May 28, 2024, by Habbi Liton
Club in Focus: UoN Dodgeball
UoN Sport is dedicated to making a positive impact in Nottingham’s local community through numerous volunteering opportunities. Our goal is to support children from local schools by educating them on health and wellbeing and helping them develop various skills through sports. This work would not be possible without the amazing student volunteers who dedicate their time to make a difference and share their passion for their sport.
Club in Focus is here to celebrate the exceptional commitment and engagement of a sports club and its volunteers, with Dodgeball showcasing amazing commitment over the term. We spoke to several volunteers from the club to learn why they, and the club got involved in volunteering, what they have gained from the experience, and why they would recommend volunteering to other clubs and students. Dodgeball is actively involved in various programmes, including Sport in Schools, the Secondary School Discovery programme and the Inclusive Sport programme. These initiatives allow volunteers to coach people from different age groups and backgrounds in different settings. They also participate in Just Play and EMPOWER, offering regular sessions open to all students and exclusive sessions for female and non-binary students.
“From the club’s perspective, we have been involved with volunteering for a number of years – it is a substantial component of what we do as a club. We are keen to engage both, the wider student community and the local community. We are passionate about making volunteering opportunities as easy to access as possible to our members to allow them to enhance skills outside of competitive dodgeball. Volunteering is a great way of bringing people together and getting them more involved with the club. Our volunteers have become an integral part of the club with many of them having since put themselves forward for committee positions.
Volunteering has always been a great way of helping people and taking to their needs, and it gives me great joy to be able to provide as assistance. I’ve got a joy out of volunteering – it gives me even more passion and love for the sport! I would recommend volunteering to clubs and other students as it is a great way of putting your name out there and making your sport known to the younger generation.”
Tanay Sheth: UoN Dodgeball President (2024-2025)
“I got involved in volunteering mainly to add it to my CV, but I have gotten so much out of it that I didn’t expect. A few of the things I have gained through volunteering is public speaking, time management and a greater understanding of the sport. It also gave me the leadership skills and confident which led me to running for vice president of the club. Personal skills are not the only reason why I would recommend volunteering to other clubs – it can allow your members to give back to the community and inspire young people to get involved in sports and high education, which is something different to day-to-day training and competitions.”
Kamil Szykula: UoN Dodgeball Vice President (2023-2024)
“Volunteering has been a highlight of my university career! I have gained a lot of confidence in leading a group of people and in teaching a sport to children from a range of backgrounds and ages – it is very rewarding to see the children’s skills develop across the sessions. Initially, I got involved as I was keen to add to my CV and get the most out of all the opportunities available to me through the club, but it has since come to mean so much more to me! I would not hesitate to recommend getting involved in volunteering – it is a great opportunity to make students more than just their degrees.”
Ben Baker: UoN Dodgeball Welfare, EDI officer & Club Outreach Lead (2022-24)
“I got involved in volunteering as I saw it as an opportunity to make a positive impact on the local community, whilst also being able to help spread awareness of the sport. Dodgeball has provided me with a newfound passion, so by getting involved with volunteering I could hopefully pass that feeling onto someone else. I have gained a sense of inclusion and togetherness within the community and my fellow volunteers! I would recommend volunteering; I find it to be a good way to add to your overall university experience. It provides a positive outlet alongside your studies, whilst also enhancing your skills which are beneficial for the workplace.”
Hasan Majid: UoN Dodgeball Welfare, EDI officer & Club Outreach Lead (2024-2025)
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