Volunteering

At Alleyn’s, we strongly believe that one of the questions we should ask ourselves is ‘What am I doing for others?’ 

Our school is comprised of proactive, socially conscious students and staff, all of whom are eager to make positive contributions to our surrounding community. A huge team, therefore, opt to engage in volunteering activities on a weekly basis. Volunteers undergo a period of training at the start of their placements, and are offered the choice of three volunteering strands: education, elderly and charity. 

Volunteering in Education 

After undergoing safeguarding and leadership training, our education team are currently working with several local primary schools including Bessemer Grange, Dulwich Hamlet and Harris Primary East Dulwich. They assist with a variety of activities, including leading after school programmes (football, cookery, pottery, drama, art and reading to name a few), acting as class-room assistants and helping pupils with homework. 

Volunteering with the Elderly 

Never has there been a more important time to reach out to and provide company for the elderly, after such a prolonged period of isolation. Our amazing team of ‘working with the elderly’ volunteers carried out essential training on topics such as: life in a care-home, covid-safety, communicating with those with alzheimers and promoting dignity, and have now been deployed on their projects. We are currently sending a small team to ‘The Elms’ care home each week, where they perform music, poetry and readings, and chat to the residents. Another team work virtually, connecting with care home residents via ‘Zoom’ in association with the charity: Kissing it Better. 

Volunteering with Charities 

This term, our charity term are working with the incredible Bike Project, a local charity who provide bikes to refugees and asylum seekers. Our volunteers get hands-on experience of what it is like to work for a charity – visiting the office once weekly and assisting with tasks such as telephoning bike recipients, event planning and administration. The team will be organising several bike collections throughout the year to donate to the charity 

Each strand places different physical and emotional demands on our students, who respond with exceptional maturity. By voluntarily giving their time, despite already busy schedules, our students learn the immense value of altruism, commitment and community. They also gain invaluable skills which they can transfer to their studies and pursuits at Alleyn’s and beyond.