Volunteering Experience: I have volunteered in a nursery which had children aged 1-3 so this needs to be on that.
Component 1 – Can Vary between 2100-2500 words.
Component One Critically Reflective Poster: THIS NEEDS TO BE ON A POWERPOINT.
I have attached the Rubric which has the learning outcomes which needs to be achieved
Learning Outcomes 1 2 4
Poster of the Volunteering Experience (2,000 – 2,500 words) As this is a Critically Reflective Poster not withstanding you should minimise the use of ‘I’ in order to put less focus on yourself as the object of interest and place greater emphasis on your arguments and findings from the literature.
References should be wide ranging, drawing on multiple sources that ideally reach beyond the key texts. Citations should use the Harvard Style of referencing (Cite them Right).
Component Two Reflective account of volunteering experience: Can Vary between 1000-1500 words
Critically examine motivations for engaging in voluntary action. Critically reflect on the value of a specific volunteering experience, in relation to the volunteer, community and host, audit your skill development within your placement.
Learning Outcomes 3 4
Volunteering Experience
Artefacts
Learning Diaries (1,000-1,500) Demonstrate engagement with volunteering Demonstrate an ability to recognise strengths and areas for development in self Assessment criteria: Please take note of the different criteria that the marker will be looking for and thereby making sure your submission mirrors the expectations. Guidance Notes for Written Assignments The overall presentation of your work must be clear, coherent and legible. Use the following questions to guide you through key processes in carrying out your assignment:
Portfolio Task Breakdown and Relevance for the Poster:
Section
Suggested Structure
Suggested word count
Introduction
As brief as possible, outline your structure (see below)
100
One
Why it is beneficial to reflect on practice
250
Two
The contested nature of the term volunteering and a summary of its history in the UK
500
Three
Motivations for Volunteering (including gaining Human and Social Capital)
300
Four
The contacts, specific skills, knowledge and experience gained through volunteering (compared to those sought by employers and self)
300
Five
A critique of the way organisations and the government rely on volunteers (including the benefits and drawbacks of doing so)
500
Six
The impact of volunteering
300
Conclusion
As brief as possible, summary of your main findings and reflections (from above)
250
Section
Suggested Content
Introduction
A brief outline of the structure you will be following
One
Why it is beneficial to reflect on practice
What are reflection and experiential learning?
Why are they important for learning and professional development?
What do some key theorists claim are the benefits?
Two
The contested nature of the term volunteering and a summary of its history in the UK
Consider the variety of definitions that illustrate how volunteering is a contested term. To what extent is voluntary action given as free will and without reward?
How has volunteering (especially student volunteering) developed in UK society? What are its claimed origins?
What appears to be volunteering’s relationship with the degree of government funding of welfare provision?
When and how has student volunteering in the UK, become increasingly instrumental in CV enhancement – rather than primarily focused on charitable ‘do-gooding’ (altruism) or political campaigning (social activism)?
Three
Motivations for Volunteering (including gaining Human and Social Capital)
What are the assumed benefits of student volunteering and why is it increasingly embedded in the curriculum of some Higher Education courses?
Discuss what the assumed benefit are:
e.g. Students’ CV enhancement and social mobility and benefit to the community.
Consider human, social and financial capital gains.
Explain / Define what human and social capital are.
Consider the textbook theories and reported realities (data) on why students do / do not volunteer.
In relation to Motivational theory – why did you volunteer /choose this module?
What did you hope to achieve through your volunteering experience?
What skills and knowledge (Human Capital) did you hope to gain?
What links/relationships did you want to develop? (Social Capital)
What impact did you hope to have?
Is your volunteering reciprocal in nature? In other words, are you seeking any personal gain in return for providing for the community?
Four
The contacts, specific skills, knowledge and experience gained through volunteering (compared to those sought by employers and self)
In reality, what contacts, skills, attitudes and knowledge you were able to gain and/or develop? (Make reference, again to the development of social and human capital)
Support your observations with evidence and examples e.g. make reference to Component Two – your Transferable Skills Audit and Plan A learning diaries.
Five
A critique of the way organisations and the government rely on volunteers (including. benefits and drawbacks of doing so)
Introduce your placement organisation, include (paraphrase) some brief information on the role and function of the organisation;
How does the organisation make use of volunteers? (investigate if they have a volunteering policy or webpages to refer to);
What type of volunteering does the organisation support? e.g. providing a service or taking social action / campaigning / unpaid overtime. Relate this to definitions or models of volunteering;
What role does this type of volunteering play in society? What does it contribute to the volunteer, the service users, the wider community and the welfare state / provision of public services?
How does the work of the organisation relate/contribute to the idea of the government’s ideas for Civil Society e.g. Notions of a ‘Big’ or ‘Shared Society’?
Make sure to identify some of the drawbacks inherent in the way organisations and the government rely on volunteers.
Such as:
a lack of professionalism, experience and training;
high turnover;
the government being excused their responsibility for welfare provision;
public spending savings v an excuse for cuts;
the responsibility for welfare shifted onto individuals and charities rather than seen as a human right; (you might consider using Food Banks and caring for the elderly, children or people with disabilities as good examples)
In some cases, you might want to focus on employers’ expectations of their staff providing unpaid overtime and consequently the benefits, drawbacks and injustices of creating this culture.
Six
The impact of volunteering
How has the organisation responded to or been impacted to current issues or current affairs – politics, pandemic etc, social cohesion…
Has the demand for their services increased or changed in any way?
How do wider landscapes impact either the staff or the supply of services?
Does your chosen example have the same impact on all members of the community, or is there inequity on who is impacted?
Conclusion
As brief as possible, summarise your main findings and reflections (from the above)
Overall what were the main learning points from the whole volunteering experience? Essentially, you should be contextualising your student volunteering experience in the history and politics of volunteering and concluding to what extent it has been beneficial
