This February, Cardiff Third Sector Council (C3SC) held its Annual General Meeting & Members’ Forum 2025 with the pleasure of being supported by students from Cardiff and Vale College’s On-SITE (Supported Internships to Employment) programme once again to deliver one of our key events of the year. Their involvement has become a real highlight of our events, bringing warmth, enthusiasm, and a genuine commitment to helping others.
Just a few months ago, six students had took on key roles to support C3SC’s annual Cardiff Volunteer Awards – from greeting guests, to coordinating refreshment queues and collecting evaluations. We had the pleasure of recently welcoming back the students to continue their volunteering journey at our AGM which took place at Butetown Community Centre. Volunteers provided another huge helping hand to our event as they welcomed guests, guiding them through the venue, and assisted with camera operations for our online format where joiners on Zoom took part in the AGM proceedings.
Cardiff and Vale College first approached us in 2023 to support their students into volunteering. Since then, Callum Jones, C3SC’s Volunteer Centre Development Officer has been central to organising the volunteering opportunities for the students including a walk-through of each event location and providing induction. He told us, “It was fantastic to have Cardiff and Vale College students volunteering at our AGM this February. Their energy and engagement truly stood out. I’m incredibly proud of the partnership we’ve built with the college over the past three years – growing from two student volunteers at our 2023 Volunteer Awards to a team of six supporting our most recent events – each student embraced their responsibilities with enthusiasm and pride. Thank you to all the students who have supported our recent events! I’m pleased we can offer students real-world experience opportunities, and we look forward to continuing this meaningful partnership.”
Commenting on the partnership which has seen much development over the course of a few years, Kerri Ince the On-SITE Supported Internship Tutor said, “For the past three years, our interns have had the privilege of volunteering with the Cardiff Third Sector Council (C3SC) to support their Annual Awards and AGM. This partnership is a source of great pride for CAVC, as it aligns us with a sector-leading organisation renowned for its commitment to inclusion, diversity, and community support. Beyond providing essential event support, our interns gain invaluable professional skills and the confidence to pursue independent volunteering and paid employment in the future. We are also incredibly grateful for the grant support provided by C3SC, which has empowered our interns to challenge themselves through community and fundraising projects. We look forward to “opening the doors” for many more people as this fundamental partnership continues to grow!”
These young volunteers show the real difference volunteering can make – not only in supporting events, but in building connection, confidence, and community spirit. One volunteer told us, “It made me feel happy because people were saying thank you to me, and this was the thing I found most rewarding, being thanked for my help. I am most proud of all the interns volunteering working together as a team.”, while another volunteer said, “I really enjoyed filming the event because it’s not something I have ever done before, and the team supporting me were amazing. I’m proud of how well I communicated with the people helping me, and I think I did a good job supporting the filming.”
Through this partnership, we are building a more inclusive future for Cardiff’s workforce. The dedication shown by the Cardiff and Vale College students proves that when we provide the right platform, our young people can truly shine. We are excited to continue “opening doors” together, fostering a community where everyone has the chance to contribute, grow, and be celebrated – and we’d like to thank the college and its students for being such an important part of our annual events through volunteering.
If you, your organisation or service users would like to get involved in volunteering, please get in touch with the team at C3SC. We can discuss your options according to your skills, interest, and timeframe whether it’s just for a few hours, a few weeks, or if you’d like to put together a volunteering programme. Get in touch – email us at enquiries@c3sc.org.uk or call 02920 485 722.
