What are some of the values of the Yellow Shirts program?

Yellow Shirts is one of those programs that you will look back on so fondly long after graduation. At its core, it's a program that aims to welcome first years to UNSW but what the shirts get out of it extends so much further than O-Week.

The program's genuine care for its students shines through in its focus on equity & diversity and personal development. There are so many opportunities to immerse yourself in different passions and interests throughout the summer together, and for me that came in the form of YS Band! Playing and performing music with my bandmates is definitely one of my most loved memories.

The best part of my experience had to be meeting people from all walks of life and getting to now call some of them my lifelong friends. I will forever be grateful for being able to navigate the highs and lows with such vibrant characters and getting to grow my confidence in ways that I never would have imagined.

I encourage anyone who's wanting to meet new people, volunteer and discover something new about themselves to apply!

Why you should apply?

It’s a unique experience full of unforgettable memories, friends and development.

I would say my time in YS was the highlight of my whole university life. This was a time where I had the most fun, developed my confidence fully and generated close friendships which will stay with me forever.

As someone who has been involved in societies for fun and professional development and other volunteering programs, YS provided me with the best memories, friends and interpersonal skills than anything else that I have done at university.

What defined my experience in YS was joining band. Before YS, I enjoyed singing but I had never been trained in it, hadn’t performed in front of people and had only really sung in the shower. At my audition, I even forgot the lyrics and sounded really nervous and shaky in my singing. After getting in though, I met people who were really talented but also people who guided me in gaining my confidence to perform on stage. I remember my first time performing on stage, not feeling nervous and felt like I could take on anything with everyone cheering for me afterwards.

From a shy, unconfident boy before YS to becoming someone with high self-esteem and confidence, my YS experience was a catalyst for my transformation.

When you are actually an introvert but want to meet new people… here’s Anna’s experiences of this situation!

For someone who was introverted and preferred staying at home, what better way to spend my summer than to hang out with 189 other people?

When I first applied for the 2021 Yellow Shirts program, all I expected to do was meet a few people and have some fun times. But what I didn’t expect was just how fun the summer was going to be and how close I would get to some people.

The Yellow Shirts program allowed me to get to know people in my double squad a lot better and we made lots of good memories such as many nights hanging out in the city together, having a scavenger hunt at Rhodes IKEA, going to Bondi beach at 1am during O-Week and many more.

Besides getting to make lots of new friends, one of the most rewarding things about the Yellow Shirts program was all the different opportunities to push myself out of my comfort zone. Leadership and teamwork opportunities, playing new sports, getting to help out at O-Week and talk to a lot of people.

Applying for the Yellow Shirts programs was one of the best decisions that I’ve made and the people and memories that I made definitely made up for a year ruined by Covid. I would strongly recommend that everyone apply, even if they’re on the fence about it, because joining Yellow Shirts is guaranteed to be a very memorable experience.

You’ll get to meet lots of amazing people and form some lifelong friendships, create some really good memories with your double squad and have the chance to get involved with operation of O-Week.

Applying for the Yellow Shirts program is one of the best decisions that you can make and the memories and friends you make will stick with you even beyond university.

Read on to learn about why Esha keeps coming back to the program...

When I first joined Yellow Shirts in my first year, I thought it would be my way to get more involved and help give back to the community. But after joining the program, I soon realised it was so much more than that. I found that YS provides so many opportunities to gain new skills, meet new people that you normally wouldn't have the chance to meet and have a lot of fun doing so along the way! I found myself coming back year after year to be a part of it.

Yellow Shirts really helped bring me out of my shell and allowed me to experience a side of volunteering that you could both give and gain from! I created so many amazing memories with the people I met along the way. However, the most rewarding part was helping first years together and seeing them transition into the next chapter of their lives with a smile that you helped put on their face