Amy Harrison

Amy has just finished volunteering at the Tuesday evening drop-in at Rhema after two and a half years.

She "volunteered" to be interviewed by Matt about her experiences here.

 

Hi Amy. What made you want to come and volunteer at Rhema Youth Works?
It was because my friend came and volunteered here and she thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'd done stuff at university about young people as part of my degree but then I hadn't done anything with it and I thought, "I enjoyed learning about young people so I'll start volunteering".

What's the best thing about volunteering here at Rhema?
Everyone's nice and friendly - the young people who come here are nice and the staff are all very nice and supportive.

If you could sum up volunteering at Rhema in three words, what would they be?
Err... Fun. Varied. It's Exciting. It's Welcoming.
That's four words!

Would you say that you have learned anything new whilst volunteering?
Yes. I've become more aware of the services available to young people and the whole transition period from school to college and employment and stuff like that aswell. And you sent me on that mental health training and I found that very useful.

Do you feel that you volunteering actually makes a difference to young people's lives?
I think, on the whole, yes. It's not just down to me, but if it wasn't for volunteers here or in many different organisations staffing would be difficult and then you wouldn't be able to have a consistent service. Young people need that because it means they have somewhere to go and they feel that they can rely on that place and feel comfortable and know they've always got somewhere to go, rather than it's on one week, it's not on for a couple of months, they get more funding, they come back.

What do you find challenging about volunteering?
Sometimes I'm tired when I get home from work and that's quite challenging having a full time job and volunteering. And sometimes some young people are a bit more difficult than others and that can be challenging too.

Can you think of a highlight moment of your time volunteering here?
Erm, The Christmas Party? No, wait. I remember one time we were doing some bits a art on tables and even though the young people weren't bothered about doing it, when they saw us do it, they were and they came over, sat down, started chatting to us and joined in and it was nice. I just liked that.

So tell us about the Christmas party then...
Well, Naomi puts on lots of fun Christmas party games and you get some food and you all just sit round together and it's just good fun. (laughs)

Do you feel supported as a volunteer at Rhema?
Yes, definitely. I think if I had a problem I wouldn't hesitate in going to you or Naomi, or even Steve.

Has volunteering here given you any skills that you've been able to use in other areas of your life?
Yes. I think that by volunteering and working with young people I've acquired skills like communication and people skills and I think that my volunteering here has helped me in the work I've done at secondary school and for the council at the moment.

If someone was thinking about volunteering, what would you suggest they consider?
Oh, that's a good one. That they've got staying power because there's no point saying that you're going to volunteer and then only turning up for a few sessions and then never coming back again because you won't get a very good picture of what volunteering is like, the young people see you a couple of times and then you're off again and that's no good. I would definitely consider how much time you've got.

If you had to give volunteering at Rhema a score out of ten, what would you give it?
I'd give it a nine, because there's always room for improvement.

If you could sum up volunteering at Rhema in three words, what would they be?
Err... Fun. Varied. It's Exciting. It's Welcoming.

That's four words! And on that bombshell, we'll terminate the interview. Thanks Amy, goodbye.