Help From School
Change The World From Just Your Classroom
Teachers! How about educating your students to change the world, via microvolunteering actions? Better still, how about engaging them in microvolunteering actions during a class lesson without them actually leaving the classroom?
By downloading our FREE Microvolunteering Education Pack opposite, you can do just that. It will contribute to your students’ moral development and encourage them to become responsible active citizens – all important facets of National Curriculum standards (click on the link to discover how microvolunteering can play a part within national education policies).
If you want to be assured that your students will not be exposed to anything inappropriate, then we have compiled a checklist of factors that we use to determine whether an initiative is included on our database or not. Please click on the links over there in the left hand column!
Education Pack Contents
The Education Pack is designed to initially introduce your students to responsible citizenship by asking them to think about traditional volunteering activities and who they most benefit. This is then followed by an explanation of the microvolunteering concept via various activity examples, whilst outlining the pros and cons of this type of volunteering. Methods used include call out sessions, activity note sheets and discussion groups. The Education Pack is accompanied with a video which you can view below.
Activity Card Actions!
The Education Pack allows your students to put into practice what they’ve learnt and uniquely volunteer within the actual class lesson via 22 Activity Cards that each describe a different microvolunteer action. Try doing that with traditional volunteering activities! Test them out below if you wish, before you introduce the topic to your class. Click on the links below for more information and to record your participation. No signup or registration is necessary to participate in any of the actions!
Crosswords 4 Charity
Play multiple choice crossword puzzles that raise money for worthy causes at no cost to you.
Watch a live webcam feed, updated every 6 seconds that helps researchers in their quest to spot Nessie in Loch Ness, Scotland.Make A Sick Child Smile
Write a letter to a sick child to keep them smiling during the course of their illness and hopeful eventual recovery.……………………………………..
Play Games Smarter PCs
Play games that train computers to solve problems for humans all over the world to make it a better place to live in.
Play a word game that feeds the poor at no cost to you, depending on how well you perform.Click To Donate 4 Free
Convert one of your hundreds of mouse clicks into a free charity donation at absolutely no cost to you.……………………………………..
Save Trees, Play a Quiz
Participate in a general knowledge quiz and for every question you get right, a small contribution goes towards planting trees.
So many causes all fighting to right a wrong. You can help by sending out some pre-written emails or letters to key decision makers.Submit a Word Definition
Submit a word definition and for every 2 approved, a lunch will be donated to a hungry child at no cost to you.……………………………………..
Send an Ecard, Give 4 Free
Instead of sending a postcard, send an ecard. They are designed to inspire the recipient into action whilst others raise money for good causes.
Just by listening to some music will enable you to donate money to charity at no cost to you!Hair Colour Research
Do you have a preference for certain types of hair? Psychologists would love to know what they are.……………………………………..
Surf To Donate 4 Free
Just visiting this website generates a donation to a charity in Thailand for free via advertising generated revenue.
The aim of this word quiz is to solve English language or medical terminology words in order to raise donations for vaccines.Small Actions = Big Change
There are many small actions to choose from, which when we collectively group together to perform them, create big changes.……………………………………..
Mind Over Matter Studies
Do you think you can alter things with just the power of your mind? Crazy! Try these live experiments to aid research.
Take action on a vast range of topics by signing petitions set up either by individuals or from organisations.Search 2 Donate 4 Free
Every time you use this type of search engine a small amount of money is donated to your chosen charity, for free.……………………………………..
Peace via Origami
Fold a peace crane, an internationally recognised symbol of peace, and mail it off to key decision makers around the world asking for peace.
Help psychologists with their research studies by participating in some quickie experiments that take a few minutes to complete.Homeless Virtual Vigil
Light a virtual candle in memory of a street kid that died alone and so help spread awareness of homeless children.……………………………………..
.Music Evolution Studies
Help create music through evolution by listening to ‘music’ pieces and rating them on how much you like them.………………………………………………………………………………..
Bits and Bobs!
Participation in microvolunteering also creates impact in the wider world out there. For actions that in of itself would seem as though they are not contributing anything worthwhile, you’d be surprised what they’re actually achieving. We have compiled a widely read report into this subject ‘Microvolunteering: Evidence of Impact’. See if it don’t raise your eyebrows!!
If you want to know what students think about volunteering within school syllabuses, then UK based Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education) produced just such a report, based on a survey they conducted in 2011. You can view it here.
Participating in microvolunteering actions can also contribute to a students’ personal development skills. Don’t believe us? Well click on the button below, where you’ll find simple actions that can contribute to a students’ skill set.
………………………………………………………………………………..
Recognition Awards
We work in tandem with vinspired, the UK’s national volunteer database for 14 – 25 year olds, to promote microvolunteering. Vinspired has devoted a category to microvolunteering actions that was created in part to revolve around the actions featured on Help From Home. The actions contained in the Teacher’s Resource Pack and many, many others are all included within vinspired’s microvolunteering category.
Vinspired provide a tracking system that can record a participants activity in a microvolunteering action that could eventually lead to a nationally recognised award in the UK for the number of volunteering hours completed. Vinspired administer the award scheme and all enquiries about it should be directed to them.
………………………………………………………………………………..
Is Help From School Being Used By Educational Organisations?
Just look at the map below to see who’s on board that we are aware of in a capacity of either promoting Help From School / microvolunteering within an educational environment or who’s expressed an interest in using the Teacher’s Resource Pack.
Feedback
We are grateful for any feedback, constructive or otherwise (but preferably constructive) on any aspect on the Help From School project!
Just use the Contact Us page to let us know your thoughts.
We’re also after your opinions on microvolunteering in an educational environment. We’d be very grateful if you could please complete our short survey:
- 7 multiple choice questions
- 2 minutes max to complete
- Answers are completely anonymous
The Last Word
Help From School is a subsidiary project of the Help From Home initiative. It’s soul aim is to encourage and inspire pupils to volunteer their time for the benefit of others and thus instil a sense of altruism from an early age.