Category: Bristol Volunteers

Alumni Interview: Rebecca Hellen (BA 1994), Specialist Advisor for Paintings Conservation at the National Trust

Posted on by Grace

As final-year Bristol students prepare to mark the end of their time at the University through online ‘Summer Celebration’ events, we caught up with Bristol alumna Rebecca Hellen (BA 1994), to reflect on her own time at the University. A graduate of the Faculty of Arts, Rebecca worked as Senior Paintings Conservator at Tate for 18 years, and has recently taken up a new role as Specialist Advisor and Paintings Conservator at the National Trust. She shares her career story and lends some tips for how to stay creative in lockdown.

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Alumni entrepreneurs share their career insights with students

Posted on by clare.young

On Tuesday 16 June, over 150 students and graduates joined us for the first Bristol Connects Live – our series of online career and professional development events. With a focus on entrepreneurship, our alumni experts shared their career stories and experience to inspire students and recent graduates to help them understand more about starting up their own businesses, opportunities and pitfalls, and the different routes to entrepreneurship.

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Become a Bristol Volunteer: Current Opportunities

Posted on by sophie.davison

At the Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO) we work with departments across the University to match alumni volunteers with relevant and rewarding opportunities. There are so many different ways to get involved as a Bristol Volunteer and all of them make a huge difference to our community. Whether you give your time or expertise, you will be helping to enrich the lives of students and graduates alike.

Current volunteering opportunities are listed below.

Could you share your career insight with our students?

Bristol Connects Live
We are looking for speakers to share their expertise at Bristol Connects Live, our new online series of career development events. If you would like to share your insights on your industry or ways of working, then we would love to welcome you as a panellist, subject expert or event host.

Panellist and event hosts will speak live, whilst subject experts will provide insight through the event text chat. If you are interested in getting involved or would like to find out more information, please contact the Bristol Volunteers team at alumni-volunteers@bristol.ac.uk.

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Thank you to our 1,500 Bristol Volunteers

Posted on by clare.young

Each year, the first week in June is dedicated to celebrating the impact of volunteers in the UK and thanking the millions of people who give their time to help others. We at the University of Bristol have been celebrating our 1,500 strong network of alumni volunteers, and the profound impact they have on the Bristol community.

Bristol Volunteers give time to the University of Bristol by organising events and activities to connect alumni, supporting students through mentoring and sharing career insight; helping the University with invaluable advice; or providing potential students with guidance on making the right study choices for them.

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Provide careers support for your alumni community

Posted on by clare.young

Graduate employers may reduce their intake of graduates this year. The advice, insight and connections that Bristol alumni can offer newer members of the alumni community are more valuable now than ever. For students and recent graduates exploring their options, the chance to hear from someone further along in their career journey can be critical in making informed decisions about the next step.

Join the Bristol Mentors programme
Bristol Mentors provide crucial guidance and support with career preparation to students who are likely to particularly benefit from your skills and expertise. Mentors are empathetic and good listeners, often have experience of working with young people, and understand the barriers to education and professional success that many students face.

We match mentors with students, and pairs then spend one or two hours per month together (online or, when it is safe to do so, in person) through the academic year. You will be fully supported by the University in your role. Read this story about the impact of mentoring, and read the programme’s details and apply.

Become a Career Expert
Whether you work in the public or private sector, a multi-national company or for yourself, your career path could provide inspiration to others. It’s easy to become a Career Expert through Bristol Connects. If you choose to volunteer in this way, your profile, including your career history and your industry insight, will be available for students and alumni to view. You can choose to be available for students and alumni to connect with on a one-to-one basis, providing help on specialist topics and offering opportunities of your choice. Become a Career Expert today.

Speak at Bristol Connects: live
We are looking for speakers to share their expertise at Bristol Connects: live, our forthcoming online series of career development and networking sessions. If you are experienced in speaking publicly and are willing to share your insights on your industry or ways of working, then we would love to welcome you as a panellist, subject expert or event host.

Panellists and event hosts will speak live, whilst subject experts will provide insight through the event text chat. If you are interested in volunteering for these events or would like to find out more, please contact the Bristol Volunteers team at alumni-volunteers@bristol.ac.uk.

We are very grateful for the outstanding contribution of our alumni volunteers across the world: your advice, experience and support have an enormous impact on our students, the alumni community and the University – thank you.

Alumni share their government and third sector career insights with students

Posted on by clare.young

A big thank you to our Bristol Volunteers for giving their time and expertise to our final year students and recent graduates, at our London Careers Insight event in early March.

Alumni working in government and the third sector shared their career stories and experiences to inspire students and help them understand more about the sector. From what it’s like to work at the Department for International Development to starting out as an entrepreneur, the alumni panel were on hand to discuss a wide variety of career paths.

The panel members explained how different jobs in different industries can help you get on the career ladder, and that it is fine to compromise a little at the start of your degree to get to where you want to be.

Panellist India Fallon (BA 2014), who now works as a Programme Officer at Youth Business International, highlighted the importance of continuing to develop skills after graduation. For India, undertaking internships and taking part in volunteering programmes helped her to build on skills learnt through her degree and secure her current role.

Sitting alongside her on the panel, was Ella Hopkins (BA 2015), who now works as a Gender Project Officer at Bretton Woods Project. Speaking about the event she said: “It was a real privilege to speak at this event and to hear about all of the other speakers’ career journeys. It was also great to speak to all the other graduates and hear about their plans and ideas” (Ella Hopkins, BA 2015).

All alumni who helped out at the event are volunteers on our Bristol Volunteers programme. Due to the current climate we will not be running any careers networking events for the foreseeable future, however if you would like to share your experience and expertise you can sign-up as a Career Expert on our online platform exclusive for alumni – Bristol Connects.

Become a Bristol Volunteer: Current Opportunities

Posted on by clare.young

At the Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO) we work with departments across the University to match alumni volunteers with relevant and rewarding opportunities. There are so many different ways to get involved as a Bristol Volunteer and all of them make a huge difference to our community. Whether you give your time or expertise, you’ll be helping to enrich the lives of students and graduates alike.

We’ve rounded up some of our volunteering opportunities below so that you can find the programme that suits you.

Bristol Connects: Share your Bristol experience as a Career Expert

Bristol Connects is an exclusive, online space for alumni, which enables you to connect digitally with your alumni community. The Bristol Connects community is growing all the time, especially now as communicating and connecting online are becoming so important in our daily lives.

We are looking for alumni to sign-up as Career Experts and lend their experience and knowledge to our current students. Share your career insights and advice to support students in their studies and careers.

Simply:

  1. Register for Bristol Connects
  2. Update your details – download our guide to getting started on Bristol Connects 
  3. Activate your Career Expert profile so that students can access your details and contact you for advice

If you would like to find out more information about becoming a Career Expert, please contact the Volunteers team at alumni-volunteers@bristol.ac.uk.

Bristol Mentors applications are open

We are now accepting applications for Bristol Mentors 2020/21. Becoming a mentor is a great opportunity to share your valuable career insight and help students from underrepresented backgrounds reach their goals. Our alumni mentors support students for a couple of hours per month from October to June.

To apply, please complete the Bristol Mentors application form. For more information about the Bristol Mentors programme, please get in touch with the Bristol Volunteers team at alumni-volunteers@bristol.ac.uk.

Connect with alumni groups and networks 

Working in partnership with the University, we have alumni networks, professional groups, Halls Associations, sports groups and groups in many places around the world. These groups help members to gain new social and professional contacts, benefit from advice and expertise and gain access to exclusive activities.

To find out how you can connect with our groups, or for more information about starting a network, please contact the Bristol Volunteers team at alumni-volunteers@bristol.ac.uk.

Join the Midlands Branch

The Midlands Branch is looking for alumni based in the area to join as members.

The branch enables Midlands based alumni to connect with one another, meet locally and keep in touch with the alumni community and the University. The branch organises events and activities throughout the year to keep its alumni community connected.

If you would like to find out more about becoming a member, please contact Tim Drakeford at timdrakeford@btinternet.com.

To keep up to date with our latest volunteering opportunities sign-up to Bristol Volunteers digest, or explore our ongoing volunteering opportunities online.

Bristol Voices launched to support students through COVID-19

Posted on by Clare

The first wave of Bristol alumni and staff have already volunteered to support remotely – via phone or messaging services – current students affected by social distancing as a result of COVID-19, through our just-launched Bristol Voices programme.

The University is home to many students and this is a particularly difficult time for them. Whilst the University has comprehensive support available, a lack of regular contact with friends, colleagues and classmates can quickly lead to feelings of isolation and anxiety.

Bristol Voices is our response to supporting students during this uncertain time. Through Bristol Voices, we are connecting students remaining in Bristol with a dedicated member of the Bristol community for enhanced, one-on-one interaction to support their social wellbeing. Bristol Voices is a collaboration between the Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO) and the Student Services team and is part of the University’s wider response to the COVID-19 crisis.

The University of Bristol already has a dedicated support system in place with free services for all students. Bristol Voices is an additional programme established with our alumni community in mind, to offer extra, informal social support for our students during COVID-19.

Our volunteers have a wide range of experience and backgrounds, and knowledge of student life at Bristol. We have alumni signed up to volunteer who studied an array of subjects and work in many different fields, including teachers, managers and researchers. But what they all have in common is a willingness to help and lend an ear to these students who may currently be struggling with social isolation.

We are very appreciative of the alumni who have put themselves forward during these difficult circumstances, and we welcome them joining the hundreds of volunteers we currently work with across a wide range of programmes.

Read more about alumni volunteering opportunities.

Geography alumni get together to mark their Ruby graduation anniversary

Posted on by clare.young

Nick Roberts (BSc 1979)

Nearly 40 Geography alumni got together in Bristol last summer to mark the Ruby anniversary of their graduation in 1979. They travelled from very near (Bristol), very far (e.g. Canada, South Africa and New Zealand) and from many places in between for an afternoon get-together full of memorabilia, memories and 40 years of catching up.

The School of Geographical Sciences very kindly hosted the event, allowing everyone the chance to be photographed in the very lecture theatre that they knew and loved from 1976 to 1979. Many partners attended too, and Tony Payne, David Richards and Ed Thomas from today’s teaching staff very kindly gave up their Saturday afternoon to join in the nostalgia, arrange tours and update everyone on Geography at Bristol today. Various other events are now planned for the Class of ‘79, from a walking weekend this summer to possible further Sapphire and Gold anniversary reunions in 2024 and 2029. For further information please email 232nickroberts@gmail.com.

Photographs accredited to Duncan Unsworth.