Volunteering

Student Community Action

For many students it's very important to have the chance to give something back to the local community which is their home for the duration of their degree programme and this is soemthing that is encouraged at Durham. Each year around 500 student volunteers across Durham City and Queen's Campus, work in local community projects through Student Community Action (SCA) and through their college community initiatives. Helping others can be such a rewarding experience and it's easy to get involved in activities with people fo all ages. Projects include sports outreach with schools and community groups, working with the elderly, decorating, gardening and prison visiting.

Our staff are also encouraged to volunteer their time and their skills to a wide range of activities, often working alongside students to bring a mix of experience, talent and enthusiasum to local projects. By donating just a little of your time you can not only help others, but also get to know the local area and gain valuable life experiences.

Charity fundraising

If you want to help raise money for good causes then look no further than our award-winning Durham University Charities Kommittee, known as DUCK. Each year across Durham  University students raise large sums for local, national and international charities in a variety of fun and inventive ways. The annual rubber duck race on the River Wear is certainly one event not to be missed.

In the academic year 2009/2010 DUCK exceeded all previous years (and all other universities) and raised over £670K for charity. To see how you could help achieve this and more in future years visit our DUCK website.

Sri Lanka Sport

Overseas projects

Durham University has many links across the world and aims to strengthen these on all occasions through its staff and students. Many of our students get involved in charity projects overseas such as Project Sri Lanka and Project Thailand.  

Student volunteers are also involved in Sport Action Zambia which focuses on sports development and personal development through sports projects.

Using your knowledge and skills to help a new generation

Through our Student Associate Scheme you could help raise the achievements and aspirations of children and young people in local primary and secondary schools. Working through structured placements, the scheme is an ideal starting point if you're interested in developing a career in teaching, as it provides you with a good opportunity to gain some first-hand classroom experience. You'll receive full training, and even get paid a bursary when you've completed a 15-day placement. You could also become a Durham Student Ambassador and get involved in a host of activities including one-to-one mentoring, summer schools and other events. Both the Durham Student Ambassador and the Student Associate Schemes are paid work.

Find out more on how you could become a Student Associate.

Student profile
Name: Madeleine McGivern
College: Trevelyan College, 2008
Subject: Combined Social Sciences

I got involved with DUCK from the word go although I’m not quite sure how I ended up selling DUCK race tickets onmy first Saturday. Still, I never looked back, and thoroughly enjoyed my time as Trevs’ DUCK rep, and taking part in a DUCK expedition to Jordan, as well as raising money via a marathon and various rather fun jazz and cocktail events… Doing ducky things in Durham made it really easy to pick up similar activities following graduation and I’ve just returned from a charity climb up Kilimanjaro and begun working for the Charities Advisory Trust. In a nutshell, DUCK opened my eyes to all the great ways to raise money for charity, and gave me some fantastic experiences at the same time.