QMSU Launches the Centre of Volunteering and Outreach!
On the 8th September 2026, QMSU launched the Centre of Volunteering and Outreach at an event which brought together community volunteering partners, student volunteers and members of the Queen Mary community.
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On the 8th September, QMSU launched the Centre of Volunteering and Outreach at an event which brought together community volunteering partners, student volunteers and members of the Queen Mary community. This was a celebratory occasion to highlight the dedication of Queen Mary volunteers, and to outline QMSU's next steps to offer even more opportunities for our students to get involved with!
The team presented their steps so far in improving their volunteering opportunities and partner relationships, and future priorities to build upon this.
Improving the volunteering service
During the presentation, the team covered how they have built stronger relationships with community partners over the last year.
They then highlighted the key findings from their student feedback report, which included that:
- Most students are interested in volunteering while at university and are aware that the SU offers volunteering opportunities, but most have not participated in these
- Students are interested in opportunities which are convenient and flexible
- Experiences of volunteering through QMSU are mainly highly positive!
Their next steps based on the feedback are to increase promotion of volunteering opportunities to get more students involved, offer more opportunities students want, and focus on enhancing student skills and employability through volunteering and outreach.
Next, two brilliant student volunteers, Alex and Amelia, shared their experiences as the Presidents of one of QMSU's student-led volunteering groups, Teddy Bear Hospital. Alex and Amelia highlighted how rewarding this experience had been, as well as the skills they developed leading and managing a team of over 200 volunteers!
Introducing outreach opportunities
Lastly, there was a Q&A session with the Imperial War Museum about working with us on a pilot outreach project, engaging students as co-creators in their upcoming exhibition about South Asian experiences during the Second World War. Their conversation emphasised the meaningful contribution and unique perspective the students provided, as well as how they developed insight into the heritage sector while developing confidence and employability skills.
Building upon the improvements the team have made to the volunteering offer, they are excited to introduce outreach opportunities which enhance and enrich students' skills, while involving them in social impact projects which benefit the community.
Visit the Volunteering and Outreach pages. If you have any questions, please email su-volunteering@qmul.ac.uk.