Just beginning

Just Beginning

Beginning Volunteering

When I first came to volunteer I had many deep seated prejudices about what it meant. From an early age I had wanted to volunteer, I used to look at posters and television broadcasts in awe at the people who were kind hearted enough to sacrifice their time for the good of others and their community. However; after hitting my teenage years, my opinions changed. To many teenagers the idea of giving up my precious time to do unpaid work is unappealing. Between balancing my schoolwork, job, friends and social life I felt that more work was an unattractive prospect, but alas this was far from the truth.

I walked into my first voluntary youth forum meeting, feeling nervous and resenting the fact that I could just as easily be with friends, but I persevered. I was confused about the format, fearing that it would be too rigid and I would be put to tasks that I wouldn't want to do but soon realised that I was wrong. There was a light-hearted atmosphere, the other volunteers were all very friendly and my project officer was a kind, understanding person.

Since my first meeting, I have been involved in several, very enjoyable activities. I have received committee skills training and disability awareness training, both of which will benefit my CV in later years and my university application when the time comes. I worked as a support volunteer in a summer scheme with young adults with learning disabilities, meeting many different people and making new friends. I helped organise several open days to publicize youth volunteering, an activity which made me feel empowered as a teenager.

Volunteering has allowed me to put my spare time to good use; I hope my involvement will be seen as an aspiration of other teenagers in my area. Opportunities have opened up that I may not have otherwise received and I would recommend it to anyone.

Niall O'Rourke, Aged 15