The event will raise students’ awareness on the importance and benefits of voluntary work. It will also encourage students to volunteer by opening the door to many opportunities inside and outside the university where their help is greatly needed.
On the 22nd November to 26th November 2019 The English Language Center at the University of Bahrain held its first Volunteering Awareness Week. The event was a student initiative where a group of active volunteering students wanted to spread awareness amongst their peers. It promoted how volunteering is considered a unique opportunity for students during their time at university to make a difference to their local community. The event also shed light upon the importance of volunteering to develop career readiness skills including team work, collaboration, time management and other skills that are gained during volunteering. A number of charities and organizations took part in the event. Bahrain Trust Foundation and Love Life Team (represented by students) had a stand at the main entrance of the ELC where they introduced different aspects of voluntary work in the Kingdom of Bahrain. They also encouraged many ELC students to sign up for a variety of voluntary work in their local communities. Volunteering students walked into classes and motivated their peers to try to make a difference by showing them how enthusiastic voluntary work is. On the25th November a seminar was held by Dr. Fatima Almaliki (Dean of Student Affairs) who talked about the importance of volunteering opportunities at the University of Bahrain. Ma’an program also were present and talked to the students about how important it is to be an active person in the society. The talk also covered the religious (Islamic) aspect of volunteering narrated by Dr. Rashed Alaseri( Assistant Prof.) The session was closed by Juwaireya Alshomali ( Children’s Ambassador) who shared her own personal experience with volunteering and how it impacted her life. The seminar was well attended by approximately 270 students. The ELC had a voluntary tree where students interested in volunteering were considered a green leaf in a growing tree. By the end of the week the bare tree turned into a ripe tree representing the success of the awareness campaign. By the end of the week over 70 students volunteered for activities outside the university and many showed their willingness to volunteer inside the university of Bahrain. A group of students visited Alsalmanyia Hospital where they helped organize an event for children with cancer.
