National Student Volunteer Week 2022 acknowledges and celebrates student volunteers, and promotes volunteering to students and young people across Australia.
This year National Student Volunteer Week is 8 – 14 August 2022.
The 2022 theme is Passion. Opportunity. Change. which explores how students can realise their dreams and effect change across the world…and it all starts with the act of giving their time to a cause they believe in.
We can all agree that the work student volunteers do is incredibly important. Volunteering has so many benefits, including gaining skills important to future employers, while making a positive impact on individuals, communities and the planet. So what’s not to smile about!
All students have been invited to share their experience to be highlighted during NSVW through our socials and on our website to showcase the rich diversity of people in the student volunteering community as well as the myriad of volunteer opportunities available.
Salwa – Student Volunteer UoN
Salwa is a Ph.D student studying at the University of Newcastle Australia. Originally from Malang, East Java, Indonesia, Salwa has demonstrated considerable contribution towards international student community and the broader NSW community through her volunteering work.
Recently, as a volunteer in 2022 NUmates International student program and as a peer mentor in Semester 1 & 2, 2022, she provided support to new international students to settle into university life. In addition, Salwa has been selected as a student representative in the University Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) committee. She provided suggestions and perspectives dealing with international students’ issues and helped promote cultural diversity on campus. Salwa also volunteered at Batyr in the Student Reference Group from May 2022, with the role to raise awareness of mental health of young people, to reduce stigma and to promote help-seeking. She also supported research on mental health issues experienced by international students in Australia.
Salwa was 2022 Gifting Day Ambassador in March 2022. Her support as an ambassador helped to raise funds for nine important initiatives and create a positive change in the university of Newcastle communities and beyond. She was also invited by the office of alumni and philanthropy to give a speech as a 2022 student Gifting Day ambassador in the Thank You Staff Gifting Day held last 23 May 2022 at the Art of Gallery, University of Newcastle Australia.
In terms of volunteering activity outside university, she has completed AusLEAP Volunteering program for international students held by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) sponsored by Study NSW, she attended the volunteering workshops and training from February – April 2022, and was placed to help Dundas Area Neighbourhood Centre (DANC) in Telopea NSW to assist with conducting data analysis for their resident’s survey. Recently, Salwa was also invited by Study NSW to share her experience as an international student in the 2022 Regional NSW Education Showcase aired on 6 April 2022.
Salwa has gone above and beyond helping other international students and the wider community. Therefore, due to her tireless efforts and direct impact on communities, in April 2022, Salwa was awarded as the recipient of 2022 Newcastle Volunteer Service Awards in the Education Category. She was also the winner of Volunteer of the Year Award in 2021 Student Experience Award, and she was selected as a highly commended in 2021 Student Employability Achievement Award at the University of Newcastle Australia.
Salwa believes that volunteering has valuable benefits such as giving her hands-on experience, making an immediate impact, and working on real world projects that she does not get in the classrooms. This year’s National Student Volunteer Week theme is Passion. Opportunity. Change: Salwa believes that by having a great passion in volunteering, it does not only provide valuable opportunities and gain transferrable skills that is needed for the future career but also make a change both in her own life and others, so ‘Be the reason someone believes in the goodness of people’.
Share your story
We want you to share your inspirational volunteering story!
We can all agree that the work student volunteers do is incredibly important. Volunteering has so many benefits, including gaining skills important to future employers, while making a positive impact on individuals, communities and the planet. So what’s not to smile about!
We want to hear from you! Tell us about your experience, and we will highlight it during NSVW through our socials and on our website to showcase the rich diversity of people in the student volunteering community as well as the myriad of volunteer opportunities available.
So go on! Be an inspiration to those around you. Jump on your Insta, Twitter or Facebook, share photos, videos, written stories and tag us @AusNSVW using #NSVW22 and #NationalStudentVolunteerWeek
