Opportunities in Sheffield

by Megan Ball

When first moving to Sheffield almost three years ago anxious doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt. It was scary setting up a whole new friendship group and community. Being a student did mean that I made friends through my flat, department and societies, but I still wanted to get to know different communities in Sheffield to make it feel more like my second home.

I found that volunteering in different groups and charities helped me start to explore the outskirts of Sheffield such as Fulwood, Lodge Moor, Darnell, Grimethorpe etc — basically anywhere I had to look up a bus route for! This pushed me to get to know the many districts of Sheffield rather than just the city centre! It made me feel more comfortable where I was and it allowed me to gain friends across different ages, backgrounds and locations rather than just students.

However, volunteering isn’t just good for getting to know a place, it can also build really good skills for your future! Again I came to Sheffield quite scared, and a lack of confidence. But by doing different volunteer roles I have become more organised, resourceful, adaptable, and confident! These are the skills that sometimes a degree can’t teach you — it can help but I always think that you have to push yourself outside of your comfort zone to truly grow as a person.

If I’ve sold the idea of volunteering to you then you may now be wondering how to get involved and how to even find different opportunities? And even be questioning what do you want to volunteer as? The answer I would give every student is -Sheffield volunteering in the SU! Either go visit them (they are all so friendly) or go on their website where there are many different opportunities!

It’s how I applied to an allotment which then introduced me to another when I started volunteering for them. It’s also where I found information about Action Tutoring, GirlGuiding and different food banks such as Food Hall and the Sunday Centre!

For me I also did a bit of research on Sheffield and the different charities and found volunteer forms on their websites; which is how I became a volunteer with the cats shelter.

Also from scrolling on Sheffield Facebook groups I found the chair of a student led charity called Make a Smile asking for volunteers to set up a Sheffield chapter of Make a Smile! I am now the president of this chapter and we organise for students dressed as disney characters to go into different charities, hospices, care homes to bring a smile to someone’s day!

But if you are at all interested in making a positive impact or just immersing yourself in something different then look no further than our SU which has won awards for how amazing it is! It is FULL of sports clubs, societies and volunteering opportunities for you to look at! When I first started looking at university I was amazed at the sheer volume of societies Sheffield’s Student Union had to offer — having been to a few of the Give it a Go’s (GIAG) I can say that everyone is incredibly welcoming and friendly so much so I am on the committee for a few of them now! Including EdSoc (Education Society), Pet Soc (we walk dogs and organise activities with other animals which is amazing!!) and RAG (Raising and Giving). But there are so many departments, cultural, special interest societies and more so whatever you are looking for or not sure at all there will be something that takes your fancy! Or blow the fish out of the water and create your own!

As well as other opportunities like Leadership roles in the elections, Academic Reps and Change Lab — which is an amazing opportunity where you can lead your own campaigns! My action group for change lab is giving a voice to teachers and students in secondary schools to talk about sexual harassment.

I know I’ve hit you with a lot of information and ideas but one last leaving statement. I have always wanted to travel and it was a very difficult decision to either come to university straight away or go and travel. In the end I chose to start straight away but I haven’t come to regret that because my summers away from university give me so much time to go and explore the world! Some ways I have done this is through Camp America (for 10 weeks! To give you an idea of just how much time I had), which is where I went to a summer camp in America and was a camp counsellor giving disadvantaged children a summer to remember. Another way I travelled was through Choose a Challenge which is an amazing way to not only raise money for your chosen charity but also take on a challenge whilst travelling — mine was to trek to Machu Picchu for the Meningitis Research Foundation.

These are only a few ways you can travel — many of my friends have found cheap flights to different cities in Europe and stayed in hostels, or you can interrail or even if you are feeling even more adventurous… Another one of my favourite ways to travel is to take part in Bummit! This is a group that’s part of the SU and essentially what it is is a charity hitchhike! They do one regionally in autumn and then one internationally in the spring! In past years they have gone all the way to Barcelona!

So I hope this has eased some of your minds and also filled your diaries with lots of things to go and try. Not to be too cringy but the world is big and it’s up to you to explore it and one of the best times to do this is at university — because it gives you the time to go and explore to find the things that make you who you are.

Megan Ball is a third year student on the BA Education Culture and Childhood at the School of Education, The University of Sheffield.