Volunteering Week is an important occasion for the Cambridge School of Bucharest. This is an opportunity to celebrate every member of the community who takes time out of their busy schedule to work with external charities, volunteer in school events, and do their part in giving back. 

CSB cares about the wider community and ensures each student has the opportunity be a part of charitable and in-school activities. This allows students to develop valuable interpersonal skills and experiences which they will take with them throughout their life, developing them into responsible, compassionate, and engaged citizens. 

Andrada and Yuser in Year 13 are the CSB Volunteering Coordinators for the school. Both students play an important role in organising activities and recruiting volunteers to help with various projects across the school. 

“As the volunteer coordinator along with Yuser, we help organise internal school events such as the Winter Bazaar and Santa Run. Our main focus is selecting the right volunteers. We also advised students as to how to keep track of their volunteer record, as it helps them for university applications and on their CVs when applying for jobs in the future. Volunteering is an important activity as it offers you the opportunity to experience new things while willingly dedicating your own time to help others,” Andrada, Year 13.

Mayra in Year 13 created and runs the Charity and Events Committee in CSB. Her role is to organise events and donations with CSB’s partnered charities and ensures Sixth Form students are engaged in volunteering. This year, the school setup an October Harvest Drive, with donations being sent to Casa Ioana, a local NGO that works with women and children who are victims of domestic violence.

CSB received a staggering number of donations from its community, which our Sixth Form students delivered. Mayra additionally organised a group of Sixth Form students to deliver Christmas presents given by Year 12 students to Casa Ioana’s housing complex.

“From past events I have noticed that every time a charitable opportunity appeared, everyone joined together in a way I have never seen before at school, and so, I do hope that in the future we will have more and more opportunities to create this sense of community and share our interest and wish to help those who are less fortunate,” Mayra, Year 13.

A large group of Sixth Form students also took part in the Casa Ioana Soup Kitchen at Gara de Nord in December by helping setup tables and chairs, handing out items, and packing up at the end of the event. This was an invaluable experience for many CSB students.

Diana in Year 13 has spent the last year volunteering for Niciodata Singur, a charity that combats loneliness within the local community. She is currently working on a cookbook with members of the Niciodata Singur community.

“Volunteering at Niciodata Singur developed my communication skills and was an overall extraordinary experience simply because of the stories I got to hear,” Diana, Year 13.

Students interested in chess went to play friendly games of chess with the elderly community at Niciodata Singur. This was an opportunity to give back, socialise, and also learn valuable skills from others at Niciodata Singur.

Throughout the academic year, there are many opportunities to volunteer in school events. Most recently, CSB held its second edition of the Santa Run, where students helped hand out hot drinks to families cheering on their children and medals to those who had won. The first ever Winter Bazaar event had many of CSB’s students volunteering on the stalls, helping sell items their peers had made. On 23 March, CSB will be holding a TEDx conference with the theme “Risk Taking, determination, flexibility and perseverance.” Many of CSB’s Student Union will be volunteering during the event.   

“I believe it is crucial to take part in activities and events that do not directly engage in academic performance. Being able to represent CSB during multiple events had shown me how powerful the CSB community is and how significant the feeling of belonging is for me.” – Diem, Year 11

To find out more about the importance of how students engage in volunteering, visit CSB’s website.

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