Transcript

Lisa Harris

I volunteer for Bravery Boxes because I saw the trauma that my friend went through with having a son that was very sick, but also how positive it was that she was doing something so positive in the hospital and to help other children like hers. So, that was very important that I got involved and got on board. With the community theatre, I love drama. I love performing. I enjoy directing. So it was a great way of doing that in my spare time. I have two young children, and I work. And so there’s lots of other things going on in my life, but it’s nice to go and do something that is aside from all of that and that I enjoy.

Louisa Allen

I’ve always felt quite passionate about sort of giving back to society. And I think actually I see it the other way round now. I think how I’ve benefited as a person. Some of the people that I’ve met that I wouldn’t have ordinarily met, I think, in my daily life, has been really enriching. And also I think of the skills that I’ve learned as well. So I think about actually speaking to children in the assembly environment and the sort of things that they are really interested in knowing. And the Red Cross doing the first aid side of the things has been so interesting because I wouldn’t have ordinarily been in those kind of environments. So I think I’ve benefited as an individual through doing it, and hopefully, I’ve sort of given back a little bit as well.

Bernard Coen

The discussion groups, because I originally went along and attended a discussion group, and progressed, I think, where they needed somebody who would help out with facilitating discussion groups. And I enjoyed the social aspect, and I found that I was learning a great deal as well. And so I wanted to attend and needed a role. And the Sunday school teaching partly because I saw the benefits with my own children, and they were looking for somebody. And I said I could help and found myself still doing it 15 years later and enjoying it, sometimes. And sometimes it’s quite hard.

Sas

I volunteer because, well, for various reasons, I think, depending on the type of volunteering that I’m working on. I think, and they all seem quite selfish now I’m thinking – I’m running them to back off in my mind. I think I like to work with the kids because that’s at lunchtime in the middle of the week. And I think after you’ve had lots of meetings with adults discussing procedure and scheduling and arguing over finite bits of work, it’s really refreshing to go to the school and see kids who are just super enthusiastic to read and shout and talk and you can see them learning the world as you’re reading with them. And I think it’s really fun to move from one extreme to another, and that’s a nice way to break up the day.

I think similar reason for volunteering at the library, after you’ve kind of spent all day in your mind on the computer, thinking things through and answering emails, it’s nice to break off completely. And when I’m at the library, I primarily just stack books. And it’s nice to do something that requires very little mental effort whatsoever. And so it’s a really nice way to kind of transition from a very kind of intense day where you’re thinking a lot to just very simple, basic physical activities, I think.

And I guess finally with the shelter, I don’t think there’s any one particular reason but the fact that it’s just really interesting to be in a situation where you can have all these really fun conversations with people. And everyone there comes from such a variety of backgrounds, and some of them aren’t even from this country. And you can just sit there and have chats with them and play games and talk with them. I think it’s kind of really rewarding for us, as well.

And not to mention, they give us free food. So it doesn’t really feel like you’re volunteering. You’re just having a conversation with a few friends. Then you get to go home. So, I think quite different reasons for all of them actually, when I come to think about it.