Research Retreats - Half Day Volunteering Opportunities
30th January 2019
Suffragette Militancy
How extensive were Suffragette militant acts and what forms did they take? Join us as we delve into the online newspaper archives to discover how far some Suffragettes were willing to take the motto 'deeds not words'.
10th April 2019
Chartism 180
What was the response to the first mass Chartist petition presented to Parliament in 1839? Join us as we delve into contemporary newspaper archives and biographies of key figures to find out more.
27th February 2019
Peterloo Rediscovered
What was the popular reaction to the Peterloo Massacre in August 1819? Join us as we examine copies of testimonies held at The National Archives and review contemporary newspaper accounts of this seminal event in our democratic heritage.
8th May 2019
The Great Unrest
The period 1910-1914 saw a wave of industrial action across Britain. In this Research Retreat we will look at one month in particular to map, using contemporary newspaper accounts, the scale of the challenge facing the government.
24th July 2019
The Home Rule Crisis
On 11th April 1912 the Third Home Rule Bill was introduced, promising to create devolved government for Ireland. A crisis followed, with opposition from the Lords and unionists. Join us as we examine how the crisis unfolded. More details to follow soon.
6th March 2019
Peterloo Rediscovered
What was the official reaction to the Peterloo Massacre in August 1819? Join us as we examine copies of testimonies held at The National Archives and review contemporary newspaper accounts of this seminal event in our democratic heritage.
26th June 2019
Peers vs the People
What was the press coverage like of the constitutional crisis that followed the House of Lords' attempts to frustrate Lloyd George's 1909 budget, dubbed 'the People's Budget'? Join us as we explore the newspaper archives.
Other Volunteering Opportunities
Researchers
Scriptwriters
Presenters
Website Contributors
We encourage anyone interested in volunteering to get in touch. While some roles lend themselves to individuals with certain skills or experience we aim to be able to find meaningful ways to support the project to any prospective volunteer.
There are various ways to get involved with the Citizens project, from supporting the development of our learning resources as researchers and scriptwriters to contributing web articles, mentoring students at our Constitutional Conventions or guiding visitors to our Festival of History. Most opportunities are available year round and are not time limited. More specific, time-limited opportunities, such as volunteering as a group mentor at our Constitutional Conventions or as Festival Steward, are time-limited as advertised above.
Opportunities to get involved with the project are available throughout the year. We are always happy to hear from potential guest contributors to our website, researchers and scriptwriters. In addition, some opportunities will become available at set times in the year, such as being a group mentor at our Constitutional Convention.
While we try to be as flexible as possible some roles will require a minimum time commitment from volunteers. This will vary though according to your role. We welcome volunteers who can contribute only a few hours to write a web article through to those who would like to volunteer on a more regular basis. See the above opportunities for examples.
Where you will be volunteering will vary according to your role. Some roles are naturally location specific (such as being a Group Mentor at the Constitutional Convention) but many can be undertaken remotely with regular opportunities to check in with the project team for advice or support.
Yes. If you are a Royal Holloway student we strongly encourage you to log your hours and submit these for Passport points.
Please don't hesitate to get in touch via the Contact page if you have any questions about volunteering. We aim to get back to all enquiries within 5 working days.
Royal Holloway Student?
If you are a current Royal Holloway student interested in volunteering with the Citizens project please contact Royal Holloway Volunteering for more information and to ensure, if you do volunteer, you can collect Passport points.
Postgraduate Student?
We are looking for postgraduate students or early career researchers to join the project as guest blog contributors and presenters. In return we offer support in tailoring your volunteering to generate CV enhancing public engagement case studies, complete flexibility regarding the frequency and amount of time you are asked to commit to the project and the opportunity to see your work support the learning of potentially thousands of school pupils. To learn more about our bespoke postgraduate student opportunities please email us at: citizens@rhul.ac.uk
U3A member?
If you are volunteering as a member of the U3A, as part of the Shared Learning Project programme, please visit the dedicated U3A page of our website.
