I started my volunteering adventure back in January 2012. I had signed up for the Duke of Edinburgh Award along with some friends and part of the programme included volunteering, so I set of on my journey to find a volunteer placement. This led me to my local Volunteer Centre where I was greeted by Barbara and Roy. We had an informal chat about my interest and how many hours etc I had to complete. By the end of the chat I had my placement sorted within the Volunteer Centre itself as they needed help in the office. So every Monday for a year I had been volunteering with the Magherafelt Centre helping with making volunteer packs, databasing, designing posters and helping where needed.
Over that year I learnt many new skills and met many other volunteers and of course got to know the friendly staff and committee of the Volunteer Centre. Over that year I also achieved my Millennium Volunteer 50hrs award which was presented to me by my good friend Roy. In my opinion, volunteering was the best part of my Duke of Ed experience and would thoroughly recommend it to anyone.
Fast forward nearly two years and now I have returned to complete work experience. I have been given the opportunity to be the first contact for those calling the office, helping with their Student Volunteering Week plans/activities, creating a volunteer stories booklet and generally helping all staff as and when needed.
The simple fact that I joined up as a volunteer for a good year and have learned new skills means I have more detail to write down on a CV when looking for a job. On my placement I read a quote “73% of 200 leading UK businesses said that they would employ a candidate with volunteering experience over one without” – (source Timebank)
A lot of people would think that volunteering is boring, however I can easily say this: They’re wrong. I’ve met a lot of new friends and picked up new skills and abilities during my time at Magherafelt Volunteer Centre. I feel the staff at the Volunteer Centre appreciate my work and have always made me feel welcome and part of the team.
To conclude, I would like to give a big thank you to Barbara for helping me find a placement I thoroughly enjoyed and to all the staff and fellow volunteers for keeping me in good chat
I would HIGHLY recommend you signing up to become a volunteer, trust me; it is mighty good fun and a great experience. You won’t believe it ‘till ya try it! –
Nathan
Over that year I learnt many new skills and met many other volunteers and of course got to know the friendly staff and committee of the Volunteer Centre. Over that year I also achieved my Millennium Volunteer 50hrs award which was presented to me by my good friend Roy. In my opinion, volunteering was the best part of my Duke of Ed experience and would thoroughly recommend it to anyone.
Fast forward nearly two years and now I have returned to complete work experience. I have been given the opportunity to be the first contact for those calling the office, helping with their Student Volunteering Week plans/activities, creating a volunteer stories booklet and generally helping all staff as and when needed.
The simple fact that I joined up as a volunteer for a good year and have learned new skills means I have more detail to write down on a CV when looking for a job. On my placement I read a quote “73% of 200 leading UK businesses said that they would employ a candidate with volunteering experience over one without” – (source Timebank)
A lot of people would think that volunteering is boring, however I can easily say this: They’re wrong. I’ve met a lot of new friends and picked up new skills and abilities during my time at Magherafelt Volunteer Centre. I feel the staff at the Volunteer Centre appreciate my work and have always made me feel welcome and part of the team.
To conclude, I would like to give a big thank you to Barbara for helping me find a placement I thoroughly enjoyed and to all the staff and fellow volunteers for keeping me in good chat
I would HIGHLY recommend you signing up to become a volunteer, trust me; it is mighty good fun and a great experience. You won’t believe it ‘till ya try it! –
Nathan
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