Erin Pemberton, Jake Gutteridge and Charlotte Ranger
Congratulations to Brookes students Erin Pemberton, Charlotte Ranger and Jake Gutteridge, who were among the winners at this year’s Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action (OCVA) awards.
Second-year Criminology student Erin was named Oxford Brookes Student Volunteer of the Year, with graduating Education Studies student Charlotte being highly commended. Jake, who will soon graduate in Digital Media Production, was highly commended in the overall Young Volunteer of the Year category.
Oxford Brookes Volunteer Centre hosted this year’s OCVA awards ceremony at Headington Hill Hall. The Lord Mayor of Oxford was among the guests of honour who presented awards to local volunteers.
We spoke to our winning students about their roles in the community and why they would recommend volunteering to all students. You can email the Brookes volunteering team at volunteering@brookes.ac.uk if you’d like to get involved or find out more about student volunteering opportunities.
Erin Pemberton (Children Heard and Seen)
“I volunteer with a charity called Children Heard and Seen, which supports children and young people who are affected by parental imprisonment. It came about through a placement module on my course - but I enjoyed it so much and found it so rewarding that I decided to carry on and will keep volunteering until they don’t want me anymore! Currently I’m mentoring a 13-year-old girl whose dad has been in and out of prison her whole life. We chat and do fun activities in a way that gets her talking about things, but without being too direct or personal. I’ve definitely learned a lot about communication through this role. I’d advise other Brookes students to volunteer if they get the opportunity - this is a time in your life when you have a great chance to do it, and it’s a really good way to gain experience and maybe even get a foot in the door somewhere.”
Charlotte Ranger (Jacari)
“I wanted to gain some voluntary experience working with children, as my plan was to go on to teacher training after my course. Throughout my course I’ve volunteered with Jacari, which provides English language support for children and young people from refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant communities. I have tutored two pupils on a one-to-one basis, as well as supporting Jacari on extracurricular trips and in running stalls at volunteer fairs. Volunteering has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve done while studying at Brookes. I feel I’ve benefited from tutoring just as much as the children, and have developed skills and knowledge that will help me in my future career. To students who are considering volunteering, I’d say go for it. It can be hard to juggle your time, but it can be done! Not only will it look great on your CV, but you may develop a new interest or passion. It’s also an easy way to make connections and meet new people.”
Jake Gutteridge (Oxtalk)
“One of my lecturers told me about the opportunity to volunteer with Oxtalk, which provides spoken local news to people in the Oxford area who are visually impaired. It helps them to keep up with what’s happening in their area if they can’t access local newspapers. As well as doing audio production for Oxtalk, I’ve also created promotional materials to help spread the word about the service to wider audiences because a lot of visually impaired people might not know it exists. Volunteering has allowed me to improve my audio production skills but more importantly to make a positive contribution to society. Even a small volunteering task can have a ripple effect and make a really big impact. It’s difficult to describe the feeling you get from knowing that you’re helping people.”
