This weekend, Oxford Brookes University plays host to Impact 2012, the national conference on student volunteering and social action supported by Student Hubs.

Aimed at anyone involved in the sector, including volunteers, the conference will provide an opportunity to discuss the future of student voluntary action. This is a perfect time to be discussing student action, as it is Student Volunteering Week on from 20th – 26th February.

I had the opportunity to talk to Anjelica Season Finnegan, Chair of the Impact Committee who has worked with Student Hubs to organise the content of the conference, about what to expect this weekend and why space to discuss student volunteering was important.

Learning from peers

The conference will give attendees the chance to learn more about starting a student-led project, measuring impact, social enterprise, student campaigning, incentives and legal issues, as well as providing the time for debate and discussion, networking and picking up new skills.

Commenting on what she was looking forward to most, Anjelica reflected on what she found very useful at the 2011 conference – learning from peers. One of the great things about Impact 2012 is that it brings together students from across the UK with different experiences of volunteering, and this enables participants to really learn from what is happening elsewhere.

One of the really exciting elements of the conference is the £150 project drop, which Anjelica considered to be one of the best parts of last year’s conference. On the Saturday evening, a ‘Dragons Den’ style panel of judges will be convened and a number of hopeful contenders will pitch their innovative ideas to try and win the £150 jackpot.

Sharing good practice

At Impact 2012, proposals for an Impact Network made up of students will be presented, and includes ideas around sharing good practice, training and regional events, commissioning of research and responding to external research and policy and lobbying for more positive media coverage of student volunteers.

Anjelica was clear about why the Impact Network was really important at this time in student volunteering. Without one single organisation focussed solely on student volunteering, there is a gap in support for students, and no one there to advocate on their behalf. With around 63% of higher education students involved in some sort of formal volunteering, this is a huge community of volunteers that should be appropriately supported, based on their unique needs.

I am really excited about attending Impact 2012 this weekend and finding out more about what lies ahead in student volunteering.

Find out more about the conference on the Impact 2012 website.