UTS: SOUL Award Frequently Asked Questions

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1 UTS: SOUL Award Frequently Asked Questions Q. Does it cost to register for the UTS: SOUL Award? A. No, it is a free UTS program! Q. I m a postgraduate student, is this program for me? A. Yes, definitely! The program is open to all students at UTS. Q. What if I get really busy with studying and working? Is there a time frame of when I need to get my points done? If need be, can I leave the program? A. We understand that your studies come first and if you are involved in other programs or with other activities, it s ok if you decide that the UTS: SOUL Award is not a priority. There is no defined time frame - you can dip in and out of the program so that if one semester you can t do any activities, you can pick it up in the following semester. You have your whole degree in which to complete your points. Similarly, if you decide that the program is not for you, then you can leave the program. Q. Can I volunteer on weekends or holidays? A. You can volunteer anytime, as long as it suits your schedule. If you are busy during the week, there are loads of volunteer work opportunities available on weekends. Conversely, if you are really busy during the whole of semester but have spare time in your holidays, then try volunteering for an event or campaign which might require only a few weeks worth of volunteering. To work out what volunteering is best for you is to look at your semester schedule, figure out your time commitment and speak to us or a not- for- profit organisation about roles that might fit your 1

2 commitment. The goal is for you to use your time wisely you don t want to leave an organisation halfway through your commitment because you re feeling overwhelmed. Q. I ve volunteered many times in the past. Can I use those hours as points within the UTS: SOUL Award? A. No. The only volunteering hours you can use for SOUL are the hours you accumulate after you ve join the program. Q. This is my last year at uni. Can I still join the Award? A. Yes, you definitely can! Just bear in mind that 100 points of activity on top of final year study commitments might start to feel like a heavy load, so you ll need to be on top of your time management. Also, if you want the UTS: SOUL Award to be acknowledged on your graduate statement, you ll need to finish off your points and be in touch with us before the end of the Semester you graduate. If you get to the end of your final semester and haven t finished, we may be able to run an intensive in December of January so you can finish off your points. Q. I m only here for 18 months- 2 years. Will I be able to complete the program in that time? A. The program can certainly be completed in less than 3 years as 3 years is only the recommended time frame, not the absolute timeframe. If you are willing and able to do the extra hours complete the program in 1 or 2 years then it is ok for you to speed up your SOUL program. Q. I m currently volunteering at a community organisation, and they always need volunteers. How can I get them involved in the UTS: SOUL Award? A. Ask the volunteering manager at your organisation to contact the SOUL Coordinator at soul.award@uts.edu.au 2

3 Q. I ve completed over 90 hours of volunteering already but I am really enjoying it. Do I have to stop? A. Absolutely not! The Award requirements are just a minimum. It is amazing that you are keen to continue, keep it up! Q. Does my volunteering have to be related to me degree, or can I volunteer for whatever looks the most fun? A. It is totally up to you! Some students in their final year look for internships or positions that are related to their degree but also count as volunteering as they are for a community organisation or cause. If you d prefer to follow the fun, that it your call, or you can do a mixture of both. If you are looking for something in particular, you can always contact us and we will help match make you! Q. I ve signed up at an organisation but they ve asked if I have my own insurance. Do I? A. While you are at UTS or with a UTS group, you are covered by UTS insurance. If you are volunteering independently with an organisation, it is their legal responsibility to have insurance that covers volunteers. You are within your rights to ask this. Under the new Workplace Health and Safety legislation, all organisations that employ staff (most orgs you will be volunteering for) are required to protect volunteers and workers alike. That means that if you have an injury or something happens, you will be protected by the policies of that organisation. Q. I know the four workshops in the Skill Up stream are compulsory, but what if I m busy or sick when they are scheduled? A. The four workshops will be offered multiple times each year, at least once during each Semester and as an intensive during the Semester break. If none of these times work out then get in touch and we will see about organising a special session. 3

4 Q. How do I record the activities that I am doing? A. You can record your activity on the UTS: SOUL Award website. For each separate activity you complete, you need to log in and record the details of your experience. You will be sent an with the info you have submitted so you can keep a record too. We will update our records, and you back with an update of how many points you have collected. You need to remember to take a photo of your experience to share with us. If it is a good photo, we might ask you if we can use it in our promo materials, with a credit to you as photographer. Q. I signed up in 2012 to the first version of the program called SoUL. What happens to all the work I did in 2012? A. Don t worry! Just because we reshuffled the program, doesn t mean you have to start again! All the activity you have completed is still valid. Depending on your progress through the award, and how many of the old core points you had collected, you may have to come along to some of the Skill Up compulsory workshops. If in doubt, send us an to soul.award@uts.edu.au or call to have a chat about this! Q. What do I get at the end of the Award? A. Once we determine that you have completed your hours, you will be eligible to receive the Award at an Awards ceremony. Your participation will also be marked on your graduate statement that you will receive upon graduation. You may also apply for a written reference. Q. What is the Shopfront? A. The Shopfront is a UTS community program that acts as a gateway for community access to UTS, supporting community organisations and students to collaborate on disciplinary- specific projects. Students can complete Shopfront community projects in their final year or in postgraduate studies. 4

5 If you are in your final year and want to do a Shopfront project, you can get credit for the hours you work on it toward your SOUL Get Active points. Every semester the available projects are listed here. Q. The fortnightly SOUL newsletter is awesome, but I want more! Where do I look for other volunteering opportunities? A. The best place to start with is the Centre for Volunteering. They manage the Volunteer Referral Service, where you can call up and register to be matched to a volunteering gig. If you do use this service, they recommend you attend an info session called Bridge to Volunteering that is held every Friday from at their office in the Rocks. If you have done the Skill Up SOUL training, mention this to the over the phone because we cover the same content and you don t really need to do both. More info about the centre here. There are a few databases that might be of interest to shop around for a gig: - - Go Volunteer: FIDO Skilled Volunteering: Q. The place I m volunteering has asked for my working with children check. What is this and how does it work? A. If you will be engaging with children, you will be asked to declare that you have not been convicted or found guilty of a listed serious offence against children. Organisations will ask you to fill in a volunteer declaration form, which they will hold onto. If they don t provide it to you, you can fill it in and print it off here. 5