Jonathan Guckian is a pupil at Lumen Christi College in L'Derry and a participant in the Millennium Volunteers programme. He spends around 8-10 hours per month volunteering at Altnagelvin Hospital in L'Derry on Ward 8, an orthopaedic ward, where he assists the ward clerk and, in Spruce House spending time with patients. He got involved through some friends who volunteer there who encouraged him to sign up.

Jonathan wants to be a doctor, so his voluntary activity allows him to see exactly what life is like in the hospital.
"I am always learning and I thoroughly enjoy spending time with patients. Sometimes I get to shadow doctors and participate in training workshops. I have always wanted to study medicine at university, so my volunteering at Altnagelvin gives me the chance to see what a career as a doctor would be like at first hand."

"Volunteering is a great personal development opportunity, it can give an insight into certain careers, can raise self-esteem and can also add to your CV. I would encourage anyone and everyone to volunteer as it is a very enjoyable and often enriching experience."

In September 2008, Jonathan was one of 25 young people from across the UK and Ireland who participated in the Carnegie UK Trust's Inquiry into the Future of Civil Society.
"Participants were chosen on the basis of their engagement in civil society. Most participants had been involved in youth forums, youth parliaments or, like me, volunteering work. A number of themes emerged from the event, including education, poverty, negative stereotypes and the media, materialism, participation and mental and physical health. I believe these issues go hand-in-hand with the experience of volunteering. As far as participation goes; is there any better illustration of active citizenship than volunteering - making a contribution to your community, playing your part for the benefit of others."

"I have learned that individually we, can not only make a difference to the lives of others, but collectively, by bringing the values of volunteering with us wherever we go in life, we can make the difference in creating a new, better society for the future."