Volunteering Stories

Get inspired by the contribution volunteers make.

Hanna and Layla, Big Sleep Volunteers and Fundraisers

As healthcare students, Hanna and Layla have always been passionate about helping others, so they opted to participate in a sponsored sleep out on campus, called the Big Sleep. The Big Sleep aims to raise awareness and vital funds for a local charity called The Bridge Homelessness to Hope, that offers support to homeless people in Leicester.

Both Hanna and Layla feel that they now have a deeper insight into the struggles of sleeping outside, especially in the rain. During the Big Sleep, they found it valuable to hear from someone who had experienced homelessness first hand.  

Summarising their participation in the Big Sleep, Hanna and Layla say,

• “It inspired and motivated us to take part in more volunteering opportunities in the future and we definitely appreciated our beds more in the morning!
• “It was an eye-opening experience and we encourage everyone to volunteer as much as they can as it’s a very important cause that people don’t know enough about.”

Vlad, Appropriate Adult Volunteer for Leicester City Council

Psychology student, Vlad, immersed himself in various extracurricular experiences as he wanted to gain new responsibilities and refine his time management skills. To achieve this, Vlad became a Course Representative for the School of Psychology, a Committee Member for the British Psychological Society and was elected to become President of the Leicester Students’ Union Psychology Society. In addition to this, Vlad also volunteers as an ‘Appropriate Adult’ for Leicester County Council, which involves supporting juveniles during police interviews.  Volunteering has provided Vlad with some incredible first-hand experiences which has further fuelled him to explore his passion within forensics.

When describing Vlad’s motivation to volunteer he says,"I have an extreme ambition to always keep myself occupied. I thought the best way to do this was doing volunteering as it is the best way to keep on my toes. Working hard and doing good for the world makes me both proud and happy as both my skills are improving and knowing that the time spent in volunteering is good for anyone. I would highly encourage anyone to volunteer if they want to provide their spare time to do something good!"

Samuel, Library Champion

Samuel volunteered with the Library Champions because he felt that he wanted to add experiences to his CV while also doing something which benefits people, too. Samuel chose the Library Champions specifically because he felt that he would be able to contribute a lot to the scheme.

“I’ve always loved reading, and as a physics student I thought I could help get other science students to better engage with the library. I really developed my confidence through this scheme. I think that by doing the various tasks I needed to do I found that I already could do them. It showed me that I could be confident and say ‘Yes, I can do that’ or ‘Yes, I’ll take on that responsibility,’ and then follow through on that commitment.”

When asked what he would say to anyone who hasn’t volunteered before, Samuel says, “Volunteering is fun, helps others, and helps develop yourself too. If you have time, it’s definitely worth it!”

Kazz, Finance Volunteer at Vista

Kazz gained practical office-based experience by volunteering at Vista’s Head Office, where there are a range of different departments. Vista is a charity that supports people with sight loss. Upon reflecting on her experience, Kazz said it was fun and realised just how important each person is to supporting the charitable organisations’ mission.

When asked what he would say to anyone who hasn’t volunteered before, Kazz said: “It’s nice to do an activity once a week for your mental health, and also just be involved with society as a whole. Talk to everyone and anyone.

Don’t be shy to try new things. Don’t stress out if you miss a day. There is no attendance so feel free to go again even if you haven’t gone for a long time.”

Anubhooti, Library Champion

Anubhooti opted to volunteer as a Library Champion as she wanted to enhance her English reading skills but gained so much more than she anticipated. Anubhooti says the most enjoyable part of her experience was working with others who are equally passionate about growing, learning and researching. When asked if she benefitted from her experience, Anubhooti says, “Being a volunteer not only help us make a difference but will help us to grow individually and academically. I made very good friends from other departments and networked with people working in the library. I enhanced my reading, presentation, communication and team working skills.”

Frankie, School Reading Buddy

Frankie volunteered on a fortnightly basis for over 6 months to support children in a local primary school with their reading and offered additional classroom support, when required. Frankie also boosted her confidence and communication skills by creating a presentation to teach classrooms full of children about the Chinese New Year.

Upon reflecting on her volunteering experience, Frankie said: “After seeing the teachers and the Teaching Assistants handling over 30 pupils, I learned that teaching positions are very demanding, so I am glad to be helpful to the teaching staff, no matter how small the impact might be.”

Gunjan, Warning Zone Volunteer

Gunjan volunteered for Warning Zone, a local charity dedicated to teaching life-skills and safeguarding to children in an engaging and interactive setting.

Volunteering has benefited her in many ways. It has helped her to enhance her leadership skills and interact with people of all ages. Volunteering has also provided Gunjan with a platform to discover exciting career paths and gain valuable practical experience to build her CV.

Gunjan feels a real sense of pride through her volunteering and said: “The most enjoyable and rewarding part of my experience was working with children and seeing them learn about safety. I enjoyed teaching them and helping them to understand key messages around being safe online. I was also proud to be part of the Warning Zone team and to contribute to their mission of making the world a safer place.”

Emmanuella, The Big Sleep Volunteer

Emmanuella gave up her bed and spent a night sleeping outdoors along with other ‘Big Sleep’ volunteers and fundraisers. Despite the cold and rain, inspiring volunteers like Emmanuella remained resilient and slept outside to fulfil their pledge to raise money and awareness of homelessness on behalf of The Bridge Homelessness to Hope charity.

Talking about her Big Sleep experience, Emmanuella says, “I learnt that it takes a whole lot of courage to be able to sleep outside in the cold and rain. I now feel so fresh and renewed with energy to continue my assignments and plans.” Having had time to reflect on her experience, Emmanuella is keen to set up something similar to The Bridge, Homelessness to Hope charity, when she returns to Ghana.

When asked what she would advise anyone who is thinking of volunteering, Emmanuella says, “give it a shot, it’s good for your mental health and it teaches you about humanity.”

Volunteer case studies | Everyone has a story