A personal thank you to volunteering
Monday 2nd to Sunday 8th June is volunteers week – a week dedicated to promoting volunteering and saying a massive thank you to all the people who give up their time to make a difference to the life of others.
It got me thinking about my experiences of volunteering, and how that has shaped me into the person I am and the path that I am on.
Volunteering for me has always been around children and young people. As part of a Sixth Form volunteers program, I helped GCSE students who struggled with reading and writing in their exams – my role was either to read out the questions, or write the students answers or sometimes both. I soon realised that a bigger part of this role was also being able to stay calm and encouraging, to reassure them not to feel embarrassed that they needed help, to not feel any shame for their challenges. In the bits of time we got to chat, we had a giggle, I got to know them, we talked music – and I repeated for the 100th time that I couldn’t tell them the answers (I didn’t know them most of the time, even if I could!).
It was a difficult time for me at that age, and I was really struggling to find a sense of purpose and focus. I was starting to lose interest in my studies and making some poor choices. I think some of my teachers saw this and put me forward for the program, I don’t know if it made all the difference, but I remember it changed something.
Skip forward a few decades and we come to a time when I knew I was ready for a change of career – the work I was doing was stressful and draining, and I wanted to be helping people in a more meaningful way. I took some long overdue holiday, and I spent a few weeks volunteering in local high schools, talking to teachers and support staff, and finding out if a move to education was what I wanted. Much like before I spent my time as a teaching assistant with young people who needed a bit of extra help – whether that was with writing or understanding the work, or just keeping them on track in a busy classroom. I came away from that experience knowing that teaching wasn’t for me, but I did want to help support those young people who had additional struggles or needs.
Eventually it led me to training to be a counsellor, and while still working full-time, I started my first voluntary placement for an organisation offering counselling and play therapy to children and young people in schools. It was a wonderful experience, and I felt very privileged to be a part of their lives and to enhance my therapeutic skills as they navigated the difficulties of life. I felt well supported, and valued for my time, and it reassured me that I had found my calling. It helped me in many ways to move through another difficult time in my personal life and give me a sense of purpose.
Volunteering isn’t just about helping others – it can be about helping ourselves when we feel lost and out of touch. Being involved in volunteering in any form can bring us closer to our community, helping improve that sense of purpose and give us the motivation to look after ourselves as well as others. So anyone reading this, who might be feeling a little stuck or lost, or maybe you know someone like this – mention volunteering, it might just make a difference.
Youth Trauma Allies offers training, signposting and resources to schools and parents, as well as reflective practice spaces for school staff, families, community groups to strengthen their well-being. We are informed by the young people we want to support, and want to break down the barriers that are in place to stop our young people being part of their local community and feeling valued.
If you want to find out more about how we can help you create mentally healthy and supportive communities around our young people, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
