Getting Involved in the UVic Community

Guest post by Sydney

When I was in first-year university I told myself that I wanted to branch out and meet new people by joining clubs, trying new things, and getting involved in causes I was passionate about. By the beginning of the second semester, I realized that I hadn’t pursued any of these goals.

I had wonderful friends but very little involvement in university life, clubs on campus, and felt that I didn’t have much purpose beyond grades and attending class. This provided me with a pretty cynical view of university opportunities at the time. If you have ever felt this way or are currently feeling this way I urge you to read on as I share the impact that community involvement has had on my life in the past year. 

I always put off getting involved with clubs because I assumed that I was too late to join since it wasn’t the beginning of the semester anymore. For some reason I had the idea that if I didn’t sign up to join a club during club and course union day that I would have missed out entirely.

This is completely false and almost all clubs and groups on campus are happy to have members join at any time during the year. It’s also intimidating to decide and choose which clubs are causes you are interested in. UVSS provides a very extensive list of clubs and unions with descriptions about what they do. You can find the list here. I’m sure you will be able to find many clubs that peak your interest! 

Next step: how do you get involved or decide which club to get involved with?

What I found most useful was following all the clubs that interested me on their social media. This is a super easy way to keep up to date with clubs and events. Then from there, I messaged any club I wanted to get more involved with and asked any questions I had.

This might sound strange but most clubs don’t require you to attend any specific events or contribute much if you don’t want to. It’s completely voluntary!

You can choose how much time and energy you want to invest in the club. This means that if you have a hectic schedule and can’t make a meeting it’s not a problem. Clubs are run and composed of students so they understand that everyone is busy and sometimes can’t tackle everything at once.

Aside from clubs, there are also many other ways that you can get involved in the UVic community. If you are interested in having a voice for you and your fellow students there are many boards and initiatives you can also get involved in. I highly recommend checking out the UVSS website here for tons of volunteer opportunities and initiatives to get involved with on campus!

Lastly, if you don’t find a club that is right for you, start your own! Find like-minded peers with the same passions as you! Find out more about starting your own club here!

I hope you are able to find a club or interest that helps you feel more included in our community! Feel free to also leave a comment if you want to share positive experiences you have had with becoming more involved, or if you have any other questions!

Thanks to the Student Mental Health blog for permission to repost.