At HELPS, we are very proud of our volunteer support from UTS students, staff, alumni and community.
Read more about volunteer opportunities at UTS HELPS.
The HELPS Buddy Program is going online via Zoom! After you sign up to the Buddy Program, you will receive a welcome email with more information. If you still have questions, please don't hesitate to email us at helpsbuddies@uts.edu.au
We have closed volunteer sign-ups for the Peer Advisor and TalkFest programs in Autumn. You can still sign up for our Buddy Program if you want to volunteer with a student 1-to-1 (see below for more information). To express interest in Peer Advisor and/or TalkFest volunteering in Spring 2020, complete the volunteer sign up form. Questions? Email helpsvolunteers@uts.edu.au
For UTS students
Student volunteers contribute to the supportive and welcoming environment that we aspire to at UTS HELPS. As a volunteer, you help other students practise English speaking through the HELPS Buddy Program, participate in a global community at TalkFest, or as a Peer Advisor, assist with assignment support at our drop-in sessions. While you help others, you will also develop important graduate attributes like communication and leadership skills.
As little as 1 or 2 hours per week to do something really meaningful!
Volunteer Buddies
Meet with one or more international students weekly to help them build their confidence through conversation.
Helping overseas students in their transition to a new country can be an extremely rewarding experience. Whether you're looking to re-connect with your cultural background, take part in language exchange or you would just like to help, the UTS HELPS Buddy Program is home to many new friendships and wonderful learning experiences.
Meet with an overseas student for casual conversation for one hour, six times across a session. You will receive a certificate upon completion.
‘It's a unique opportunity to see Australia and Sydney through someone else's eyes and make friends in the process’
'Feel like maybe I understand just a little more about the world'.
For more information about being a volunteer buddy, refer to our Volunteer Buddy Guidelines.
For more information about the UTS HELPS Buddy Program, see the Buddy Program FAQs.
Interested in becoming a volunteer? Sign-up as a UTS volunteer here. You can register anytime.
Check out this 2 minute video which shows you step by step how to register as a volunteer.
If you have any enquiries or questions, feel free to send an e-mail to HELPSbuddies@uts.edu.au.
Tim: So my name’s Tim. I’m studying Biomedical Science. I joined the Buddy Program so I can feel like I was traveling while I was still in Sydney.
Tim: I get to meet people from different cultures, learn about their way of life, how to say hello in various languages.
Tim: We really just talk about anything. I just meet with Joy, we chat about our week.
Joy: So my name is Joy and I joined the Buddy Program because I feel that one, it's really good for me when I want to study something about Australian culture.
Tim: Occasionally we sort of exchange some cultural things.
Tim: Well she taught me about a Vietnamese nursery rhyme. It has some interesting origins and sometimes I teach her some Australian idioms which she might not have heard before.
Joy: Meeting a volunteer give me like some time to relax myself.
Tim: So if you are thinking of volunteering you definitely should.
Tim: It’s a great way to come out and help some people but you actually get a lot out of it yourself.
Tim: I’ve managed to steal some travel plans off people, meet some awesome people like Joy and just learn about a lot of different cultures. So definitely give it a shot!
Peer Advisors
Help students who come to ask us advice on how to improve their assignments.
Share your ideas on how you research, plan and draft assignments. By helping others you can improve your own writing and editing skills. Training is provided before you start and throughout your time at HELPS. You don't have to be an expert, as long as you have experience at UTS writing assignments and you're willing to share and learn!
Peer Advisors really become part of our HELPS team through student support and promotional activity and demonstrated commitment is rewarded with a letter of recognition or reference.
‘The experience to bond with the university and help someone on their journey is wonderful’.
‘Incredible opportunity to assist peers and develop assignment skills. I believe this also improved my facilitation skills.’
Interested? Sign up at this Google form.
My name is Rachel Khalef. I do a double degree of Medical Science and Arts in International Studies.
I have been volunteering for a year and a half.
I wanted to become a Peer Advisor because I felt like I wasn’t really contributing to university as much as I wanted to.
Students need most help with communicating with someone.
Not always they have the opportunity to talk to people and I guess that’s what Peer Advisors are for.
We are here to talk to them, help them maybe understand their assignments and maybe guide them in the right direction.
I don't believe we do need any special skills at all.
It is a volunteering position in which anyone can join as long as you’re friendly and you enjoy to talking to people.
Volunteering as a Peer Advisor has helped me tremendously with my communication skills.
I did find myself that I gained the confidence for it.
It has helped me demonstrate these skills that I have gained in my coursework.
I was able to learn how to make friends better, to know how to talk to people, how to approach them.
What I love the most is the really friendly atmosphere.
Knowing that you do not know the answers to everything but still get accepted by people and getting encouragements every single day that you do volunteer.
TalkFest Volunteers
Engage with students from across the globe; learn about their cultures, network with people you may not usually meet and deepen your understanding of diversity in Australia.
TalkFest is a free, fun-filled event that connects international students and volunteers to promote cultural exchange and develop confidence in group conversations. With regular commitment as a Talkfest Volunteer you will receive a letter of recognition or reference. Learn more about TalkFest here.
'So many barriers were broken down. I just can't recommend it enough'.
'I loved contributing to diversity in the UTS community, whilst breaking cross-cultural boundaries and learning about our blissfully complex world.
Interested? Sign up at this Google form.
Hey I’m Gav. I’m doing a Bachelor of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering.
This is also my first time doing Talkfest. I just kinda came and then really enjoyed it and said ‘Can I volunteer’ and they said ‘Yeah’.
You just need to be an open person. You know, have fun talking to people.
Just relax a little bit as well, you don't need to be like super good at English or anything like that.
For me I enjoy first of all meeting new people and learning more about the world.
What other students have to deal with and the way they study.
I’ve made quite a few friends. It's good to see people weekly and say ‘Oh hey, yeah. How you doing?’, ‘How's your week been?’
I feel a bit more integrated in the uni as well. You get to spend more time with actual people instead of just going home and studying on your own.
Seeing cross cultural boundaries being broken as well is one way to talk to people.
I’ve learnt to be more of an approachable person, in more ways than one.
Instead of just catering to like a local type student, you know being more approachable to other cultures and seeming less scary I guess, smiling a bit more.
But also seeing people smile at the end of the day and knowing that you might have contributed to that smile really you know, warms your heart a bit.
To become a Talkfest volunteer go to the HELPS webpage and follow the links to complete an application.
For UTS staff
Want to do something meaningful for 1 or 2 hours per week? Become a HELPS volunteer and help us support international students while you broaden your own understanding of diversity and cross-cultural communication.
Many UTS staff have found volunteering with HELPS provides them with a relaxing and interesting break from their regular working week - it's like travelling the world without leaving Sydney!
Conversation Leaders
Facilitate casual conversation for 1 or 2 hours per week with groups of international students to help them build their confidence, meet friends and improve their skills.
‘It’s very enjoyable watching students improve and become more confident. It’s also a great way to learn more about a very wide variety of different cultures and languages.'
'I love seeing how a student's speaking confidence is quietly developing'.
Interested? Sign up at this Google form.
My name’s Steve Hunt. I’m a member of FEIT.
Conversation Groups is an informal gathering of students led by a conversation leader.
The conversation leader’s role is really to try and get the students to talk, and to interact, and to get them engaged in talking about a subject which is of common interest.
Help them a bit with pronunciation and a little bit with grammar, in a very non-judgemental unthreatening way.
I started off preparing and I would put a few things up on the whiteboard. Most often, we never even got around to talking about them.
We got diverted onto other things. There’s always been something interesting happening in the week.
I get a lot out of it because I get to talk to a lot of students from different countries. Around the table I might have Iranians, Slovakians, Russians, Chinese, Vietnamese, Koreans.
All around the one table… all talking English, and all interacting with each other and sharing jokes together.
I mean we try to have a few laughs along the way. There’s always something funny that we can bring into it.
If you are thinking about volunteering, you don’t really need to prepare very much.
All you really need to do is to be there and try to get all the students engaged and involved in talking.
They’re there to speak English… They want to practise their English.
All you’ve really got to do is to gently prompt them along and ask the occasional question.
Staff Volunteer Buddies
As a Volunteer Buddy, you will meet with 1 or 2 international students for casual conversation and only need to commit 1 hour a week for 6 weeks, though many buddies decide to continue to meet after that once that friendship is formed.
Want to learn or improve another language? Some volunteer buddies take part in language exchange through the Buddy Program.
For others, it's a simple way to give back and help someone connect with UTS and the wider Australian community.
I'm Teraesa, I work in the Faculty of Engineering and IT in the School of Software.
The Buddy Program is an incentive by the university that matches students with volunteers in a conversational English capacity.
What I like about the Buddy Program is it gives me an opportunity to mix with students that I don’t normally get a chance to deal with.
I work at the ABC and the reason I joined this HELPS Buddy Program was because I myself have been in Australia as an international student.
Being a Buddy is very simple. It's just be there, talk to the person, listen and just have a nice flowing conversation.
I do benefit in the way that it helps me network. It helps me grow as a person, also in confidence. I know now I can talk to anybody and everybody.
The other thing I enjoy about the Buddy Program is . . . I get to talk to people from different backgrounds, different cultures, different countries.
I’m learning a lot about their culture, they’re learning about Australian culture, Sydney life.
I think if you are willing to volunteer, it’s very simple. If you're at the ABC, all you have to do is just walk across the road and spend about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
If you are an alumni it’s much easier for you to keep connected to your university, give back to the university what you gained from it.
To join the Buddy Program register on the HELPS web page.
UTS Alumni and Community
Have you completed study at UTS and you're looking for an easy way to keep connected and give back?
Or perhaps you haven't studied with us but would like to be part of UTS and our mission to engage in meaningful cross-cultural experiences?
UTS HELPS provides an opportunity to do something meaningful for 1 or 2 hours per week. Become a HELPS volunteer and help us support international students while you broaden your own understanding of diversity and cross-cultural communication.
Many UTS Alumni and Community Volunteers have found volunteering with HELPS provides them with a relaxing and interesting break from their regular working week - it's like travelling the world without leaving Sydney!
Conversation Leaders
Facilitate casual conversation for 1 or 2 hours per week with groups of international students to help them build their confidence, meet friends and improve their skills.
‘It’s very enjoyable watching students improve and become more confident. It’s also a great way to learn more about a very wide variety of different cultures and languages.'
'I love seeing how a student's speaking confidence is quietly developing'.
Interested? Sign up at this Google form.
My name’s Steve Hunt. I’m a member of FEIT.
Conversation Groups is an informal gathering of students led by a conversation leader.
The conversation leader’s role is really to try and get the students to talk, and to interact, and to get them engaged in talking about a subject which is of common interest.
Help them a bit with pronunciation and a little bit with grammar, in a very non-judgemental unthreatening way.
I started off preparing and I would put a few things up on the whiteboard. Most often, we never even got around to talking about them.
We got diverted onto other things. There’s always been something interesting happening in the week.
I get a lot out of it because I get to talk to a lot of students from different countries. Around the table I might have Iranians, Slovakians, Russians, Chinese, Vietnamese, Koreans.
All around the one table… all talking English, and all interacting with each other and sharing jokes together.
I mean we try to have a few laughs along the way. There’s always something funny that we can bring into it.
If you are thinking about volunteering, you don’t really need to prepare very much.
All you really need to do is to be there and try to get all the students engaged and involved in talking.
They’re there to speak English… They want to practise their English.
All you’ve really got to do is to gently prompt them along and ask the occasional question.
Community Volunteer Buddies
As a Volunteer Buddy, you will meet with 1 or 2 international students for casual conversation and only need to commit 1 hour a week for 6 weeks, though many buddies decide to continue to meet after that once that friendship is formed.
Want to learn or improve another language? Some volunteer buddies take part in language exchange through the Buddy Program.
For others, it's a simple way to give back and help someone connect with the wider Australian community.
All non-UTS volunteers are welcome to join the program! We have received wonderful feedback from overseas students who describe non-UTS volunteers as able to provide unique insight into Aussie culture and the Australian workplace. Learn about Bernie Sheehan's experience as an ABC buddy volunteer here.
For all non-UTS volunteers, sign-up as a volunteer here.
I'm Teraesa, I work in the Faculty of Engineering and IT in the School of Software.
The Buddy Program is an incentive by the university that matches students with volunteers in a conversational English capacity.
What I like about the Buddy Program is it gives me an opportunity to mix with students that I don’t normally get a chance to deal with.
I work at the ABC and the reason I joined this HELPS Buddy Program was because I myself have been in Australia as an international student.
Being a Buddy is very simple. It's just be there, talk to the person, listen and just have a nice flowing conversation.
I do benefit in the way that it helps me network. It helps me grow as a person, also in confidence. I know now I can talk to anybody and everybody.
The other thing I enjoy about the Buddy Program is . . . I get to talk to people from different backgrounds, different cultures, different countries.
I’m learning a lot about their culture, they’re learning about Australian culture, Sydney life.
I think if you are willing to volunteer, it’s very simple. If you're at the ABC, all you have to do is just walk across the road and spend about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
If you are an alumni it’s much easier for you to keep connected to your university, give back to the university what you gained from it.
To join the Buddy Program register on the HELPS web page.