volunteering
Volunteers' Stories
Feel Great in 2008!
Everybody has a different reason for volunteering. Some people simply want to give something back to their community. For others though, volunteering can provide the opportunity to learn new skills, regain confidence, meet new people and even totally transform their lives. At the Volunteer Centre, we take the time to really listen to you and understand what your interests are, so that we can suggest the right volunteering opportunity for you. We understand that everybody is different, and that your reasons for volunteering may be very different to the next persons. But we also know that the potential rewards that you will get from volunteering could exceed your expectations - just take a moment to read some of these fantastic, inspiring stories about how people have made a real difference to their lives...
Charlotte's Story
In 2002 I had been working as a volunteer at Oxfam in Thirsk for a few months when I met Andrew. He was also working at Oxfam, pricing records but our shifts never coincided and he had just returned from travelling around Europe for a month.
Then one Saturday in October of that same year we were both working in the morning. We got chatting during our coffee break about records and music when Andrew suggested I ring him if I was ever in Harrogate, so we swapped mobile numbers.
We met up and went for a drink not long after and continued to work together at Oxfam in Thirsk until we moved to Harrogate in March 2004 and then Andrew went onto volunteer at Cancer Research in Beulah Street until it closed, and then we went to volunteer at the charity shops in Knaresborough, Andrew stayed with Cancer Research and I went to Scope on the High Street.
In August 2006 we had a baby, Ray.
I have had to stop volunteering for the time being but Andrew still volunteers at Cancer Research in Knaresborough.
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Becky's Story
Four years ago, when I was just beginning year 10, I attended a talk by a representative from Barnardo's about supporting children with physical and learning difficulties. I decided there and then that I would give it a go and four years later I am still offering my services and I continue to find it both rewarding and interesting.
Each school holiday there are council run play schemes available for all primary aged children to attend. Obviously it is financially impossible for the play schemes to cater for children who need extra support and this is where Barnardo's is a life line to many parents and children in school holidays. Barnardo's has a team of volunteers who are each allocated to a child with difficulties. As a volunteer you can be asked to support a range of children and your role is to enable the child in your care to access the facilities and events which are on offer at the play scheme in the same way that any other child would do and take for granted.
No voluntary work is ever totally altruistic and people ask me what I get out of my work. The answer is simple. There are many reasons for volunteering my time but the most important one is that the work is enjoyable and rewarding.
Because the work is one to one, there is a wonderful feeling that you are making a real difference to the life of an individual. For the child in your care, you are opening a door to a world which without you would remain closed. Along side that the work is varied and hugely interesting.
I have learnt many new skills and now understand about difficulties which many children face everyday of their lives.
I have now also completed my initial training for the Victim Support service in Harrogate.
Meeting other like minded people alongside learning how best to support a victim of crime has already been fascinating. I am now looking forward to putting my new learning to good use to help someone through the trauma of being the victim of crime.
If my own experience is anything to go by I can recommend volunteering as a great way to learn and enrich your own life as well as doing the same for others. Happy Volunteering!"
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Eileen's Story
Battling with a long illness, I approached a Harrogate based agency for help and support .
During this period my health improved and it was suggested that I might find voluntary work an aid in my recuperations.
For several months I was "treading water" over making the decision but finally one day I took "the plunge"! I went along to the Volunteer Centre somewhat nervously and was greeted by the Manager with much enthusiasm.
I was immediately put at ease and after some deliberation it was decided that with the type of experience I had, I was encouraged to try the Citizens Advice Bureau.
After a few phone calls I began my work and was welcomed with open arms, nearly a year later I am part of a vital team.
Being a volunteer has been a life changing experience, playing a major part in my recovery, helping me regain self-confidence.
Supporting my colleagues at the Bureau in providing this service for the Harrogate community has been both challenging and rewarding and I'm sure will continue to be so.
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Jane's Story
Jane contacted the Volunteer Centre in Harrogate a few years ago to find out how she could give a little time to help others in the local community. Jane was interested in people and was studying at College for a Certificate in Counselling. She wanted to put her skills to good use and started volunteering for the Mental Health Project, supporting Mums at the Mums in Needs of Support group.
As her belief in herself grew and she developed further skills she decided to do an Open University Degree.
Now fully qualified Jane has a full time job with a organisation supporting vulnerable women in Harrogate.
Volunteering was a step on the way to a successful and fulfilling career!
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Oliver's Story
As a young person, Oliver had benefited from the support of the Barnardo’s Grove Road Project in Harrogate. When he was 17 he went into the project and said he’d like to be a volunteer for them. He says “at first they seemed a bit shocked” but they suggested he could help at a holiday playscheme, supporting a child with special needs, helping with meal times, play activities, and generally supporting the sessional worker.
Oliver said “I wanted to show people like me that just because we get benefits doesn’t mean we sit around doing nothing. People like me can give something back to the community – I needed to show that. And I wanted to change the perception that people have of people like me – to show them that just because I have a disability I’m not a moron”.
But more than that Oliver says “it was fun!” …….
and volunteering in the playschemes was just the start. Since then, Oliver has gained a number of qualifications as a sports coach and got funding from the Princes Trust to buy equipment so that he can help other disabled people access sports like tennis, basketball and boccia.
Through his volunteering Oliver gained a certificate from Millennium Volunteers, and he also achieved the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award.
All that has helped him prove to himself and others that, as he says, “I can do it”. He says “I used to sit at home, I had no social life, and my parents thought all I’d be able to do with my life was work in sheltered employment putting pens together. But my volunteering helped me believe in myself, and prove to others that I could be more than that”
Oliver now lives in his own flat, and has a full and busy life which includes paid work for ASDA – another place where many of the skills he learned through volunteering have come in useful.
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Rachel's Story
It was January; I was stuck at home with a young baby and hating the sleet and icy winds which were not conducive to getting out and about. I was used to being productive and busy and active – but here I was, on maternity leave, feeling a little bored, stagnant and a little stir crazy.
Lying sluggishly on the sofa watching daytime TV while my infant son slept was doing nothing to help kick start me back into normal society. In my local paper an article about a charity project needing volunteers caught my eye. A group set up to help new mothers needing some extra support was looking for volunteers to lend a sympathetic ear and make drinks. I realised here might be the perfect opportunity for me to get out of the house!
A quick phone call later and I had arranged for an interview with the project coordinator. A week later, I visited Community House to find out more. After filling in confidentiality policies, providing references and undergoing a police check I was officially a volunteer for the Mums in Need Of Support group (MINOS) run by the Mental Health Project.
The project provided lots of informal and interesting training and support sessions, covering topics such as listening skills and mental health awareness. My first session at the MINOS group was nerve-wracking, but I soon felt I had made a good decision And it was great to feel I was doing something useful, and often enjoyable, while my young son enjoyed playing and socialising with the other children.
I decided not to return to full-time employment when my maternity leave cam to an end. While I relished the chance to be a full-time mum I did sometimes feel I was losing the old ‘me’ or would gradually be reduced to a drooling wreck incapable of anything other than singing nursery rhymes.
Volunteer work gave me a real sense of feeling valuable to the community and some structure to each week.
After a couple of years I was still volunteering with the group. There were plenty of opportunities for interesting and useful training courses covering everything from Domestic Abuse and Child Protection, to Understanding Psychosis. Regular volunteer support meetings and social events provided the chance to meet other volunteers, share stories and experiences.
During this time my positive experiences of volunteering prompted me to take on other roles in the community – helping out at a pre-school, working in a charity shop, helping with fundraising and publicity for other charitable organisations. In addition, using the Key Club scheme offered by Harrogate College to reduce the costs of courses for people who work or volunteer in member organisations, I decided to do an introduction to counselling course which proved useful in my voluntary work and my family life.
There’s no doubt that volunteering has helped me gain confidence, experience and many new friends.
When a paid part-time job came up with the organisation I was in the perfect position to apply. I have now been employed for two years.
Being a stay at home mum while my children were younger was important to me. But I was under no illusions as to how difficult it might be to get back into the world of work after five years at home. I was worried potential employers might be put off. Volunteering helped me fill in the gaps in my CV and helped me complete my journey from housewife to gainful employment as a project assistant in a thriving charity.
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