World Humanitarian Day: How Students Can Support Their New Community

Starting university is often associated with moving into a new room, meeting flatmates, finding your way around campus and working out where the nearest supermarket is.

But arriving in a new university town or city also means becoming part of a wider community.

With World Humanitarian Day taking place on 19 August, it is a timely reminder that making a positive difference does not always require travelling across the world or making a huge financial contribution.

Sometimes, helping starts much closer to home.

For students preparing to begin university this autumn, volunteering, fundraising, supporting local food banks and joining community-focused societies can all provide practical ways to get involved.

Better still, these activities can help students meet people, develop new skills and feel more connected to the place they will be calling home.

What Is World Humanitarian Day?

World Humanitarian Day is observed every year on 19 August and recognises people involved in humanitarian work around the world.

While the day frequently highlights major humanitarian challenges and the work of aid organisations, its wider message of helping others and strengthening communities can also be applied at a local level.

University students have a particularly good opportunity to get involved. Thousands of students move to places such as Loughborough, Leicester, Nottingham, Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester and Leeds each year, becoming temporary or long-term members of communities that extend far beyond their university campus.

Getting involved locally can therefore be an important part of settling into student life.

Give Some Time Through Volunteering

One of the simplest ways to support a new community is by volunteering.

Universities often work with charities, community organisations and local councils to provide volunteering opportunities specifically for students. These might include helping at community centres, supporting older residents, mentoring young people, assisting environmental projects or volunteering at local events.

Students at institutions such as the University of Birmingham, Cardiff University or the University of Nottingham, for example, are surrounded by large and diverse communities where charities and voluntary groups regularly depend on additional support.

Volunteering does not necessarily mean sacrificing an entire weekend either. Some organisations offer one-off volunteering days, while others might only need a couple of hours each month.

For new students, it can also be a good way to meet people outside their course or accommodation.

Support Local Food Banks

Food banks continue to play an important role in communities across the United Kingdom, providing essential support to individuals and families experiencing financial difficulties.

Students can help in several ways. Donating food or toiletries is perhaps the most obvious, but food banks may also need volunteers to organise donations, prepare parcels, work in warehouses or assist with collections.

Student accommodation can even become part of the effort.

Flatmates could create a small communal donation box and contribute one item whenever they complete their weekly food shop. University societies and halls can also organise larger collection drives at key points throughout the academic year.

It is a relatively simple idea, but when an entire student community participates, those individual donations can quickly add up.

Put Fundraising Ideas Into Action

Fundraising is another accessible way for students to support charities and community projects.

University life provides plenty of opportunities to turn ordinary social activities into fundraising events. Students could organise sponsored walks, quiz nights, bake sales, sports tournaments or charity challenges.

For those joining sports clubs or societies during Freshers’ Week, fundraising can become a group activity rather than something students have to organise alone.

It also does not have to involve raising thousands of pounds. A small event supporting a local charity can still make a useful contribution while raising awareness among other students.

The key is choosing a cause that genuinely matters to the group and making sure any fundraising is organised transparently through a recognised charity or organisation.

Get Involved With Community Projects

Supporting the local community can also mean getting involved with projects designed to improve the area itself.

Students might find opportunities involving litter picking, community gardening, conservation projects, tree planting or improving shared public spaces.

These projects can be particularly valuable because students can physically see the difference their contribution makes.

Someone studying at Aberystwyth University, for example, might discover environmental volunteering opportunities connected to the town’s coastline and surrounding countryside. Meanwhile, students living in larger cities might find neighbourhood projects focused on parks, community gardens or urban regeneration.

Getting away from campus occasionally can also help students discover areas of their university city they may otherwise never visit.

Find a Society That Makes a Difference

Freshers’ fairs are usually associated with sports clubs, hobbies and social groups, but many universities also have societies dedicated to charitable and humanitarian causes.

These can include fundraising societies, sustainability groups, volunteering networks and university branches of national or international charities.

Joining one provides an easy starting point for students who want to help but are not sure where to begin.

Societies already have organisers, established activities and other students with similar interests, removing much of the pressure involved in finding volunteering opportunities independently.

They can also provide a valuable sense of belonging, particularly during the first few months of university when many students are still establishing friendships.

Supporting the Place You Now Call Home

Students understandably arrive at university focused on lectures, accommodation, socialising and becoming independent. Yet university life is also an opportunity to become part of something bigger than the campus itself.

World Humanitarian Day on 19 August offers a useful moment to think about what supporting others can look like on a local level.

Whether that means donating a few tins to a food bank, volunteering once a month, organising a charity event, joining a community project or becoming involved with a university society, small contributions can have a genuine collective impact.

For students preparing to move somewhere new this September, getting involved can provide another benefit too. Supporting your new community is not simply about giving something back. It can be one of the best ways to start feeling like you belong there.