Having co-founded the Future charity with his wife in 2005, Lord John Nash quickly came to realise that, for less advantaged young people, schools have the power to transform life trajectories, particularly through the provision of educational enrichment programmes and extracurricular activities. This article will take a closer look at extracurricular activities and how participating in sports, hobbies and the arts can help young people to develop incredibly valuable soft and hard skills, positioning them for academic excellence and professional success.
Extracurricular activities can take a multitude of different forms, from joining a club or playing a sport to volunteering or even taking a part-time job. Essentially, they are out-of-class activities students engage in beyond their regular academic work, presenting valuable opportunities to meet new people, explore interests and develop new skills.
In terms of helping young people to broaden their social networks and create valuable connections for the future, extracurricular activities can be particularly beneficial. In addition, they can also be a powerful means of boosting academic performance. Billy Wong is an professor at the University of Reading. As he points out, the university experience extends beyond academic knowledge, with skills developed through extracurricular activities often overlapping with those that improve academic success.
Beyond academic and social benefits, participating in enjoyable hobbies outside of academia provides a healthy outlet for stress. The GITNUX Benefits of Extracurricular Activities report suggests that students who participate in extracurricular activities experience an 8% reduction in feelings of depression and anxiety. Be it a creative outlet like painting or a physical activity like team sports, such pastimes help to boost mood, promote relaxation and contribute to overall wellbeing.
For university students, a plethora of extracurricular activities are available, chief among them sports clubs and societies.
For those keen to make a difference while developing their skills, volunteering can help students build valuable experience in communication, finance, health and safety, events management and first aid. By volunteering with a hospital, school, local community centre, charity or non-profit organisation, students can expand their networks and increase their employability. Student Action for Refugees offers various volunteering opportunities across the UK, recruiting thousands of university students to support local charities.
Engaging in extracurricular activities helps graduates to improve their chances of being accepted for an internship as well as boosting their employability, with executives and recruiters at top employers actively seeking out individuals who mention extracurricular activities on their CV. Rod Flavel is the founder and CEO of FDM Group. In an article with Target Jobs, he indicated that what he looks for most in candidates is whether they have done something other than their degree course, e.g. being involved with a university sports club or volunteering. The bottom line is that recruiters are looking for evidence of the candidate’s skills and potential to succeed in the future. Oftentimes, it does not matter whether this is borne out by their academic achievements and work experience or stems from their social pursuits.
Playing team sports helps candidates to highlight their communication and teamwork skills along with their aptitude to regularly commit to a cause they care about. Organising training sessions and matches helps students to develop their leadership skills as well as honing their administrative abilities.
For fledgling founders, entrepreneurship programmes and societies can be a great way to widen their professional networks and connect with potentially valuable contacts. They often also provide access to mentorship opportunities and other facilities to help would-be business leaders kick-start their venture, such as enabling them to compete for start-up funding.
