The benefits of academic volunteering

She has recently been volunteering with Hounslow Action for Youth as part of the UCL Stats Network Programme, which connects UCL students with organisations that require help in data profiling and analysis for their research purposes.

Why did I choose to volunteer with the UCL Stats Network?

My decision to engage with UCL Stats Network’s initiative was mainly driven by my desire to apply the data and statistical skills I have learnt in the Q-step programme in an actual social research project. I am also interested in a career in policy work and planning research in future, engaging with partners in UCL Stats Network provides wonderful opportunities to experience and understand first-hand how qualitative data and statistics enable objectives to be evaluated in social policy.

Where do you volunteer?

Hounslow Action for Youth is designed to provide a safe space for young children to engage in healthy interaction and activities after school. This programme acts as an intervention specifically targeted at reducing youth crime and gang participation rates.  The organisation was interested to find out how effective their programme has been so far from the perspectives of their young participants, their parents and the staff. As part of my work with the Hounslow Action for Youth, I helped to sort and analyse the data collected by the organisation from their surveys and interviews with participants and stakeholders in their Junior Youth Inclusion Programme (JYIP).

How often (and for how long) do you volunteer?

Unlike other volunteering projects I have engaged in before, my time with Hounslow Action for Youth was spent without me being physically present in the organisation or in London. The nature of the assistance required allowed me to help out with their social research while spending my summer back home in Singapore. I was able to update Jacqueline, the research coordinator, via video calls and emails, and this arrangement granted me great flexibility in managing my responsibilities in analysing their data and editing the report.

Has volunteering given you any new perspectives on your academic studies at UCL?

Trying to sort and analyse the bulk of qualitative data collected by staff at JYIP was a challenge. This is because my first year in the Q-step programme was spent getting accustomed to reading and analysing quantitative data, and I was made to realise how my increasing adeptness and comfort with quantitative analysis during the academic year had made me less confident with the qualitative aspects of research. This volunteering opportunity was hence a much-needed reminder that a researcher should never be overly-focused on singular aspects of methodology, but actively seek to adopt a multidimensional perspective in designing methodology and approaching problems.

Would you recommend the project to anyone else?

While this volunteering project may not provide first-hand engagement and direct interactions with the beneficiaries (young people, in the case of JYIP), it is still worth a go for anyone interested in social policy work. It is immensely meaningful to be able to study and evaluate the effectiveness of JYIP’s programmes and activities, as it allowed me to provide suggestions on how these initiatives could be improved for the benefit of the young participants. This project offered by the UCL Stats Network definitely gave me a different volunteering experience. Contrary to what some may think, the lack of direct interaction with the young beneficiaries did not diminish my motivation to help in this project. Rather, the opportunity to contribute directly to the evaluation and improvement of JYIP was immensely meaningful for me. I would urge anyone who has a similar keenness in policy research and social work to participate in the various projects and initiatives available in future under the UCL Stats Network – the unique insights gained from working directly with people already in these sectors are definitely worth the time and effort.

The UCL Stats network is a collaboration between Students' Unions UCL Volunteering Service and UCL Connected Curriculum.

Students can find out how to make the most of their time at UCL at the ‘Shape your education’ UCL information fair on Friday 27 January, 1-5pm, South Cloisters.  Information will be available on participating in project teams, volunteering, becoming a student representative, and how to sign up for the Global Citizenship Programme. Make a difference. Build new skills. Get involved.