YOUR TIME IS A GIFT

#brightonhour

Volunteer for us

Ragheb Aga (Sport and Exercise Science BSc(Hons) 2006) was the face of our #brightonhour volunteering video which you can watch at tinyurl.com/uobhour

To say thank you, we reward our volunteers with a silver star!

Did you know that the University of Brighton is an exempt charity? When you volunteer for the University of Brighton we count it as charitable giving. Just one hour of your time can make a massive difference.

WHY VOLUNTEER?Volunteering takes many forms but the common denominator remains the same: you choose to give your time to help advance a cause.

WHAT DO YOU GAIN?Seventy-three per cent* of the UK’s leading businesses said they would employ someone who has volunteered over someone who hasn’t. So that’s a big tick for your CV.

CAN YOU GIVE A #BRIGHTONHOUR?

Volunteering demonstrates your outside interests and evidences your pursuits and passions. It shows character and generosity when someone is prepared to give something back for no material gain.

But is it for nothing? Apart from it telling people that you may be collaborative, capable, cooperative, communicative, knowledgeable, innovative and dependable, it could also make you feel good!

Plus volunteering:• expands your horizons• helps you acquire new

skills• opens doors through

chance encounters• enhances your

employability• boosts your confidence

about what you can offer.

01

WHAT CAN YOU ACHIEVE IN AN HOUR?

MAKE A DIFFERENCEThe University of Brighton has over 150,000 alumni. Imagine what would happen if every Brighton alumnus volunteered an hour of their time. That could amount to:• 150,000 hours• 6,250 days• 892 weeks• 208 months• More than 17 years!

DO SOMETHING WORTHWHILE • Welcome international

students and provide tips on studying in the UK.

• Donate your space or services for an event and showcase your achievements.

• Write a blog about your career journey.

• Feature in one of our campaigns.

• Attend a prospect meeting to learn more about our charitable projects.

• Share your career advice with a current student through our Ask Alumni service.

• Provide a testimonial about the course you studied with us for your former school.

DID YOU KNOW?Many companies support volunteering schemes and some even allow time off for you to attend volunteering sessions.

University was one of the best times of my life, so when I was asked to talk about how much influence it had on the steps that followed, I didn’t hesitate. So many doors were opened for me during my time at Brighton, that’s why I will always return.

Chantelle Wyatt (Social Sciences BA(Hons) 2006) gave a careers talk.

““If sharing my teething problems can be useful for future international students, my helping hand is always there to lift them up.”

Abhishek Mishra (Electrical and Electronic Engineering MEng 2015) is an ambassador for the university in India and wrote a blog advising prospective students about what to expect in Brighton. 01

I am a firm believer in paying it forward. Students are the talent of the future: we need to do everything we can to open their eyes to the opportunities that exist and skills they’ll need to get there.

“Katy Ritchie (Exercise Science BSc(Hons) 2006) is the National Youth Programme Executive at the English Cricket Board. She returned to campus as a keynote speaker at a sports-related widening participation conference.

* Source: Reed Employment

Sophie Giblin (Music and Visual Art BA(Hons) 2013) started up Kollektiv Gallery, a free residency for students and early career creatives to work together, learn how to crowdfund and turn vacant shops into public art spaces.

HAVEN’T GOT AN HOUR? NO PROBLEM ...

I know how hard it is to make a professional career after university. That’s why I set up Kollektiv, so newcomers could stick together, learn and share knowledge about business and practice professionalism doing ambitious projects outside of academic walls.

Inspire students with where you are today. Take an alumni selfie in your current workplace or town and tweet it tagging @brightonalumni #brightonhour.

Become a bite-sized volunteer! Even a few minutes can make a big difference. We appreciate you are busy, so any contributions are highly valued. Check out our bite-sized volunteering suggestions below and email us at alumni@brighton.ac.uk for more information.

We are always looking for great success stories to engage students and your fellow alumni, so share your biggest achievements since leaving.

Network! Update your LinkedIn page to show you graduated from the University of Brighton. Join one of our alumni groups and start a conversation.

Simply give us your consent to stay in touch with you and encourage your peers to do the same!

Tell us what you would like from your alumni association. Help us give you what you want. Is there a specific event or service we could help you with?

Lend an authentic voice to our student recruitment by emailing a few sentences about your experience at the university.

Encourage your friends to reconnect with us. Ask them to update their details or share our facebook.com/universitybrightonalumni page with them.

Follow us on pinterest.com/brightonalumni and suggest a pin. We can promote your books and projects to show the impact of your Brighton education.

02 03

“

IF YOU CAN GIVE MORE THAN AN HOUR ...

Managing Director of the Brighton branch of financial trading company, OSTC, Sam Baker (Business Administration BA(Hons) 2003), returns to the university each year to host the OSTC Trading Challenge. The event provides finance students with a unique opportunity to trade in a virtual environment and hone their professional skills.

“It’s great to come back and work with the university. It’s a fantastic opportunity for students to get a feel for what being a trader is like. It also serves as a great recruitment tool for us at OSTC.

04

Do something extraordinary We can achieve some truly great results when we work with our alumni. We are always keen to hear your ideas for collaborative projects, so get in touch.

Attend an open day and encourage prospective students to choose Brighton.

Share your professional knowledge as part of a career panel.

Develop a student’s employability by offering a placement, internship or graduate job.

Turn someone’s life around by mentoring a student through our Momentum programme.

Use your unique talents to support one of our projects.

Award-winning journalist, TV presenter and transgender campaigner, Paris Lees (English Language and English Literature BA(Hons) 2009) narrated the university’s strategy animation.

Chris Riddell (Graphic Design BA(Hons) 1984), Children’s Laureate 2015–2017, illustrator and author, created the university’s widening participation figurehead, Professor C Gull. The project aims to raise the aspirations for children from non-traditional backgrounds to pursue a path in higher education.

Award-winning journalist, TV presenter and transgender campaigner, Paris Lees (English Language and English Literature BA(Hons) 2009), narrated the university’s strategy animation.

I was delighted to be asked to design a character to“engage school children with the idea

of going to university and Professor C Gull is very dear to my heart.

Pho

to: N

eil D

awso

n fo

r A

ttitu

de

We realise time is precious which is why we value yours so much. Be part of something great: volunteer and give a #brightonhour!

E: alumni@brighton.ac.ukW: tinyurl.com/brightonhour

HANDS UP!