Plymouth University students at the launch of their Victim Support service.

Today marks the start of Student Volunteering Week — the perfect opportunity for you to make good on your Fresher’s Week promise to find a volunteer role!

This week, participating colleges and universities are giving students a platform to develop their skills while supporting charities and social enterprises in their community.

At Victim Support, our student volunteers play a wide range of roles, providing emotional and practical support to people affected by crime, using their skills to support our office teams, and raising much-needed funds.

Plymouth University students launch a Victim Support service

Criminology students at Plymouth University have trained as Victim Support volunteers and now offer a confidential weekly drop-in service to help other students affected by crime.

The service gives students who have experienced crime the opportunity to get confidential support on campus, as well as developing the skills of the students who run the service.

The Plymouth students trained and became accredited as Victim Support volunteers before setting up the project for other students in need of support.

Mary’s volunteer story

Volunteering with Victim Support has helped me build on my professional skills, become more self-aware and build on my listening skills.

Mary volunteered with Victim Support on a student placement.

During that time, she learnt how to provide emotional support to people affected by crime and had dedicated one-to-one support from her volunteer manager.

My manager helped me to build up my confidence, as this was something I lacked before.

Volunteering for Victim Support has been a phenomenal experience, and has challenged me personally and professionally!

Get involved

A volunteer or placement opportunity with Victim Support could help you develop important skills for your future career while helping people move beyond crime. Find out more about how to apply today.

If you’re a student volunteer, tell us what volunteering means to you by tweeting @VictimSupport with the hashtag #SVW2017.