During National Volunteer’s Week, we asked our volunteers and staff members about their experiences to learn how their time with us has helped them. So, we compiled a list of some of the benefits of volunteering.
Be Part of a Team
Feeling like you’re part of a group might be important to your work satisfaction, and volunteering can provide that. Particularly with Aspire4u, community and collaboration are at the very centre of the organisation.
“There’s a kind of team ethic in Aspire. You’ve got all the Whatsapp groups… You always feel there’s support wherever you need it.”-Josh
Discover New Career Paths
Volunteering can be a good opportunity if you’re unsure what direction you want to take. You may discover a new area that interests you and decide what you want to do as a career. It may even encourage you to go in a direction you wouldn’t have considered previously.
“So before I started volunteering for Aspire, I was just studying and working. And that kind of pushed the reason why I started volunteering; I wanted something on my CV alongside my psychology degree. And my career path changed”-Josh
A Gateway to Employment
In some cases, volunteering can lead to part-time or even full-time employment, which can be within the organisation or by adding something unique to your CV to attract future employers.
“From there [after volunteering], they offered me some part-time work until I went full-time in 2020 as a project manager.”- Laura
Learn and Develop Skills
Volunteering gives you vital skills and experiences to prepare you for industry work. As a result, you can build upon your skills so they’re at a professional level.
“I want to know how things work in the real industry here in the UK. So I thought the best thing would be to go for a volunteership because it’s going to give me more exposure even before I go to the real industry.”-Sonal
Collaborating across different departments may learn professional skills you wouldn’t have before. This might open up doors to new career paths.
“I started as a researcher. I also get a chance to work on other departments like social media.”- Poonam
Of course, these don’t just have to be career skills. For many people, volunteering is also a good way to build up valuable attributes for later life. An example of this is confidence.
“I would definitely say that I’m more confident now in approaching new people than I was before.”-Poonam
Networking
Networking involves building a list of professional contacts. Volunteer projects can be a great opportunity for people who hope to get close to industry figures and expand their career opportunities.
“Through all these projects, I’m getting a lot of networking as well.”- Sonal
Volunteers might want to try engaging in as many activities as possible. Networking offers a wide range of experiences but can also help you meet and build new connections.
“I threw myself into all the opportunities that came with. I helped out with school enrichment days. I helped out with festivals and events… You never know who you’re going to meet, you never know what you’re going to learn and where you’ll end up.”-Laura
Volunteer work can be both a useful and a rewarding experience. Also, it can help you build up many of the necessary skills and knowledge you will need for a future career.
Join our team
Aspire4u currently is looking for volunteers to assist with a variety of projects. If you would like to join our team, apply here:
- Admin Assistant (Wellbeing Service)
- Research Assistant
- Graphic Designer
- Social Media Marketing Assistant
- Videographer
- Writer
Written by Joseph Perks
For Aspire4u CIC,
The Mindset-Led Organisation
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We are a not-for-profit community engagement organisation. We use the arts to develop mindsets to improve well-being, foster financial literacy and give people employability skills.
So, get involved! You can contact hello@aspire4u.co.uk to discuss our current opportunities.
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