Changing Lives

Volunteering is a great way to learn new skills, meet new people and build self confidence. Don't just take our word for it, read Karen, John, Sue, Rob and Mark's stories about their volunteering experiences...

Mark’s Story

In December 2010 we volunteered to assist those regular volunteers who provide all year round support to people less fortunate at the Trinity Family Centre in Westcliff.

We are a family of 6, mum, dad and 4 willing children - 2 boys and 2 girls ages from 13 to 20. 

We contacted Emily at the Volunteer Centre in SAVs and explained that we wanted to help and Emily did the rest.

We were asked to go to the Trinity Centre on December 27th to help serve dinner, wash up, clean up, chat to the clients and help where possible.

Well, we were so impressed with people who work at the centre on a voluntary basis, not just at Christmas but every day of the year - it was most humbling, these people are so committed to helping others, not like us who were just helping on a one off basis at Christmas.

The work these people do is so needed and rarely recognised by many of us, but on talking to some of the people who attend the centre, the work of these volunteers is really appreciated.

The centre work tirelessly to support these people and try and assist them in improving their situation.

We chatted with a number of those less fortunate than ourselves and they are good people who for what ever reason have found themselves in a situation they don't want to be in. 

One thing really hit home with all of us - these people have dignity and pride and the fact is that each of us could at any time easily find ourselves in the same position as these people. Everyone is living day to day, each of us not knowing what is around the corner.

So, there we were willing and able to support - Mum (Jane), Serena and Claudia were waitressing, taking orders then serving up  and chatting to anyone who wanted to chat !  Whilst Alex was in charge of making the 100+ sandwiches for the clients to take away for tea, Laurence was responsible for making the many teas and coffees and for me it was home from home - washing and drying up !!

This was a really enjoyable and rewarding time for us as a family, not a chore, just great fun and as I said humbling.

The committed volunteers are to be applauded for their selflessness - they need more support  all year round and depend on the generosity of donations to keep the centre running and carry on their valuable work.

We are back again this year to help out and we recommend anyone to give up a few hours and help those in need. Just contact Emily on 01702 356060.

Karen's Story

Looking back now I can see I have suffered from depression and stress since my childhood, causing me to have a lot of time off school which in turn meant I was constantly trying to catch up on what I missed. I left school at the age of 16 with a handful of CSE’s. 

Luckily for me I was taken on the YTS (Youth Training Scheme) with Southend Borough Council. I worked in the Civic Centre 4 days a week and attended college one day a week studying office skills, typing and book keeping. I was so pleased when I was taken on as a member of staff. I began as a clerk in the planning department then over the years worked in many of the departments and finally in the computer department. I was very happy at the Civic Centre, the staff were lovely but I became seriously ill in 1990 and was rushed to hospital with viral Meningitis.

I was soon home again being cared for by my husband and parents. It took a very long time for me to recover as I suffered from ME for many years. Slowly I grew stronger and I began to venture outside again. I found it very hard to leave the safety of my flat – as I had been semi housebound for so long I had become agoraphobic. The more I tried to rebuild my life the more stressed I became. My doctor had been very supportive all through my illness and referred me to a psychiatrist. I hoped they would give me a magic pill and it would all be ok but it wasn’t quite that simple. I tried desperately to get back to work but it was all too much and I had a complete nervous breakdown. I couldn’t do the simplest of things. My health team wanted to admit me to Runwell Hospital but I was lucky to have the love and support of my parents and my husband as well as seeing a wonderful psychiatrist who fought for me to have ECT treatment as an out patient. I will never be able to thank him and my family enough – they literally saved my life.

As time passed, my depression did improve but I led a very isolated life. I hardly ever went out and spent most days at home alone in bed. I comfort ate constantly and slept all the time so as you can imagine I gained a huge amount of weight which in turn made my depression and self loathing worse. Then out of the blue in 2006, my husband who I was devoted to left me for another woman. I was devastated – I moved back home with my parents. I was terrified that I would fall back into that black pit of despair again and never climb out…. And for a while I did. Somehow, something gave me an overwhelming desire to keep busy – probably so I didn’t have time to think about what had happened. I signed up for some courses at college, art and craft courses mainly, it was great. I just lost myself while in class.

Then one day, while out at a local event, I was buying some plants when I saw they were looking for volunteers to help with their gardening project. I jumped at the chance. The project was called Growing Together and their aim is to help people with mental health problems through gardening. I put my name down straight away. My first day was spent on East Beach cooking a bar – b – q at their away day. I had a wonderful time, everybody was just so kind. After that I began to volunteer half a day a week at their allotment on the corner of Fairfax Drive and Blenheim Chase. I was nervous at first but the staff and other volunteers were so friendly I was soon doing two days a week. My confidence grew so much that I began to take on more responsibility. I helped set up the volunteer committee, I arranged social events for the volunteers, I began working on the sales team selling our produce, even helping out on our stall at special events. I was also asked to sit on the interview panel when they were taking on new staff. The staff at Growing Together really helped me to build my confidence and self-esteem. I spent three wonderful years at Growing Together and still keep in contact, in fact I was helping them at their open day only last week!

They gave me the strength to take my next step into the world. My next step was helping out at Rethink Distribution. I helped other volunteers to pack the “Time to Change” merchandise and carried out some clerical duties in their office. The staff at Rethink were so kind and supportive and helped me realise I was ready to take on more responsibilities. So in August of 2009 I applied to be a volunteer Receptionist at SAVS (Southend Association of Voluntary Services) and the rest as they say is history.

I was really nervous at first, it had been so long since I had worked in a “proper” office. I thought I’d never get the hang of it but the staff were all so friendly and made me feel as if I was really making a difference by being there. Since volunteering at SAVS I’ve taken courses in Word, Publisher, Minute Taking and am now studying for a level 2 NVQ in Leading in the Third Sector and am about to study for a level 2 NVQ in Customer Care. My improved confidence and skills together with the qualifications I have gained since volunteering will really help me to achieve my goal of getting back to paid work.

I cannot thank Growing Together, Rethink and most recently SAVS, enough for giving me the confidence and skills that have made me the happy, confident and fulfilled woman that is writing this article. I thoroughly recommend to anyone out there who wants to; improve their skills, confidence, self esteem or even just to have fun; please don’t leave it as long as I did – contact your local volunteer centre today!

Karen

John's Story 
On the 11th March 2010 I was made redundant from Spire Healthcare after 5 1/2 years. One of the things we were encouraged to do on leaving was to be 'pro active' in looking for work. I had a good idea what I would like to do, but did not know where to turn. I registered with the Job Centre and following a meeting with an advisor, I had a clear idea what I needed to do.

One of the many things I did was to make an appointment with the Volunteer Centre Southend at SAVS (Southend Association of Voluntary Services). When I went to SAVS they told me that I would have to wait for about 3 weeks before I could see someone. On the day of my appointment I realised that the time of my signing on at the job centre clashed with my appointment. I contacted SAVS to rearrange the time from 2pm and Emily was able to meet me that Thursday afternoon at 4pm. I shared with Emily the kind of things I was looking at, for example, I wanted to help make a difference in peoples lives. We discussed many options available to me but while they were ok they did not really spark a great interest for me. However, Emily gave me one last option to look at because time was starting to press. This one was to work at a local Sever Emotional and Behaviour School. This one interested me so Emily sent my profile to the school for them to look at. I left the office about 4.45.

I got home just after 5 and by 5.30pm the phone rang and the Head Teacher from the School was contacting me. We arranged to meet the following morning with the view of me volunteering to do some work there. However that was when things took a different direction. During the meeting we discussed the option of a full time job in the school rather than volunteering. I was given the chance to spend time as a volunteer at the school but with a view to taking a full time post if one was offered. By the end of the following week the school was offering me a temporary contract until the end of the school year in July. After a few weeks I was interviewed for a permanent position. Now my contract has been made permanent.

I believe that doing volunteer work is important for at lease 2 reasons,

1. It helps to keep a person who is looking and possibly struggling to find work, motivated and engaged with the workforce. This in turn could lead to full or part time work but it also helps to keep moral up as well.

2. It helps Organisations, Charity's and business to fill places that perhaps they could not afford to fill otherwise.

I went to the school with a clear idea of doing some volunteering while looking for a full time job - not to get a full time job out of it. I am really glad I registered with the Volunteer Centre Southend because I really did gain full time work as a direct result.

Sue’s Story
In June of this year I was unexpectedly made redundant from an administrative post. I felt a complete loss of confidence and thought that there was little chance of finding alternative employment in the current economic climate. I wondered how I would fill my time; I wanted to feel as though I was contributing to society and, above all, I wanted to avoid becoming isolated.

Almost immediately I was told by a friend that they were looking for additional volunteer receptionists at SAVS (Southend Association of Voluntary Services). I contacted the centre, made an appointment to meet Emily and, after a few trial sessions, I became a volunteer receptionist. The staff and volunteers at SAVS were, and continue to be, a great source of encouragement. Although they have demanding jobs the staff are always ready to listen to any concerns and problems, even those not directly connected to the volunteering role.

Luckily, I have since been able to find a paid part- time administrative post. However, I felt that the support I had received was so valuable that I would continue to contribute a few hours a week on a day I was not working. The happy and supportive atmosphere has done much to rebuild my self esteem. I find it very rewarding to help others in the same position, even in a small way.

One of the reasons I feel the Volunteer Centre has so much to offer is that the staff really listen, and will make every effort to help anyone to find the volunteering position best suited to their needs. Volunteering can provide the opportunity to try something different and explore new directions in life. The Do-it website contains a huge range of volunteering opportunities. Also, many of the volunteering opportunities provide training in skills transferable to the work place.

Volunteering has been a very positive experience for me and I would recommend it to anyone.

Rob's Story -
Worth the risk

My curiosity was sparked after passing it in the lift lobby a dozen times. “Motivate the Estate: A community transformation programme - making the impossible possible” -A little purple poster which at the time had more implications than I realised.

“Do you want to make a difference to the lives of young people and the community?” it asked. I was intrigued- what’s that all about? I wondered.

I arranged to have a chat with the organiser of Motivate the Estate who explained more about the project which was being delivered in partnership with an organisation called Youth at Risk. Through a combination of the long term supportive structure of the programme and the willingness of volunteers, young lives were being transformed to realise their full potential.

I was inspired by the idea, and in November 09 I attended a three day training course called Coaching for Professionals. The course content was similar to what the young people who signed up to the programme would experience, and we explored barriers that can often get in our way in life such as fear, excuses, and any unhelpful assumptions and beliefs which could be hindering us from getting what we say that we want . It was a revealing time which as well as meeting some fantastic people, left me with a lot of food for thought.

When an opportunity to support the residential part of the programme came up a few months later, I booked some annual leave to volunteer for 9 days to support 50 young people who through their actions were at risk of poor outcomes. For 9 days in March 2010, we’d be supporting the young people through an intensive programme at an adventure centre in the middle of the Shropshire countryside.

What was I doing!? I confess that as the time approached I really questioned why I’d put myself in this position. 50 hormonal, challenging, unpredictable young people for 9 days in the middle of no where. My imagination was working overtime.

I should say that there was an intensive pre-course training weekend which was really helpful in bonding the team of volunteers and letting us know what to expect, and how to deal with challenging situations. This preparation was a real help to me on the residential week.

The week itself was an honestly amazing experience. Inspiring, challenging, intense, emotional, heart warming, fun. I’d questioned at times what I would be able to give as a volunteer? The answer was relationship, support, encouragement, commitment, laughter, challenge and understanding.

It was very moving to be a part of something that provided a safe environment where the young participants could start to move beyond the barriers they had perceived in life, whilst at the same time acknowledging pain and sadness about difficult experiences. It’s amazing to see a life transformed.

There we’re times during that 9 days when, exhausted or intensely challenged, it would’ve been easier to call it a day, but the thing that kept me going was the strong sense of commitment and community I felt towards the young people and my fellow volunteers who I admired deeply for their courage and unfailing commitment- I couldn’t let them down- we were a team.

It’s now been several months since that life changing experience. Am I glad I did it? Completely.

I recently met the parents of one of the young men who I’d supported on the residential week. He’d struggled intensely at times throughout the programme (it was hard!). I was so happy to hear his parents saying what an amazing difference the programme has made to their sons life – he’s gone from getting F’s at school, to now achieving C’s, and his relationships have really improved. Their feelings of gratitude have inspired them to become volunteers in sustaining the future of the programme.

The relationships, experiences and new areas of confidence I’ve gained through the risk of being involved have been so valuable, and I expect the positive effects to be long lasting in the lives of all who were involved. It was definitely worth the risk.
- Rob Walters.

To find out more about volunteering call Emily on 01702 356060 at the Volunteer Centre Southend.