UCD in the Community Volunteering Awards Ceremony 2024
The 2023/24 UCD in the Community Volunteering Awards ceremony took place in the UCD Global Lounge on Wednesday 13 November 2024. 90 students were awarded certificates for their contribution of volunteering bringing positive social change to people, place and in particular UCD.
Volunteering activities honoured included UCD based activities, like the UCD Saint Vincent De Paul Society, UCD Festival, UCD Peer Mentors, UCD Medical Society, UCDSU, UCD Triathlon Club, UCD Badminton Club, UCD Caving and Potholing Club, UCD Chinese Society, The College Tribune, UCD Formula Student, UCD Karate Club, UCD Karate Club, UCD Volunteer Overseas, UCD LGBTQ+ society, UCD Hope Fest, UCD Alumni Volunteering, UCD Musical Society, UCD Relay for Life, University Observer to name just a few.
Outside of UCD, students contributed to community organisations including, Aphasia Ireland, Aware, Barretstown, 50808 - Text About It, Bodywhys, Donnybrook Scouts, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Volunteer Centre, Foodcloud, Irish Hospice Foundation, Kinia, Niteline, Order of Malta and Oxfam Ireland.
The Awards were officially launched by Professor Jason Last, UCD Dean of Students. Professor Last congratulated and thanked all of the volunteers for their contributions and spoke about the impact of volunteering to society and how student volunteers deliver an average annual economic value of €28.4 million to civic society.
Guest speaker UCD Alumna Janice Lau spoke about her experience volunteering with various societies during her time as a UCD student. Janice continues to volunteer now she is in full time employment and spoke about how her volunteering provided people in need with hope, and “what seemed impossible at one point is possible with the help of one person, one coach, one dentist, or one organisation”. Janice advised the students to” find your passion, explore your interests, go out and continue to volunteer your time”.
Balika Kannan (Msc. Human Computer Interaction, Postgrad) Bronze Awardee, Kundanika Khanna (Undergraduate Medicine, Year 2), Silver Awardee and Esra Benfayed (Medicine, Year 2) and Soffiyah Adewoyin (Radiography, Year 2) Gold Awardees, spoke about their personal volunteering experiences, before certificates were presented to all the awardees in each category.
