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External community volunteering

Students at UOW have the opportunity to receive recognition from UOWx for community volunteering activities they undertake outside of the university.

How is external volunteering recognised by UOWx?

UOWx has developed a partnership with a number of local community organisations to provide UOWx recognition for specific volunteering roles within their organisation. Click on the below links to find out more about the roles on offer.

If you undertake one of the above volunteering roles with our Community Partners, simply email the UOWx team to let them know you have signed up.

In the email, please include:

  • Your name
  • Your student number
  • The organisation you are volunteering with
  • The role you have signed up for

The UOWx team will then enrol you in the appropriate Moodle site so you can start logging your hours.

You will be required to keep a logbook of your hours and have this signed off by your supervisor throughout your time volunteering. This logbook will need to be uploaded to Moodle and approved by the UOWx team.

Your volunteering experience will be identified on your UOWx Record once you have met the minimum required hours in a calendar year.

If you find your own volunteering opportunity then you can apply to have that recognised by UOWx and added to your UOWx Record after you have completed your volunteering for the year.

In your application you will need to verify that the volunteering activity meets the UOWx policy requirements. An overview of this process can be found in the below flyer. Please note that paid roles external to UOW are not recognised by UOWx.

To apply, you must complete an External Recognition Claim Form and upload a Verification Letter, signed by the community organisation.

Provide this External volunteering organisation flyer (PDF) to the organisation you are volunteering with, to let them know why you are asking them to complete the verification letter. 

In the claim form, you must identify which learning streams your volunteering addresses, explain how this occurred and the skills you developed by participating in this volunteering opportunity.

To help you in completing your claim form, we have prepared an example for you to see:

Note: submit the claim form only after you have completed your volunteering for the year.

If approved, the external organisation will be de-identified on your UOWx Record and listed as one of the below sub-categories* which you will select in the claim form:

  • Aboriginal communities
  • Aged care
  • Animal welfare
  • Arts, culture & heritage
  • Children & young people
  • Community & welfare
  • Corporate
  • Disabilities
  • Education
  • Environment & conservation
  • Health
  • Multicultural
  • Parents & carers
  • Police emergency services
  • Special events
  • Sports & recreation
  • Women's services

* These categories have been identified by the NSW Government Family and Community Services

Minimum requirements for UOWx recognition of community volunteering you find yourself.

To receive UOWx recognition for external volunteering activities you find yourself, you must complete the following:

  • An "engaged" student will need to be complete 20 hours over a calendar year
  • A "highly engaged" student will need to complete 40 hours over a calendar year 

Please note that time spent training for the role can be included in your hours completed for the role, but only if the training occurred in the same calendar year as the rest of the hours you are claiming.

How to ensure your external volunteering is recognised

Add your external volunteering to your UOWx Record by the following dates:

  • Trimester 1 Graduation - apply by 6 May 2022
  • Autumn Graduation - apply by 10 June 2022
  • Trimester 2 Graduation - apply by 2 September 2022
  • Spring & Trimester 3 Graduation - apply by 4 November 2022

Testimonials

Annabel - UOWx testimonial

"Last year I began volunteering as a Girl Guide Volunteer at one of the local Girl Guide Units in Wollongong. This has been an amazing opportunity as it has allowed me to develop my leadership skills and form a stronger connection with the broader community.

I would highly recommend external volunteering to all UOW students, especially those who may be new to the Wollongong area, as it really allows you to extend your network past just the university setting.

Additionally, getting UOWx recognition that showcases the skills I have developed through this volunteering experience has made it all the more rewarding." – Annabel Green, Community Partner Volunteer

Bronte

"In 2019, I volunteered as a MultiLit tutor whereby, once a week, I helped primary school students with their literacy skills.

There are endless advantages of volunteering in the community. Firstly, you are able to gain a sense of community in the place you grew up or currently live. Through volunteering in my community, I was able to network and create local connections, whereby the organiser of the volunteering program offered to be a referee for a job application.

It is great to get involved in the activities already recognised by UOWx, but to also volunteer in your local community. The process for getting recognition was really easy!” – Bronte Petrolo, non-partner community volunteer