Student Community Action has been providing volunteering opportunities that fit in with student lifestyle since 1972!
Cambridge SCA exists to encourage the involvement of students in voluntary community work, providing services to disadvantaged groups within the community and giving students a valuable learning experience. We actively recruit students from both the University of Cambridge and Anglia Ruskin University.
We offer more than 70 volunteering opportunities. Ten of these projects are internally managed and known as “internal projects” since they cater specifically to the interests of Cambridge students; the other projects are run by a wide range of external organisations which we recruit for. Every year we find volunteering opportunities for over 300 students.
We are run by a student committee, a board of trustees (three of whom are from the student committee), and a body of College Reps. We also have two staff members who deal with the day-to-day running of the charity and are available to help you with any problems you encounter.
We provide great support for our volunteers, ranging from vulnerable adults training to first aid courses. We in turn are supported in providing training for you by fantastic organisations such as TeachFirst.
Aims
Objectives
Betty’s Musical Entertainment Group
Betty’s Musical Entertainment Group meets during term-time to provide up-beat, informal music performances to residents of local Cambridge care-homes. Volunteers entertain in the form of sing-alongs, group performances, solos and occasional readings. They also have refreshments and chat with the residents during the evening – an aspect as important as the entertainment! Volunteers of all musical standards are welcome. Although this project’s aim is to deliver musical performances, we also welcome volunteers who simply want to befriend the elderly. Many of the residents look forward to chatting with students as much as listening to a few classic songs.
Homework Help
The aim of this project is to help children from mainstream primary schools who are having difficulty with their academic work. This is typically in the form of an after school club. This is a great project if you are looking for experience of working with children in an educational environment. Teaching can be in small groups or on a one-to-one basis. This project usually runs on weekday afternoons in Cambridge Primary schools.
Teaching English as an Additional Language (TEAL)
TEAL is a one-to-one scheme for multi-lingual children or adults who need help with their English. Volunteers usually visit their match at home, once a week during term-time, to help with reading and writing and communication skills.
Bounce
Bounce is SCA’s very own Saturday afternoon kids-club for vulnerable and disadvantaged children. An hour and a half of high-energy, fun-filled sports games, arts and crafts and board games.
askforce
Taskforce is an umbrella project capturing all the work our volunteers do to support vulnerable adults.
Examples of requests include:
– Befriending lonely elderly people in their homes
– Helping physically disabled people to get out of their homes (for walking, shopping, exercise classes, to the library etc.)
– Befriending young adults with physical and learning disabilities.
– Gardening for elderly people or walking their dogs.
– Teaching English as a Second Language for adults
– Befriending people suffering from depression or other forms of mental health problems.
Big Sibs
Our most popular project, Big Sibs aims to provide volunteer befrienders to children aged between 5 and 11 who are vulnerable in some way. Examples of such vulnerabilities include (but are not limited to) bereavement, social exclusion, disability, learning difficulties, issues with behaviour, or having family members who have disabilities or learning difficulties. Our volunteers act as an “adopted” older brother or sister to the child, visiting the child around once a week during term time. Big Sibs can take their Little Sib out to the local playground, go bike riding, to the cinema, do arts and crafts, cooking, or even just watch TV with them.
