Engaging university students in charity work

Third Sector Podcast

Lucinda and Rory are joined by Wajid Akhter, founder of Charity Week, a student and volunteer-led campaign of Islamic Relief, and Harry Twohig, communities officer at the Brilliant Club, to discuss how charities can tap into students’ inclination to support societal causes.

Wajid outlines the aims of Charity Week, which he established in 2000, and describes how its partner charity, Islamic Relief, provides important support while allowing students and volunteers to assume full leadership of the initiative.

Recent graduate Harry stresses the need for charities to allow students to have genuine ownership of their voluntary work, fostering trust and a sense of belonging.

He explains why he considers Amnesty International and the blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan to be particularly strong examples of effective charity-student engagement.

Also in the episode, Rory explains the ins and outs of charity job shares, the number of which has gone up by 900 per cent since the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Chartered Institute of Fundraising.

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Read the transcript.

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