External recognition

If you find your own volunteering opportunity, you can apply to receive UOWx recognition.

In order to qualify to have your experience listed on your UOWx Record, follow this easy 3 step process:

1. Complete a minimum of 20+ hours of volunteering within a calendar year with your chosen organisation
2. Provide your supervisor at the community organisation with this Verification Letter, so they can verify your involvement and show the learning and training you received.
   1. Provide this External volunteering organisation flyer (PDF) to the organisation you are volunteering with, to let them know why you are asking them to complete the verification letter.
3. Complete the External Recognition Claim Form. In the claim form, you must find which learning streams your volunteering addresses, explain how this occurred and the skills you developed by taking part in this volunteering opportunity.
   1. To help you in completing your claim form, we have prepared an Example external volunteering claim form (PDF)

Minimum requirements for UOWx recognition of external volunteering

To receive UOWx recognition for external volunteering activities you find yourself, you must complete the following:

• An "engaged" student will need to be complete 20 hours over a calendar year
• A "highly engaged" student will need to complete 40 hours over a calendar year

Please note that time spent training for the role can be included in your hours completed for the role, but only if the training occurred in the same calendar year as the rest of the hours you are claiming.

If approved, the external organisation will be de-identified on your UOWx Record and listed as one of the below sub-categories* which you will select in the claim form:

• Aboriginal communities
• Aged care
• Animal welfare
• Arts, culture & heritage
• Children & young people
• Community & welfare
• Corporate
• Disabilities
• Education
• Environment & conservation
• Health
• Multicultural
• Parents & carers
• Police emergency services
• Special events
• Sports & recreation
• Women's services

* These categories have been identified by the NSW Government Family and Community Services

You can receive formal recognition of your learning by adding your active participation in a workshop, conference or seminar to your UOWx record. To be eligible for recognition, each seminar must:

• cover at least 2 hours of content;
• offer an introduction/briefing that supplies the background knowledge/context; and
• address a minimum of one Learning Stream

You also have the choice of completing an online seminar. The online seminar must meet the same eligibility requirements as the face-to-face seminars. Providers such as LinkedIn Learning (free to UOW students), EdX, Coursera and Future Learn offer a fantastic range of courses that can develop your leadership, academic or employability skills.

How to claim:

In order to have your active participation recognised, you will need to Complete the workshop, conference & seminar recognition form.

You are required to explain how the seminar developed your skills and provide verification of your attendance/completion. This could include a registration invoice/participation certificate or verification letter from the seminar provider.

Please note - workshops, conferences or seminars run by an external organisation will be de-identified on your UOWx record. These workshops will be allocated to one of the following sub categories: academic, employability, industry, leadership or special interest and this sub category will appear on your UOWx record.

UOWx has developed a partnership with a number of local community organisations to provide UOWx recognition for specific volunteering roles within their organisation. Click on the links below to find out more about the roles on offer.

• Cancer Council Program and Events Support Volunteer
• Girl Guides Volunteer
• Greyhound Rescue Volunteer
• Healthy Cities Illawarra Health Promotion Assistant
• Healthy Cities Illawarra Marketing and Communications Assistant
• Illawarra Retirement Trust Volunteer
• Multicultural Communities Council of Illawarra Volunteer
• Primary Ethics Teacher
• Surf Life Saving Volunteer (Patrol Volunteer & Nippers Age Manager)
• The Smith Family - Learning Club Tutor
• Youth Frontiers Volunteer Mentor

If you undertake one of the above volunteering roles with our Community Partners, simply email the UOWx team to let them know you have signed up.

In the email, please include:

• Your name
• Your student number
• The organisation you are volunteering with
• The role you have signed up for

The UOWx team will then enroll you in the appropriate UOWx Portal activity so you can start logging your hours.

You must keep a logbook of your hours and have this signed off by your supervisor throughout your time volunteering. This logbook will need to be uploaded to the UOWx Portal and approved by the UOWx team. The logbook template can be downloaded from the UOWx Portal site.

Your volunteering experience will be added on your UOWx Record once you have met the minimum required hours in a calendar year.