It’s day 2 of Volunteers’ Week 2015 and all week we’ll be sharing case studies with you to highlight the many reasons people have for volunteering. We’d love you to join in too – head over to http://volunteersweek.org/ to download your digital resource pack and use the hashtag #ivolunteer to share your story.
Volunteering just a small amount of time can have a huge impact
Josan volunteers as an independent visitor for children and young people in the care of the local authority. She has volunteered for years within her community, but as her children are now grown up, she wanted to do something specific and something that would use the skills and gifts she has.
Committing just a few hours a month can make a huge impact on a young person’s life. The volunteer role that she now has can give a child a little bit of happiness while their circumstances aren’t ideal. It can give them someone to talk to, someone to build trust with, and someone they know has their best interests at heart.
As well as the benefit to the child, as a part of her volunteering, Josan will gain an NVQ 3 qualification – which really adds to her CV and gives her a solid foundation from which to potentially look at others areas of working with children within the care system.
When asked about how her volunteering has impacted on her, Josan says “I feel good in myself, I had a tough childhood and this would have been great for me when I was younger.”
If you’d like to find out more about volunteering, give Community Action: MK a call on 01908 661623 or come along to our drop in and speak to one of our friendly, trained advisors every Thursday morning from 10am-12noon in the reception at Acorn House, 351 Midsummer Boulevard, CMK, MK9 3HP.
Alternatively, you can search for local opportunities via www.do-it.org