction training session with Queen’s Students’ Union
• Attend specific Homework Club local induction
• Volunteer at a minimum of 5 homework club sessions with their allocated Homework Club
• Take part in at least 2 follow-up specialised workshops
• Write a 500-word reflective piece about their experience as a Homework Clubs volunteer

Students can contact su.homeworkclubs@qub.ac.uk for more information.

Handy Helpers aims to respond to the immediate needs of the local community through a diverse range of one-off volunteering activities, such as community gardening, litter-picks, supporting local residents’ community projects and assisting local charities with one-off projects. The initiative is a great way for students, who do not have the time to make a regular commitment to volunteering, to make new friends, gain new skills and have fun while actively supporting their local community.

The diverse range of opportunities on offer combined with the short-term/episodic nature of the projects ensures that there is a Handy Helpers activity for everyone, whatever their interests and time-commitments. The programme also allows students to try out new activities, giving them a taste of volunteering in different charities without committing to them long-term.

To obtain Future Ready Award through Handy Helpers, students must complete the following:

• Participate in a minimum of 7 Handy Helpers community volunteering activities.
• Participate in at least 2 out of 4 specialised training sessions.
• Write a 500-word reflective blog post about their experience participating in the Handy Helpers initiative.
• Submit Volunteering Logbook as evidence of the hours they have committed to volunteering as a Handy Helper.

Students can contact su.handyhelpers@qub.ac.uk for more information.

If you are volunteer and involved in at least one other extracurricular activity like a part-time job or being a course rep (see here for the many different options) you can make a Combined Route application for the Future-Ready Award using the application Step-by-Step in MyFuture (the link to this is on the Future-Ready Award Homepage). Apply before 1st November (for those graduating in winter) or 1st March (for summer graduates).