I’m Amelia, a second-year International Social and Public Policy with Study Abroad (BSc) student and 2022/23 Bristol PLUS Award achiever.
Committing to the Bristol PLUS Award pushed me out of my comfort zone and exposed me to lots of different experiences.
It helped me to narrow down possible career avenues and even led to a part-time job.
Read on to find out how…
70 hours of experience
I gained my first few hours through the Professional Liaison Network Mentoring Scheme: an undergraduate mentoring programme which offers valuable insights into different industries. This is a great opportunity to expand your network and explore different career paths after graduation.
I also took part in the City Challenges programme and worked on real-life challenges faced by Bristol-based charities. This is a great way to build up volunteering experience if you have the odd few hours spare, and helped me develop my problem solving, teamwork and presentation skills.
The City Challenge I worked on was for the Bristol Hub, the local branch of Student Hubs which offers social action opportunities to students. From this experience, I was inspired to become a committee member with Bristol Hub, as the Student to Inspire Officer. The projects offered by Bristol Hub are also great for building up your 70 hours.
After searching for opportunities through the SU volunteering webpage, I started volunteering with St Peter’s Hospice, which was very accessible and a great way to be involved with the Bristol community outside of the university bubble.
Overall, these different experiences gave me insight into the world of work, broadening my horizons to different sectors.
From having no idea what I wanted to do after university, I can now say I have a passion for the non-profit sector which the PLUS Award helped me discover.
Bristol Futures online course
I took part in the Sustainable Futures course. The course was only a few hours of commitment a week and opened my mind to a career in sustainability within the non-profit sector.
Since completing the course, I have now taken up the paid opportunity of being a Bristol Futures mentor this year.
In conclusion
The PLUS Award opened up many opportunities, increased my network and led to work experience during my undergraduate degree.
The award may seem quite daunting at first, but it is a great way to build your employability skills and will be completed before you know it!
Inspired to get involved?
Come along to Bristol SU’s Student Volunteering Week to find out how you can take action and support volunteering opportunities across Bristol.
Attend an online panel event on Wednesday 7 February, and hear from Faculty of Arts alumni about their experiences working in the charity / not-for-profit sector.
And while you’re at it, why not gain formal recognition for volunteering through the Bristol PLUS Award?
The Award recognises a whole range of extra-curricular experiences (from paid work to volunteering), and you can backdate experiences from your first year of studies. You may already be halfway through the award without realising!
Get started by attending a PLUS Award introductory talk. There are only a few talks left before the 12 February registration deadline, so book your spot now!