Hundreds of students are heading out across Leicester on Friday for a day of volunteering, supporting community events and take part in a mass public opinion survey in what is the university’s biggest-ever one-day volunteering event.
Called A Day for Leicester, Friday (March 1) will see students from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU)’s Faculty of Business and Law work on 41 different projects in community centres, neighbourhood centres and libraries across the city.
Activities will include helping out at a lunch club in Belgrave, removing the thousands of stickers blighting the city centre, meeting councillors, supporting neighbourhood surveys and clearing rubbish from community spaces. They will also be meeting community leaders and residents and looking for further volunteering opportunities.
The event is being jointly organised with Leicester City Council’s Neighbourhood Services Team which has worked with residents to decide which projects should be worked on during the day.
Bus company Arriva has also stepped in to offer students free travel across Leicester for the day to those taking part in the event.
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Angie Worwood, Senior Lecturer in Enterprise said: “We realise the impact students have upon Leicester, not just economically but also environmentally. Many students will make Leicester their homes upon graduation and incorporating community interaction into their modules allows for a greater understanding of what students have to offer.”
“Students will learn valuable skills surrounding communication and team building, whilst gaining experience through voluntary work, and allowing them an experience to discus with prospective employees that they are empathetic and caring.
“The students are very much looking forward to participating in the event and subsequently reflecting upon it as part of their course work.
“Students who are from Leicester and those who have come here to study are really proud of the city and this event will allow us to put words into action and make a difference to city communities.
“It will also allow us to meet residents and staff who work around the city and get ideas for future projects that we can support.”
The event will begin at DMU campus on Friday (1 March) at 10am with students then heading off on buses or on foot to each of the locations throughout Leicester.
Before they set off, assistant city mayor for neighbourhood services Cllr Kirk Master will join the students on campus to thank them on behalf of the city council.
“We’re very grateful to the hundreds of DMU volunteers who are giving up their time to make a difference in their community,” he said.
“By helping to tidy up public spaces across the city, engaging with community groups and supporting our work with neighbourhood surveys, they are showing how much they value being part of our city.
“We appreciate their efforts very much – and hope that DMU’s ‘Day for Leicester’ will be a very successful one for everyone involved.”
Arriva’s PR and Stakeholder Manager Eve Ginever said: “We’re incredibly proud of the role we play in connecting communities across Leicester, so it is a honour to be able to pledge our support to such a fantastic initiative which we believe will really benefit the people living within those very same communities.”
Posted on Thursday 28 February 2019