I have already spent almost 200 hours volunteering in various groups. I was in the final of YPI when I was in S3 and although our group did not win for Beat Scotland ( which upset me a bit) I was able to speak at the Scottish Learning Festival about the whole process and why Beat Scotland is such an important charity. This was really important for me as at the start of YPI, I did not even like going into a room with too many people. Volunteering on behalf of other people gives you confidence.

I think it is important to help people because it not only benefits you but it also benefits the people you help. For example when I went to Lenzie Old Parish Church’s games club on Thursday afternoons,  that was really beneficial to the older residents as without the club they could have been lonely. You also got to hear all their stories which gave you a glimpse into their lives.

When I organise Dyslexia awareness week I have to develop my confidence in order to present to all the different primary schools and to work with the other pupils who are also presenting. As I am dyslexic it is something that I think is important. If someone like me had visited my class when I was in Primary school I think it might have helped me to realise I was not so different from anyone else. I think it just shows that you think in a different way and that’s okay.

In the future I would like to continue to work on dyslexia awareness and supporting pupils in the Pupil Support department maybe also volunteer with The Tennis Aces as it looks a lot of fun.

Volunteering– Kiendi Searle-Mbullu 

 https://thetennisaces.co.uk/

I started volunteering with the Tennis Aces in 2018 as I started my Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award and needed to complete 6 months of volunteering to gain my award however I continued to volunteer as it gave me so much more than just my award. 

The Tennis Aces is a non-profit, voluntary, organisation formed in 2015 that gives adults and children with additional support needs, a community and a group of friends to be part of and with on a weekly basis. The group plays a variety of sports such as basketball and netball however the focus is on inclusion and friendship through sport, not playing sport and consequently making friends. 

This is what I’ve discovered through my time and this is why I’ve stayed on. There are few things that are as enjoyable as seeing people included and making friends is so special to me. To also see this through sport is amazing because I have been heavily involved in sport my whole life so to see people of different abilities enjoying it and finding it beneficial is very moving. This for me is what volunteering is all about- seeing the development, progression and joy people get with your aid.