UL President's Volunteering Award
The President's Volunteer Award has been established at the University of Limerick to formally acknowledge the contribution that students make to their communities by volunteering. The award was formally launched by President Don Barry on the 15th of April 2010 and every UL student can apply for the award from the beginning of the 2010/2011 academic year
This new initiative will formally recognise and reward students for their volunteering on two different levels . At the first level, students will receive a bronze award from the President of the University for volunteering 20 hours of their time, a silver award for 40 hours and a gold award for 60 hours. Students will not compete with one another for these awards; as long as they can demonstrate the quality of their volunteering work, be able to reflect on their experience and provide a reference from their sponsoring organisation or supervisor they will each receive an award. At the second level, the President will grant five competitive ‘Outstanding Achievement' Awards each year. These awards are for students who have shown a great commitment to volunteering throughout their time in UL, who have made a strong difference to their communities in their chosen volunteering activity and who are active role models for civic responsibility on campus.
In addition to the launch of the competitive and non-competitive awards the President announced the formation of the a new ‘one stop' volunteering website for the University which will be operational for the beginning for the 2010/2011 academic year. This website will serve as a comprehensive database of volunteering opportunities for students on campus and at a local, national and international level. Students, staff members and volunteering organisations will be able to register their volunteering opportunities where any member of the community can easily browse through them and it is hoped the website can be used to connect more and more people to work together in the future.
Speaking at the Launch event, President Don Barry stated that "many of our students at the University of Limerick have achieved and continue to achieve extraordinary things through volunteering. In the last academic year alone, they have contributed to projects such as tutoring economically disadvantaged children; mentoring at-risk youth; building houses; advocating for social justice and human rights; cleaning up the environment; supporting fair trade; empowering women; fighting against human trafficking; and raising money for disaster relief, refugee relocation, disease research and numerous non-profit organizations. They served missions and have signed up to national and international volunteering projects. Many of our students didn't stop there. They gave blood; hosted workshops; recycled waste; circulated petitions; managed student societies; provided translations; marched, walked, danced, ran, and fasted for a cause; but most importantly made a difference on campus, in the community, and around the globe.
In addition the President acknowledged the contribution made by university staff members stating "It's important to mention our faculty and administrative staff who serve as active role models for civic responsibility on campus and encourage our students to take part in volunteering activities. They serve on boards, organise and join students on volunteering trips, and help them to take a stand on local and global issues."
In his closing remarks President Don Barry affirmed "The ripple effect of these contributions is nearly impossible to quantify, however initiatives such as the President's Volunteer Award will continue to shine a new light on many of our volunteering projects, allowing us to see the impact that students are staff are making in their communities more clearly than ever before."
For additional information please contact Aidan Healy - Student Development Coordinator. T: 061 21 3143 E: Aidan.Healy@ul.ie
