Royal Holloway’s Social Action projects are all led by students, and give you the opportunity to volunteer as a group on a range of great opportunities. Whether it is teaching English to young refugees or running tea parties for isolated elderly people, we have great opportunities for you.
Getting involved in a Social Action project is great for your wellbeing, giving you a chance to meet with likeminded people in a fun, relaxed and rewarding environment. All of our projects make a huge difference in the local community, and you could be a part of that change to make life better for local people as well as yourself.
What is a Project Leader?
Each of our Social Action projects is led by two-four student project leaders. These are students who receive training in volunteer recruitment and project management, as well as leadership training from our partner Mobile Team Challenge
We usually recruit for Project Leaders in February, with an aim for students to start the role the following September. We do sometimes have Project Leader vacancies throughout the year, and these will be advertised through our weekly emails.
What Social Action Projects Do you have?
We have sixteen Social Action projects for you to get involved in.
Christmas Volunteering
Join us to bring Christmas cheer by gathering donations and running events! Find the project online.
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Community garden
Join us in organising outdoor gardening and nature sessions for local school children, in our very own garden. Find the project online.
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Donate and reuse
Encourage students to donate unwanted food and clothing at the end of the term to help local people in need. Find the project online.
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Elderly Tea Parties
Help to organise monthly tea parties for local elderly isolated people, bringing them together with students for tea, cake and chat! Find the project online.
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ESOL Tutoring
Join the team to teach English to young refugees at a centre for asylum seekers in Uxbridge. Find the project online.
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Food Recycling Scheme
Work with on campus catering services to redistribute leftover food to local people in need. Find the project online.
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Food Bank
Support the local Runnymede Foodbank with collections at local shops, distributing food parcels to local people in need. Find the project online.
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International Kitchen
Head into local schools to teach children about different cultures, through the medium of food! Find the project online.
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Holloway Notes
Join a choir that brings local people with learning disabilities onto campus to sing! Find the project online.
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Love Your Campus
Get involved with litter picking and gardening opportunities, held every week on Royal Holloway campus. Find the project online.
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Love Your Community
Join us for gardening opportunities in the local community, with some litter picking to clear up Egham and Englefield Green. Find the project online.
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Nature Conservation
Head down to Cooper’s Hill with the National Trust to cut down some invasive trees. Find the project online. Kinetic link to be added.
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Silver Surfers
Put those social media skills to good use by running informal workshops for elderly people at local care homes. Find the project online. Kinetic link to be added.
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Sing-Along Surrey
Join our teams as they visit local care homes and sing songs with the residents. Find the project online. Kinetic link to be added.
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Thames 21
Help to conserve the local Thames river with water monitoring, litter collection and riverbank maintenance. Find the project online. Kinetic link to be added.
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STEAM Stars
Go into local struggling schools to run fun workshops focusing on coding, computers and robots! Find the project online. Kinetic link to be added.
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Social Action Frequently Asked Questions
That sounds great! We are always interested to hear new project ideas. Firstly, have a look at our existing Social Action projects and see if volunteers are already doing something like your project. We don’t want multiple projects doing the same thing! If you think you project is unique, have a think about any of our existing community partners you could pair up with, and email us to have a meeting.
Of course! Most of our projects do not run at the same time, so if you would like to attend multiple projects you can. You could also volunteer with one of our community partners, or take part in one-off opportunities, if you feel like you can balance multiple activities. It is important that you do not let volunteering interfere with your academic studies, but our Social Action projects are specifically designed with flexibility in mind, to help them fit around your schedule.
Our Social Action projects run throughout the year, but the busier times are during the Autumn and Spring terms. In the summer term when exams are taking place, most of the projects hold sessions less frequently to ensure that people have the time to revise and study.
Certainly. If you attend a project there is no requirement to continue if you do not enjoy yourself, or if your schedule changes and you can no longer attend. Feel free to try multiple projects out and see which one appeals to you.
Most of our Social Action projects take place in Egham, Englefield Green or on campus. Where opportunities do take place farther afield, transport is usually provided, enabling all projects to be accessible, even if you have a seminar or lecture to get back for!