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Students at Æß²ÊÖ±²¥ Leicester (Æß²ÊÖ±²¥) will be able to volunteer in their community while earning credits for their course in a new kind of learning experience.

The university is partnering with local charity LOROS Hospice to offer the Making a Difference from Campus to Community module.

While Æß²ÊÖ±²¥ has worked across the Leicester community to offer students volunteering opportunities before, this is the first time students will be able to earn credits towards their degree course while doing so.

The pilot module will be offered to students on Æß²ÊÖ±²¥’s Business Management Studies course, and will see them spend time supporting hospice charity LOROS.

Sarah Thomson, Principal Partnership Officer at Æß²ÊÖ±²¥, said the new partnership offered a model for helping students make a difference in the community.

She said: “Æß²ÊÖ±²¥ students have always been keen volunteers but making the time to go out there and help when you have so much on academically has always been a challenge.

“So, this module is a way to create volunteering opportunities tailor-made to a particular course and then reward students with credit towards their degrees for getting involved. They benefit, the charity benefits and Leicester benefits.

“I have been so impressed with the staff in our Business and Law faculty in helping set this pilot up and we're very happy to be working with such an important charity in LOROS.”

The intention, if the pilot is successful, is to develop more volunteering modules in different courses, creating bespoke opportunities which enhance the skills and experience students are learning on each course.

The volunteering module marks the beginning of a new two-year partnership with LOROS, which will see Æß²ÊÖ±²¥ become the charity’s official volunteer partner.

Rayhana Brydson, Volunteering Manager at LOROS said: “We are incredibly excited to be working with Æß²ÊÖ±²¥ on this innovative volunteering partnership. LOROS has great connections with local colleges and universities and in recent years we have seen a rise in students wanted to give back to their local communities by volunteering with us.

"We are passionate about creating exciting opportunities for students where they can enrich their academic studies with real experience and be rewarded for their time with credits towards their course - we hope they choose to return once they've completed their modules and the value of volunteering has a lasting impact.

“We’re also delighted that Æß²ÊÖ±²¥ is our official volunteer partner for our Stomp Round Leicester art trail, which will be coming to the city this summer with lots of great opportunities to make a difference.”