Ruth
I decided to be a volunteer because I wanted to actively play a role in supporting young people through difficult and challenging stages of their life and hopefully have a positive impact.
Today my mentee and I went for a coffee and a catch up. My mentee has a lot going on in their life and dedicates so much time to everyone else, having the ability to air how they are feeling without being judged can help them gain perspective on everything. The focus of today’s session was college as they are currently working from home with limited support.
What I like most about being a volunteer is seeing the smile on the young person’s face after our meeting, particularly when at the beginning of the meeting the young person is struggling to find anything positive.
I would advise other people to give volunteering a go because there are so many young people in need of support, just a few hours a week can make a huge difference in their life.
Gareth
I decided to be a mentor because I wanted to use my spare time to do something that would benefit others and also help me feel more fulfilled.
During my last mentoring session, I took my young person to the golf driving range which was a great way to help them relax and chat.
What I like most is having the chance to get to know people that I never would have met if I hadn't started volunteering. I also value getting an insight into occupations that are completely different to my profession. I would advise other people to give volunteering a go because it’s a fantastic way to develop yourself whilst benefitting others.
Sarah
I decided to be a volunteer because after a period of self -reflection during furlough in the pandemic, I realised I wasn’t contributing at all to my local community and really felt that I wanted to. Having had a good childhood at home, I understand that not all children have that, and felt that if I could be a source of advice/guidance/inspiration for just one child in their lifetime then wouldn’t that be a great thing to do.
Our last session together was a comforting hot drink and cookie in a local cafe, where we had some good chats about ambitions, where they would like to live and what professions they might like to explore. It was a lovely “vision” session about how her life could be, and what she would need to mark off as the checkpoints in her life’s Road Map along the way. She said she really enjoyed the session as it was good to imagine the life she could have and gave her some clear goals in the short term.
What I like most about being a volunteer is the variety. You just never know how a session is going to go, and it’s really developing me and my own skills too in terms of agility, resilience and communication skills. I also love to see the trust building with my young adult from the first session as they continue, you can see how over time they can relax a little more and really open up to you which is great that they feel they can.
I would advise other people to give volunteering a go because it is such a good thing to do, to give up your time (no matter how busy you are), to think that the time you spend with that young adult might just be a pivotal life changing time for them, it might just spark an idea or a passion that they never knew they had, it might just give them an hour away from home for just themselves and gives them a chance to talk to someone neutral. It gives you a remarkable sense of purpose and a huge sense of deep down satisfaction to think that you have helped someone. Priceless.
Eleri
For the last visit with my mentee, we went for a walk around Flint Castle, we walked along the front taking in the lovely view then went into the Castle ruins to have a look round. We finished the visit with some chips from Macdonalds looking over the estuary.
I decided to become a volunteer firstly because I wanted to help others and do something worthwhile, but I also wanted to gain experience working with young people whilst I am completing a degree in Health and Social Care and hopefully develop a career in this area. I have also not worked for several years due to caring responsibilities and study so volunteering has helped to build my confidence to apply for jobs in the future.
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