RPL in Higher Education
Dr Ciara Staunton
Student Volunteer Ireland
Dr Lorraine Tansey
Happy National Volunteering Week!
Student Volunteer Ireland
About SVI
Voices from the Field
How to Leverage StudentVolunteer.ie to Document for RPL
Student Volunteer Ireland
is a Partnership to support a national movement for Student Engagement in Community Volunteering.
7-9 HEI Collaboration across Ireland
University of Limerick Host
Celebrating 10 years in 2026!
Why Student Volunteer Ireland?
Supporting Student Development
Our platform, workshops, Conferences strive to support and recognise students, enhancing their personal and professional growth and academic development through community engagement.
Promoting Civic Engagement
Social justice, sustainability and inclusion through structured community building experiences for students.
Enabling Staff Development
Mobilising our experiences to share and build our skills. Our Digital Badge “Enabling Student Volunteering” is recognised by the Higher Education Authority.
Enhancing Higher Education Student Programmes
We are cost effective, concentrating resources on shared capability and national standards.
- Charter for Volunteering and Code of Practice for International Volunteering.
Mobilising National Strategies
National Volunteering Strategy
HEA: Student Wellbeing, Student Success, Belonging, RPL
Education for Sustainability (ESD)
What is Student Volunteer Ireland?
National Volunteering Platform at StudentVolunteer.ie
StudentVolunteer.ie is Ireland’s first national online platform connecting students with community projects, charities, nonprofits and social enterprises for meaningful volunteering and community-based learning.
Collaborative Higher Education Network
Irish Higher Education Institutions collaborating to efficiently support student development through combined resources as a Community of Practice.
Student Volunteer Ireland Voices from the Field
"Student volunteers bring energy, creativity, and heart to everything we do at Barretstown. Their enthusiasm not only helps create unforgettable experiences for the children but also fosters a spirit of community and learning that enriches everyone involved.”
– John Mitchell, Director of Partnerships
“It felt personally rewarding to contribute to a charity directly helping vulnerable people, by turning donated goods into funds for essentials like meals and housing support.
…supporting shop operations by organising books, assisting customers, and maintaining displays. Gained experience in customer service, teamwork, and communication while contributing to a community-focused organisation.”
Student Volunteer, 1st Yr Medicine
“We have conversations with students to understand their views better and try to represent those views in monthly meetings with the Students Union. We also meet with lecturers to report what we think is relevant …I welcome international students, spend time with them and try to see if there is anything I can do to help them. I go to international societies to meet them and establish a link with them.” Student Volunteer, 2nd Yr Arts
“Volunteering is a great opportunity to make friends, it broadens your perspective on the world, and makes you appreciate what you have. It’s an opportunity to put a smile on someone’s face” Student Volunteer, 4th Yr Social Science “I really enjoyed coming up with my own idea for an event as it pushed me to be creative and think outside the box. It also gave me a chance to plan and coordinate something from start to finish which really tested and strengthened my organizational skills.” Student Volunteer, 3rd Yr Medicine
Student Volunteer Ireland
Documenting for RPL
Student Participation
Active involvement with over 25,704 students registered and 30,649 volunteering project applications.
Community Organisational Partnerships
Partnering with 1,430 organisations, offering 2,454 volunteering opportunities virtually, nationwide and internationally.
- Verifying Student Volunteer Records
Volunteering Impact & Reflection Diaries
Students have logged 455,133 volunteering hours
- Mapping impact to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Scaffolding with Reflection Diaries and E-Modules
University of Galway, President’s Award for Volunteering “ALIVE Certificate”
UCD in the Community Volunteering Award
TU Dublin, President’s Award for Volunteering
Derek Cleary, Harry Keogh - National Youth Volunteer Portfolio (MyVP)
Alternative Pathways to Continuing Education and Employment through Youth Volunteering
Aisling Murray Fleming
Associate Dean for Engagements, Partnerships & Internationalisation at DCU’s Institute of Education “DCU are so proud to support this pathway to further and higher education by acknowledging the skills and growth developed through volunteering. What stood out most was this: volunteering is not “extra.” It is transformational.” www.localise.ie
Student Volunteer Ireland
Where Students and Community Connect
Empowering Students
Enabling Higher Education Societal Impact
