Celebrating Volunteering at Lead Talent

We’re celebrating Volunteers’ Week at Lead Talent and Nicola Wass, Lead Talent’s Implementation expert and volunteer with Mind, shares her volunteering experience.

Reasons to give back.

It’s human nature to feel good after helping someone out and I’ve learnt through experience that volunteering can also help you gain valuable new skills, as well as giving your confidence a boost.

The annual Volunteers’ Week, in June, is a celebration of the contribution millions of people make across the UK through volunteering in their communities, and an opportunity to say thank you to them, acknowledging their important contribution to the voluntary sector and society as a whole. The week also raises awareness about the personal benefits of becoming a volunteer and the diverse roles that are available.

Vital volunteering.

As well as helping others, volunteering has been shown to have a positive impact on the lives of those who volunteer, boosting self-esteem and abilities. There are many voluntary organisations in the UK that rely on volunteers who want to share their valuable skills, give back or help others, so every year Volunteers’ Week has a different theme which is designed to help organisations think about how they can successfully open up volunteering opportunities to all and increase diversity in their volunteer base and trustees.

My volunteering journey started 2 years ago when I joined Teesside’s Leading Mental Health Charity – Mind (Middlesbrough and Stockton), after moving to the area. I was attracted to volunteering with Mind as I know the importance of good mental health and was impressed with the variety of essential services provided to the local community.

I looked closely into the volunteering opportunities, applied for a role as an Appropriate Adult, and started volunteering with the in-demand 24/7 service provided by Mind. This service supports vulnerable, local people with mental health problems, learning difficulties or substance misuse problems, who are detained in police custody.

For me, volunteering has been a great way to help people in the local community, learn new skills and meet new people. Each time I volunteer I meet different people with different needs in different circumstances. Volunteering allows me to use my skills and experience gained throughout my adult life to support others.

“After volunteering for Middlesbrough and Stockton Mind as an appropriate adult for 12 months, I also then joined the board of Trustees who are responsible for the governance and strategic direction of the Company. I have enjoyed joining the Trustees team at Mind and further developing my skills and knowledge through volunteering in this role.”

With 25 years experience working within the service industry, 10 of which specifically focused on strategy, leadership and business improvement initiatives, my expertise was transferable to the charity, supporting them in achieving their priorities and strategic goals.

I would recommend everyone to have a think about what they could do to make a difference and encourage them to consider volunteering. There are so many opportunities out there and volunteering not only improves your well-being, it also increases your skills and experience.  You get to meet new people who you may not otherwise come into contact with.

From Peer Support to Appropriate Adults; Telephone Befrienders to Fundraising Stewards, we rely on volunteers to help deliver a vital service at Mind.

Author: Nicola Wass, Lead Talent’s Implementation Expert

For more information:

https://www.middlesbroughandstocktonmind.org.uk/about-us/our-people

https://volunteersweek.org/about-volunteers-week/what-is-volunteers-week/

More about Nicola Wass